Toxic Town

The words “Be good” are tattooed on Jack Thorne’s wrist. It says much about one of our most lauded and in-demand TV dramatists. Two Thorne hits, Adolescence and Toxic Town, have made headlines this year; another two – The Hack and Lord of the Flies – are likely to make waves; and filming has begun on Channel 4 series Falling, starring Paapa Essiedu and Keeley Hawes in what is billed as Thorne’s “first ever love story”.

Corby, a town in Northamptonshire, experienced one of the biggest child poisoning cases the UK has ever seen, after it was exposed to a high volume of toxic waste in the 1980s and 90s.

Children born in this period were three times more likely to have birth defects than the rest of the UK.

In Toxic Town, Jack Thorne (Best Interests) will focus on three mothers who fought on the frontlines for justice, battling in court for recognition of Corby’s mistreatment.