Without the women of Toxic Town, Corby's shocking true scandal would have remained buried

Since debuting on the streamer, more of the real-life stories of Corby have been given their rightful limelight. Alongside the release of the drama, BBC Radio Northampton launched its own podcast series, In Detail... The Toxic Waste Scandal, which has continued to dig deeper into the real-life events with the help of documents, interviews and court transcripts.

Stories of babies being born "navy blue" have been publicised, as well as the barrister who represented Corby Borough Council speaking out about how cross-examining the mothers at the heart of the case was "the worst aspect of it all".

Similarly, The Times podcast The Story featured a special episode with some of the Corby mothers, detailing how they hope that the Netflix series can help others join the dots if they think they too have been affected.

It's a wide-spanning story that didn't get this level of national coverage at the time, and is for most viewers of Toxic Town the first exposure they're having to the Corby toxic waste scandal.

But there's simply no denying that we wouldn't be talking about the real-life stories, the people involved or the eventual 2009 High Court case if it wasn't for the women who campaigned tirelessly for justice for their children.

As we see in the series itself, the likes of Susan McIntyre, Tracey Taylor and Maggie Mahon were just some of the mothers who fought for their children's stories of being born with limb differences to be heard.

The series leaves viewers wanting to bang their head against a wall a lot of the time, but the shocking nature of it all is enough to drive the momentum for a continued conversation around airborne toxins, national responsibility around our waterways and pollution.

The Corby scandal is having its own major milestone moment, but there's no telling how far-reaching the impact of the renewed dialogue around it could be – and that's truly awe-inspiring.

In the poignant video of the real-life mothers of the series meeting Jodie Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood, it's hard to get through it without a tear coming to your eye. For these women, it isn't a work of fiction, it isn't just a glossy drama with a catchy soundtrack and star-studded cast – it's their reality.

They had to spend a decade campaigning for justice, doubting themselves and going through such a long process only for nobody to be prosecuted to this day.

While the settlement is, of course, a cause for celebration for these families, that's something that many viewers have been left chewing over since the show's release – the fact that no one has had to answer for the levels of negligence involved in Corby's toxic waste management at the time.

"At the end of the day, we were little people to these big men. But we were determined and that was it," Susan says in the video, only driving home the fact that it really was a David and Goliath battle of these mothers versus the local council.

"We had to show that we were strong, independent women who were going to prove that what they did was wrong, and we were not going to be lied to," Tracey explains.

The fact that these mothers had to go years thinking that the fault lied with themselves or that they were to blame for their children's limb differences is baffling and altogether upsetting. Their strength in their battle for the truth and justice is aptly portrayed in Toxic Town, bringing their stories to life with familiar faces like Whittaker, Wood and Claudia Jessie.

But how do you remain hopeful when you were repeatedly gaslit and made to doubt yourself? As the series outlines – and should be celebrated everyday, in my humble opinion – women are capable of seriously wondrous things. And by clubbing together, these ordinary mothers got the answers they so deserved.

It takes a village to make any production (including series writer Jack Thorne) but Toxic Town simply wouldn't be as impactful as it is without the sheer power of the real-life women at the centre of it. It's something that really should be celebrated as we continue progressing the conversations around Toxic Town and Corby further.

On both sides of this coin, women are to thank for bringing the story of Corby to a level of national consciousness that is hard to ignore.

While the Netflix series has the likes of Minkie Spiro in the director's seat and a stacked cast of formidable women, the real-life figures are the true reason why this important story is now being heard. Because without them, the scandal could have been one of Britain's largest unheard secrets – and that thought truly doesn't bear thinking about.

Toxic Town is streaming now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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