Netflix has officially given a series order to His Dark Materials writer Jack Thorne’s upcoming legal drama miniseries titled Toxic Town, centering around the Corby poisonings that were one of the UK’s biggest environmental scandals.
The project will be led by British actors Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), and Robert Carlyle (Once Upon a Time). Despite the ongoing Hollywood strikes, production on Toxic Town will be able to begin later this month since its cast members are under the Actor’s Equity Association.
What to Expect in Toxic Town?
“The Corby Toxic Waste Case is one of those moments in history that is defining. It showed our ability to close our eyes and ears to the safety of our people,” Thorne said in a statement. “It also showed the remarkable way that people will fight for what’s right. Toxic Town tells the story of these funny, brave, incredible women and the way they scrapped for their children. It has been a true privilege working with Annabel, Minkie, Delyth and the whole Broke & Bones family on this incredible story, and we are so grateful to Netflix for giving us the opportunity and support in telling it.”
Written by Thorne, Toxic Town is a 4-part limited drama based on the real-life story of the Corby poisoning. It is a story about community centering around three mothers who take on a David and Goliath fight for justice. By tracing through the years of their fight, a terrible truth comes to the surface – one of stinging injustice. In addition to Whittaker, Wood, and Carlyle, the series will also star Rory Kinnear (The Diplomat) and Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey).
The series hails from Broke & Bones production. Executive producers are Thorne, Annabel Jones, and Minkie Spiro, with Spiro serving as the director. It is also produced by Delyth Scudamore, with Amy Trigg also co-writing the third episode.