- Netflix's drama "Toxic Town" is about the mothers of children in the UK poisoned by their environment.
- 'Doctor Who' actor Jodie Whittaker leads the show.
- Much of the series revolves around one of the mothers, Susan McIntyre, played by Whitaker.
Netflix's true crime drama "Toxic Town" tells the story of children born with disabilities after they were poisoned by toxic waste in their British town.
The four-part series, which premieres on Thursday, examines how Corby Council reclaimed the nearby steelworks between 1984 to 1999, causing atmospheric toxic waste to blow through areas of the town. Pregnant women unknowingly inhaled a mix of chemicals, leading to birth defects.
The show centers on Susan McIntyre (Jodie Whittaker), who seeks justice for her son Connor, who was born with a deformed hand.
Over several decades, McIntyre and several other parents took the council to court and proved that it covered up the potentially harmful effects of the toxic waste.
Here's what to know about the real McIntyre.
Susan McIntyre campaigned for years to get justice for her son
McIntyre, 56, moved to Corby from Scotland when she was three years old. Despite being 200 miles away in the East Midlands, Corby has a large Scottish community because people moved south when the Glasgow-based company Stewarts & Lloyds built a steelworks there in the 1930s.
In an interview published in The Times of London on February 9, McIntyre said she previously worked at some of the factories located around Corby, and was a single mother to her sons, Daniel and Connor McIntyre.
She said she had a difficult pregnancy with Connor, who was born in 1996.
"Everything went wrong, from pre-eclampsia to gestational diabetes. I was in hospital for about five weeks up until when I had him," she said.
Connor was born without fingers on his left hand and had 20 corrective surgeries as a child. Once McIntyre became aware that Corby Council was responsible for the toxic waste that caused birth defects in numerous children, she started campaigning for justice.
She said: "The Sunday Times came to my door, and said, 'We think there's some problem in Corby with children born with deformities, could we tell your story?' That was the start of it, and then it never stopped."
McIntyre has spoken to the press a number of times to raise awareness of the legal battle and how her son's disability has affected his life. In the 2020 BBC documentary, "Toxic Town: The Corby Poisonings," she explained that he was severely bullied because of his hand.
She said: "He just didn't get peace from these children, he got bullied that much he would break down and cry and say 'Mum I don't want to go out because people are looking at my hand.
"He started biting his hand, tried to cut it off. But I think it was a cry for help. All Connor wanted to be a normal kid, to be a man and get on with his life. But nobody ever gave him a chance."
McIntyre and several other mothers involved in the case worked with Netflix on "Toxic Town," and they met with actors Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood regarding the series.
Corby Council settled with the group for £14.6 million
The group of mothers and their children took legal action against Corby Council with the help of the lawyer Des Collins (Rory Kinnear) and the case was overseen by Mr Justice Akenhead of the High Court.
In a 2009 hearing, Akenhead ruled that there was a "statistically significant" number of birth defects in Corby, and found the council "liable in public nuisance, negligence, and breach of statutory duty."
In 2010, the council reached a settlement of £14.6 million with the group.
After the settlement was announced, Chris Mallender, Corby Council's chief executive, said: "The council recognizes that it made mistakes in its clean-up of the former British Steel site years ago and extends its deepest sympathy to the children and their families.
"Although I accept that money cannot properly compensate these young people for their disabilities and for all that they have suffered to date and their problems in the future, the council sincerely hopes that this apology coupled with the agreement will mean they can now put their legal battle behind them and proceed with their lives with a greater degree of financial certainty."
