Oxfordshire residents are debating local waste and pollution issues following a new television drama that highlights environmental failures across the county. The three-part series, titled Dirty Business, aired on Channel 4 between 23 February and 25 February 2026.
The programme features actors Jason Watkins and David Thewlis as characters based on real-life whistleblowers from the local area. The story follows two residents from the county as they try to expose the sewage crisis and what they describe as a failure by regulators to protect the environment.
The broadcast has led many locals to voice concerns about a large illegal dump near Kidlington, known as the Oxfordshire Rubbish Mountain. This site contains around 20,000 tonnes of waste in a field next to the A34 and the River Cherwell, which has caused significant worry for people living nearby.
Work to clear the massive pile of rubbish began in February 2026 and is expected to take between six and nine months to complete. The Environment Agency has set aside millions of pounds to remove the waste, which reached heights of 12 metres before the cleanup started.
On community forums, people are comparing the events shown in the drama to the real-life challenges faced in Oxfordshire. Residents are using the attention from the series to call for better management of local waste services and more accountability from official organisations.
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