Thalidomide promised to be a wonder drug. Developed on concentration camp victims by the Germans in World War II to counter the effects of sarin gas, the drug was prescribed by British doctors to help with morning sickness, leading to tens of thousands of children born with serious defects. Harold Evans, the crusading newspaper editor of the Sunday Times, overcame cover-ups and worked around British laws preventing public discussion of the scandal to launch a moral campaign in the early 1970s that highlighted Distillers’ disregard for the catastrophic human cost. Evans is one of the heroes of this film and the campaign, as are the parents and children. The film is also a tribute to old-school investigative journalism.

Following the screening, a panel – chaired by Andrew Kelly, Director of Bristol Festival of Ideas – will debate the film and the future of investigative journalism.

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