Corby, Northamptonshire, 1994. The steel industry, which employed 11,000 people, abruptly closes its plant. Faced with this disaster, the town’s elected representatives decided to redevelop the industrial wasteland. They wanted to move as quickly as possible, and called in a service provider who would not be encumbered by time-consuming precautions.
In the years that followed, several babies were born with malformations. Tracey loses her baby daughter, Shelby Anne, who survives only three days. Susan’s son Connor is born with a fingerless hand. The young mothers meet at the hospital, and soon realize that other families are going through the same ordeal. The mothers get together and hire a determined lawyer. And so begins a 14-year battle to make their voices heard, and to stand up to powerful political and economic interests.
Courage and cowardice, fear and hope, the whole range of what makes us human.
The plot, based on a true story, is solid and well-constructed. The characters are nuanced, all have weaknesses, but they remain a little too typical of the good or the bad side. That’s not too bad, though, because the great strength of the series lies in its 5-star cast! Jodie Whittaker (Dr Who), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex education), Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty, Stargate Universe), Rory Kinnear (the diplomat), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Claudia Jessie (Bridgerton), Joe Dempsie (Game of thrones), Lauren Lyle (Outlander)…
This story clearly illustrates the choice made by the poor classes in towns devastated by deindustrialization : to compromise with their conscience in order to ally themselves with economic interests and act in favor of development. Or fight tooth and nail against a much bigger opponent, sometimes losing their job in the process. It also shows that justice is a long and painful battle, where lawyers’ strategies count just as much as the evidence. You can lose even when you’re right. But those who manage to win in spite of it all pave the way for the others.
Miniseries, 4 episodes (55 mn), 2025, on Netflix
WITH : Jodie Whittaker as Susan McIntyre, Aimee Lou Wood as Tracey Taylor, Robert Carlyle as Sam Hagen, Rory Kinnear as Des Collins, Brendan Coyle as Roy Thomas, Claudia Jessie as Maggie Mahon, Joe Dempsie as Derek Mahon, Michael Socha as Peter, Stephen McMillan as Ted Jenkins, Karla Crome as Pattie Walker, Lauren Lyle as Dani Holliday, Ben Batt as Pat Miller, Matthew Durkan as Mark Taylor