The Northamptonshire town of Corby was once an industrial giant, home to a huge steelworks that drew hundreds of workers – many from Scotland. But by the 80s it was closed and by 1997, Corby Borough Council had demolished the site. In the process, they transported truckloads of toxic waste through the town, spreading dangerous contaminants for miles.
It might sound like a rather provincial starting point for a Netflix series, maybe even a little dull. But Toxic Town was written by the master of social-justice drama, Jack Thorne – this was never going to be just a story of environmental damage. That toxic waste became dust and was breathed in by Corby’s residents – including its pregnant women – with devastating results. Their babies were born with limb differences and, in some cases, died.
Jodie Whittaker plays one such mother, Susan, a bolshy livewire with terrible taste in men. While pregnant she gives up drinking, smoking and her anti-depressant “happy pills” to ensure her son’s health. But when Connor is born without fully developed fingers, she still blames herself. His young life is marred by hospital stays, painful surgeries and playground bullies.
When Susan begins to notice other children with limb differences in Corby, she realises that something bigger must have occurred – there must be a reason. After she bumps into the woman she shared a maternity ward with, Tracey (Aimee Lou Wood), whose little girl Shelby died days after being born, they team up and employ a lawyer, Des (Rory Kinnear), to first work out if they have a case against the council – and then to win it.
As this is playing out, so is the fallout inside the council building. A young upstart, Ted (Stephen McMillan), whose father is dying after years working as a foreman in the steelworks, notices that corners are being cut at the demolition site. But when he tries to bring this corruption to the attention of lead councillor Roy Thomas (an amalgamation of real-life men and played by Brendan Coyle, himself from Corby), he is brushed off.
There are only four episodes to Toxic Town, but the series still takes its time hammering home the injustice and indignity done to these mothers and their children. Whittaker is astonishing as Susan, cracking jokes one second and fervently fighting for what is right – she is the heartbeat of the entire series.
Along with Wood and Bridgerton’s Claudia Jessie, who plays Maggie, another mother whose child was born with a limb difference and whose husband works at the demolition site, the women’s performances bring poignancy to what might have otherwise been a by-the-book legal retelling. In other words, all three of them made me cry.
Those aware of the story will remember that the court found in favour of the mothers and in 2010 Corby Borough Council eventually settled the case to the tune of £14.6m. But knowing the facts of the case still doesn’t undo any of Thorne’s expertly crafted suspense, and my heart was in my throat up until the last minute.
Watching Toxic Town should be compulsory. This is a terrifying story of civil negligence that every UK citizen should know about – not least because, as the end credits state, up to 1,287 landfill sites across the country contain hazardous waste and at least four of them are located underneath schools. We have already seen what can happen when TV sparks outrage into action with last year’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Toxic Town is powerful enough to do the same.
‘Toxic Town’ is streaming on Netflix
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