man and woman in court room

The Channel 4 series, Dirty Business, is based on a decade-long investigation about water companies dumping raw sewage. Jason Watkins and David Thewlis star

iewers who tuned into Channel 4’s new drama, Dirty Business, have hailed the series as “brilliant”. The three-part factual drama, which stars Jason Watkins (Line of Duty) and David Thewlis (Harry Potter), investigates one of the biggest potential corporate scandals in British history.

Jason and David star as two neighbours, a maths professor and former detective, who notice that the river in their local Oxfordshire hamlet has turned brown. After some digging, the pair discover that raw, untreated sewage is being dumped into local waterways.

Jason Watkins and David Thewlis in Dirty Business© Channel 4
Jason Watkins and David Thewlis star in Dirty Business

Following the huge success of ITV’s powerful true-story drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, about the shocking Post Office scandal, there’s been an increase in similar high-impact dramas based on real stories.

From Netflix’s Toxic Town, about the Corby toxic waste case, to ITV’s Hack, about the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, we’re seeing more compelling dramas that spark national conversation and provoke discussion about justice and accountability. Dirty Business is the latest true story drama to induce public outrage.

Keep reading to find out more…

What is Dirty Business about?

The series centres around Ash (Thewlis), a former police detective who notices that his local river is becoming increasingly polluted. He teams up with his neighbour, Peter (Watkins), a Professor of Computational Biology, to establish that their local sewage works is not treating sewage correctly, subsequently and frequently dumping raw, untreated sewage into local waterways.

Meanwhile, Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing) stars as whistleblowing sewage plant worker Mickey, who partners with Ash and Peter to supply information on critical failures from the inside.

Jason Watkins plays Peter in Dirty Business© Rob Baker Ashton / Channel 4
The series is based on a decade-long investigation about water companies dumping raw sewage

The synopsis continues: “Dirty Business also follows the true story of the Preen family, wracked by grief when their 8-year-old daughter Heather dies after contracting e-coli 0157. Heather had been playing on a beach where days earlier a nearby storm pipe had discharged into the sea.

“The Preens believe Heather’s death was the result of her coming into contact with the raw sewage. It also follows the story of young surfer Reuben who believes his chronic illness, Meniere’s disease, is as a result of surfing in polluted water, changing his life forever.”

Also starring in the drama are Posy Sterling (Lollipop) as Julie Preen, Charlotte Ritchie (Grantchester) as Sophie Harrison, Craig Parkinson (Grace) as John Bull, Alex Jennings (The Crown) as Sir James Bevan

Rounding out the cast are Tom McKay as Mark Preen, Alice Lowe as Susan Davy, Chanel Cresswell as Hanna Smith, Vicki Pepperdine as Lucy Hunt, Juliet Cowan as Debbie Henderson, Tom Durant-Pritchard as Chris Hines and Stephen Wight as Alex Sinclair.

What have viewers said about the show?

Viewers have hailed the drama as “brilliant,” with many binge-watching all three episodes on Channel 4.

One person penned on social media, “Wow, brilliant programme. Deeply saddening, utterly despicable, unfortunately not shocking,” while another described the series as a “must-watch”.

family playing on beach© Rob Baker Ashton / Channel 4
The series follows the true story of the Preen family, whose 8-year-old daughter Heather dies after contracting E. coli

A third viewer wrote: “That was amazing. Well done #dirtybusiness,” while others commented on the “heartbreaking” story about the Preen family, whose eight-year-old daughter Heather died after contracting an aggressive strain of E. coli after coming into contact with raw sewage on the beach.

What have critics said about the series?

The series has been met with rave reviews from critics, with The Guardian describing the series as “a blast of controlled fury” which could become the “next mr Bates vs the Post Office,” in its five-star review.

Asim Chaudhry in Dirty Business© Photography by Rob Baker Ashton
Asim Chaudhry plays whistleblowing sewage plant worker Mickey

Meanwhile, The Telegraph said the show will “leave you seething,” and highlighted the performances of Jason Watkins, David Thewlis, Charlotte Ritchie and Asim Chaudry in its five-star review.

All episodes of Dirty Business are available to stream on Channel 4 now.