Toxic Town billboards highlight UK pollution
By James Herring on Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Netflix’s new series Toxic Town isn’t just making waves on-screen – it’s bringing the issue of air pollution to the streets.
In a bold move, billboards for the show are using real-time air quality data to visually represent pollution levels across the country.
When air quality is good, the billboards display a full poster for the series. But when pollution levels rise, they transform – engulfed in a cloud of fumes, making the message impossible to ignore.
The campaign underscores a chilling reality: just because you can’t always see pollution doesn’t mean it’s not affecting lives.
Toxic Town explores the devastating effects of environmental negligence, and these billboards turn that message into an interactive, real-world experience.
It’s a stark reminder that air quality isn’t just a statistic it’s something we all breathe in every day.
The campaign uses data from AccuWeather with media planning and buying by Dentsu.
Toxic Town, which launched last Thursday, delves into the shocking Corby poisonings. Starring Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood, Jodie Whittaker, and Robert Carlyle, and written by Jack Thorne, the series explores the toxic waste spillages that led to a landmark legal battle—dubbed the “British Erin Brockovich.”
After the closure of Corby’s massive steelworks in the 1980s, waste was recklessly transported through populated areas.
By the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, birth defects in the town had tripled compared to nearby areas. In 2009, 18 families won a historic lawsuit in the UK’s High Court, holding authorities accountable.
Toxic Town brings this real-life environmental scandal to light, exposing the devastating consequences of negligence.
