Netflix's Toxic Town, set in Corby, to be released on 27 February
A Netflix drama based on a town's toxic waste scandal will be streamed at the end of February.Toxic Town, which depicts the real-life battle of families in Corby whose children were born with defects, will air on 27 February. Many reached an out-of-court settlement after Corby Borough Council admitted it had made mistakes in the clean-up of the Northamptonshire town's former steelworks.The four-part series stars Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Robert Carlyle, Rory Kinnear, and Brendan Coyle, who is originally from Corby.
The drama's synopsis described what happened in Corby as "one of the UK's biggest environmental scandals".It said Toxic Town focussed on mothers who fought a "David and Goliath battle for justice".After British Steel shut down its operations in 1979, it took 15 years to demolish the site and remove waste. Contractors hired by the council were said to have little experience handling toxic materials.Eighteen families claimed their 19 children were born with upper limb defects due to the removal operation. The mothers said they had been exposed to contaminated dirt while pregnant.In 2009, the High Court ruled that Corby Borough Council was negligent in managing the toxic waste.Toxic Town is written by Jack Thorne, known for His Dark Materials and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.A podcast called "In Detail: The Toxic Waste Scandal" being made by BBC Northampton for BBC Sounds will be launched in March.
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