Filming is under way in the North East on a major new ITV drama telling the story of the infected blood scandal.
There’s considerable pedigree behind Bad Blood, which pairs BAFTA-winning screenwriter Peter Moffat (Silk, Criminal Justice) with RTS award-winning director Julia Ford (Until I Kill You) and World Productions, the company behind Line of Duty, Malpractice and The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
The four-part series will explore how more than 30,000 people were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s, resulting in chronic illness and more than 3,000 deaths.
The drama centres on four boys attending Treloar’s, a boarding school for disabled children with an attached NHS centre specialising in the treatment of haemophilia.
There, they receive Factor VIII, then regarded as a revolutionary treatment offering greater freedom to people with haemophilia.
The drama will depict how children were used in trials involving blood products, some sourced from high-risk paid donors in the United States, and the institutional failures which followed as the risks of Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS became known.
It will also follow the subsequent fight by survivors and families for answers and justice.
The cast includes Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Ben Chaplin (September 5) and Susan Lynch (Happy Valley) alongside Luke Treadaway, Patrick Fabian, Precious Wura Alabi, Hannah McClean, Joe Absolom, Ron Cook, Peter Sullivan and Cal MacAninch.
Peter Moffat said: “It has been deeply humbling to hear the personal stories of the infected and affected, and a real privilege to be trusted with their accounts.
“This drama is an active testament to a decades-long fight for justice by so many victims of this appalling scandal. We hope it can make a difference by ensuring their voices are properly heard.”
The production is being supported by the North East Production Fund, administered by North East Screen, with funding from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority.
ITV director of drama, Polly Hill said: “We hope this drama will allow our audience to fully understand the infected blood scandal that started decades ago.
“We all hope the drama can do justice to all those affected by this scandal and the victims’ long fight for justice.”
Directed by Julia Ford, who won an RTS award for Until I Kill You in 2025, Bad Blood will air on ITV and STV and stream on ITVX and STV Player.