What happened
Netflix's British drama miniseries Toxic Town has been hailed as the 'best TV show you've never seen' by culture critic Tim Glanfield of The Times and The Sunday Times. In a TikTok video that went viral, Glanfield recommended the four-part series to fans of recent hits like Adolescence and Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Details of the show
Created by Jack Thorne, known for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and co-writing This Is England and Adolescence, Toxic Town follows three mothers involved in the Corby toxic waste case of 2009. The case found Corby Borough Council liable for negligence, public nuisance, and breach of statutory duty for its reclamation of Corby Steelworks between 1985 and 1997, which led to birth defects in children.
The ensemble cast includes Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Rory Kinnear, Robert Carlyle, Michael Socha, and Joe Dempsie. Whittaker was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Susan McIntyre, though she lost to Narges Rashidi for Prisoner 951.
Critical reception and impact
Toxic Town holds a perfect 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 85% audience score. Fans on Reddit have 'highly recommended' the series, calling it a 'well-written' show with a 'compelling story' that had them 'cheering' at the end. One viewer said: 'Watched all four episodes yesterday and stood up cheering when it ended.'
Glanfield noted: 'While Mr Bates vs The Post Office was one of the big issue-based dramas that absolutely captured the attention of the nation, this is a show that is about an equally huge British scandal... It's a show that deserves more attention.'
Toxic Town is available to stream on Netflix now.
