Toxic Town’s purposeful premise highlights why it’s such an impactful show. Beyond raising awareness about the dire effects of toxic waste on pregnant women, the Netflix miniseries paints an inspiring picture of the ethical role of journalism in the justice system. Created by Enola Holmes writer Jack Thorne, the legal drama was inspired by a true story that legally established a firm correlation between birth defects and toxic waste.
In real life, the class action against Corby Borough Council involved multiple families. At least 18 youngsters were represented in the lawsuit which alleged that the town’s clumsy toxic waste removal caused their deformities. They argued that their mothers absorbed the toxic substances while pregnant and it impaired the development of their limbs. To bring the tale to life, Toxic Town focused on the stories of three Corby mums who were instrumental in the long walk to justice. What are they up to now?
Susan McIntyre
The character portrayed by Doctor Who actress Jodie Whittaker was at the forefront of the legal battle. After realizing her son’s deformed hand is linked to other birth defects and the town’s toxic waste mismanagement, Susie Gallagher McIntyre set out on a campaign for justice. She began rallying mothers who suffered the same fate to join a lawsuit against the Corby Borough Council.
According to McIntyre, the decision to drag their town’s council through a decade-long legal tussle had little to do with the compensatory damages they ultimately received. Rather, they wanted to effect real change. “Money didn’t interest any of us. All we wanted to know was, ‘Why? Why did this happen to us? How do we stop it (from) happening to anyone else?'”
Recalling their days in court, McIntyre told Whittaker it “was really scary going to court and facing it all. When we got the verdict, it was just like wow, we’ve actually won,” she said. “My pride was the way we fought it; we fought it to the end,” added the mother of two. McIntyre still lives in Corby and her sons, Daniel and Connor McIntyre, are now adults. The former has been caught in multiple unlawful activities. In March 2021, the Northampton Crown Court jailed him for three and a half years following a robbery incident near Corby swimming pool.
Tracey Taylor
This Corby mum joined the fight after losing her newborn daughter Shelby Anne. Born with a deformed ear and a two-chamber heart, Shelby died at four days old. Following a series of medical examinations that failed to explain what happened to Shelby, Taylor eventually learns it’s connected to the Corby poisonings.
“It turns out I was working next door to it where the main toxic waste (and) deadly stuff was being done,” she told Aimee Lou Wood who portrayed her in the Netflix miniseries. “All of this at the start was one big jigsaw puzzle and slowly the pieces came together,” added Taylor. Joining the quest for justice, Tracey Taylor was disappointed to learn her Shelby wouldn’t be named among the claimants in the case against the Corby Borough Council. The litigation wanted to focus on kids with limb deformities to improve the chances of winning.
Despite that, Taylor remained active in pursuing justice and even testified in court to help win the case. While she worked with Euramax in Corby, Taylor lived in Kettering where she gave birth to Shelby. She still lives there with her husband Mark Taylor. The couple has three grown-up sons — Dominic Taylor, and his older twin brothers Brandon and Callum Taylor.
Maggie Mahon
Bridgerton actress Claudia Jessie portrayed Maggie Mahon, another mum exposed to toxic waste during the Corby Borough Council’s redevelopment of the town’s steelmaking plant. Maggie’s husband, Derek Mahon, worked as one of the truck drivers transporting the waste. In July 1997, the couple welcomed their second son Sam Mahon with a club foot. Upon stumbling on a news report about the Corby Steelworks reclamation link to birth defects in the town, she joined the campaign for justice.
“I was angry and I thought, if this has happened I am going to fight for my child,” Maggie told NN Journal. “From a week old, it was constant treatments, splints, bars, operations. It was ongoing. But I brought him up to be positive and not dwell on it,” added the Corby mum.
After Sam, Maggie and Derek had a girl child named Hannah Mahon. The family still lives in Corby where Maggie works as a teaching assistant. Her son has since become a responsible adult. He works as a finance administrator with the Woodsend Medical Centre of Aspiro Healthcare in Weldon, located towards the eastern outskirts of Corby. Check out American Primeval’s most brutal moments.
Follow Us
