Channel 4’s ‘Dirty Business’ Welcomes David Thewlis, Jason Watkins, Asim Chaudhry, and BAFTA Rising Star Nominee Posy Sterling
David Thewlis, Jason Watkins, Asim Chaudhry, and BAFTA Rising Star nominee Posy Sterling lead the cast of the forthcoming Channel 4 factual drama Dirty Business.
This three-part series, produced by Halcyon Heart, delves into a decade-long investigation of England’s water companies, spotlighting the harrowing accounts of whistleblowers and victims whose lives have been disrupted by sewage-contaminated water.
Dirty Business follows two unlikely detectives who notice the fish in the river of their picturesque Oxfordshire hamlet are dying. Their inquiry into the local water company’s strange and evasive response initiates an ongoing investigation.
Thewlis portrays Ash, a concerned former police detective, while Watkins takes on the role of Peter, a biology professor who leverages his expertise to reveal that their sewage treatment facility is improperly handling waste, often releasing raw sewage into local waterways. Chaudhry plays a whistleblower from the sewage plant.
The narrative also examines the tragic story of the Preen family, mourning the loss of their 8-year-old daughter, Heather, who died after contracting E. coli 0157. She had been playing on a beach where a storm pipe had recently discharged sewage. The family believes her illness stemmed from the contaminated water. Additionally, the series introduces young surfer Reuben, who suspects that his chronic Meniere’s disease results from exposure to polluted surf.
The project is written and directed by multi-BAFTA winner Joseph Bullman, known for Killed By My Debt and Partygate. Producers Laura McCutcheon and Meeshan Saxena team with executive producer Aysha Rafaele. The series is commissioned for Channel 4 by Head of Documentaries Alisa Pomeroy and Factual Entertainment Commissioning Editor Rita Daniels.
