Toxic Town tells the real-life story of one of the UK’s largest environmental scandals and how it affected families living in the town of Corby. Created by writer Jack Thorne (Adolescence), this four-part drama series brings to life the real impacts of air pollution by focusing on the stories of the mothers’ whose babies were born with limb differences because of toxic waste dumped in their community. Toxic Town follows these mothers’ fight for justice as they take on Corby Council in a David and Goliath-style legal battle.

How climate storytelling is embedded throughout:

• Environmental themes drive the central plot from contaminated soil and airborne toxins to water pollution and public health impacts
• Visual storytelling highlights environmental degradation: red dust, chemical spills, and unprotected transport of toxic waste
• The human cost is front and centre, focusing on mothers of children born with severe limb differences
• The climax centres on a legal case, the first in the world to link airborne toxins to limb differences.

The impact:

• Launched at #1 on Netflix UK and reached #3 globally in its debut week (4.7M+ views)
• 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes
• The I Paper branded the series “compulsory viewing” in its 5/5 star review
• Sparked widespread public and media discussion about the original Corby case
• Generated media interest in UK environmental legislation and featured in news outlets including BBC, The Conversation and ClientEarth
• Netflix’s campaign included real-time air quality billboards in major UK cities, blending marketing with public education

Toxic Town shows that when environmental issues are written into a story as a central theme, the results can be transformative.