'Harrowing and inspirational': Corby MP Lee Barron reviews 'Toxic Town'

Jodie Whittaker as Susan McIntyre and Toby Eden as her son Connor | Image by: Netflix © 2024

Lee Barron MP

@LeeBarronMP

Just over 30 years ago, our East Midlands town of Corby was witness to a genuine demonstration of people power and resolute courage. And now, following the release of Netflix’s new drama, Toxic Town, people across the UK have been given insight into this grim episode in our town’s history and the deeply disturbing events experienced by some of our 70,000-strong community.

The four-part docudrama follows a group of mothers in Corby as they fight for justice after 19 of their children were born with birth defects caused by exposure to toxic waste – the result of the botched regeneration of the town’s former steelworks site.

In his 2023 book, The Power in the People, the esteemed barrister Michael Mansfield KC explained that what bought together the injustices of the Birmingham Six, Bloody Sunday, Stephen Lawrence, the sinking of the Marchioness, Hillsborough and Grenfell was: “The power of people and their story. A story hewn from the hard rock of lawfare. An insight in what it takes and why. A tribute to singular courage.”

There is no doubt that when you have watched Toxic Town you will agree that what happened here in Corby will be added to that list of injustices.

Toxic Town brings into our living rooms the devastating impact of industrial neglect

The dramatisation of this harrowing chapter in Corby’s history is both a challenging and inspirational retelling of a set of events that shattered the lives of children, their families and the whole of our community.

Toxic Town brings into our living rooms the devastating impact of industrial neglect – and is a testament to the courageous human spirit of those determined to hold those in power to account.

However local Corby journalist Kate Cronin, who has followed and reported on these events for her whole professional career, is right when she writes in the Northants Telegraph that Netflix’s decision to dub the series “Toxic Town” was probably not fair – and its decision not to film the drama in Corby was the company’s loss. Netflix’s decision not to consult with all the families who were involved in the court case was also short-sighted. But the drama series does bring the victims’ real-life experiences to the attention of the whole world. And it can only be a good thing that people know what happened in Corby so they can prevent it happening again in the future.

The portrayals of the three of the mothers featured in the drama – Susan McIntyre (Jodie Whittaker), Maggie Mahon (Claudia Jessie) and Tracey Taylor (Aimee Lou Wood) – do show the persistence, patience and pressure applied by these brave women who would not accept the indifference at best, and hostility at worse, directed towards them during their battle to secure justice for their children and their community.

There are moments in this series, however, which I think sanitise the experiences of these women in 80s and early 90s Corby. We have to remember what an incredibly tough time that was.

The regeneration of the town was well underway after the catastrophe of the closure of the steelworks but the stark reality of the loss of 14,000 jobs, an unemployment rate of over 22 per cent, plus the highest crime levels in the country (and some of the highest teenage pregnancy, smoking and obesity rates in Europe) meant that the fight and determination required by these courageous women could never truly be portrayed with total accuracy – no matter how ‘A-list’ the cast.

Do watch Toxic Town. You will learn something. Like me, I’m sure you’ll reflect not only on the deep pain that was caused but also on the role of local and national decision makers to help ensure it never happens again.

Lee Barron is Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire

Toxic Town
Written by: Jack Thorne
Directed by: Minkie Spiro
Broadcaster: Netflix

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