ITV is to launch a major new drama delving into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s.
The show, currently without a title, is being written by Peter Moffat.
The contaminated blood scandal in the UK, one of its worst public health disasters, occurred in the 1970s and 1980s when NHS patients were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products. Many of these products were imported from the US, sourced from high-risk donors without proper screening.
The scandal resulted in long-term health issues and deaths, leading to ongoing outrage, inquiries, and calls for compensation among victims and their families. Despite support schemes, those affected continue to seek justice and a full government acknowledgment of the tragedy’s impact.
Peter Moffat said: “It’s been a great privilege to meet those infected and affected and to learn about what they have been through,” he said.
“I’m ashamed to say that when I started researching this story I knew next to nothing about it. I’m even more ashamed that this ignorance is shared by nearly everyone I mention it to.
“The victims of this scandal have been let down again and again by the state – I hope in some small way this drama can help their voices be heard.”
ITV’s head of drama, Polly Hill, said: “Peter’s scripts are brilliant and do justice to this important story, while bringing it to screen with real clarity and compassion.”
Further details about the series are to be announced.
The drama will follow the huge success of Mr Bates vs. the Post Office which has become bigger than Downton Abbey.
The four-part series portrays one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in the history of British law, where numerous sub-postmasters and postmistresses were erroneously implicated in crimes such as theft, fraud, and false accounting.
More on: ITV
