By Charlotte Ndupuechi.
Channel 4 deserves huge congratulations for Dirty Business, an uncomfortable but powerful three-part series that shines a light on an absolutely outrageous issue.
Available to stream now on Channel 4, the series immediately sets the political context as it opens with archive footage of Margaret Thatcher in 1989 promising that water privatisation would “go very successfully” and latter from successive prime ministers, David Cameron and Keir Starmer, each vowing to reform regulation and cut “red tape”.
Based on real events, extensive interviews and detailed research, Dirty Business is both factual and deeply engaging. Hats off to the Channel 4 team for the time and effort taken to put this together — and for presenting it in a way that truly connects with people through personal stories.
At the heart of the series is the deeply troubling reality of raw untreated sewage being pumped into rivers and seas. The environmental damage is shocking and the impact to peoples lives and communities — but so too is the sense of betrayal and injustice felt by the public.
This is a fantastic piece of television because it tackles a very serious subject while carefully joining the dots — and manages to remain compelling at the same time. For anyone new to the politics of deregulation, asset stripping and profit-before-people economics, Dirty Business is an excellent introduction. It explains complex structural issues in clear, human terms, showing how political and boardroom decisions ripple outward into real lives and damaged environments.
The programme highlights that England is the only country in the world with a fully privatised water and sewerage system. It raises serious questions about whether the very structure of that system has enabled asset stripping, vast shareholder payouts and executive bonuses to take precedence over environmental protection, fostering a culture in which profit is placed before people and the environment.
Perhaps most importantly, the series feels like a turning point. A documentary like this suggests that people may finally be ready to confront the environmental consequences of a privatised water system. Viewers are no longer satisfied with familiar phrases such as “lessons must be learned.” What communities want — and what this documentary so powerfully demands — is real change.
This really is a must-watch.
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