Chernobyl: What the Must Watch reviewers think
Must Watch reviewers Scott Bryan and Hayley Campbell share their thoughts on Chernobyl which is currently available on on Sky Atlantic.
What do you think? Leave your comments below...
(Photo credit: Sky UK Ltd/HBO)
Hayley says: "It's really well done"
"Chernobyl on Sky Atlantic and Now TV is really good.
"It's a five-part series about the Chernobyl disaster, but focusing on the tension between political officials and scientists in the aftermath. It was one of the worst man-made disasters in history and it is terrifying.
"I watched all of the episodes in one go and then had the worst radiation dreams.
"We enter the story after the worst has happened - the core of the plant has exploded. Everybody doesn't know how bad it is. So they send in the regular firefighters and they're all fighting the fire as if it's not radioactive, because none of the workers have considered that yet. They're putting themselves in massive danger.
"To start off with, you just look as though you've sat in the sun for a bit. But radiation breaks down your cells and it takes days to die - watching hours of that before bed is not a great idea.
"You're watching this knowing what we know now, and you're watching people touching radioactive patients, and how the officials are trying to keep this hidden - the deliberate hiding of how bad the situation was to avoid political mess.
"I read a Twitter-thread from someone who lived in the Soviet Union who commended this show's attention to detail - right down to the kitchen bin.
"The writer and creator, Craig Mazin, did years of research, even speaking to nuclear scientists about how reactors work - you leave the show thinking you understand nuclear science. He also interviewed former Soviet citizens to understand the culture of the time.
"It's really well done."
(Photo credit: Sky UK Ltd/HBO)
Scott says: "It's a tough watch... but easy to recommend"
"So many dramas have that fear of 'what could happen' - lots of dramas pontificate about risks humanity currently has and what could happen.
"There's an extra level of fear with this - because you have that fear - then you realise it did happen.
"It took people in other countries to raise the alarm. The world of 1986 is very different to today - but it makes you realise how little information was getting out of the Soviet Union at that time.
"It is a tough watch. There are moments - particularly in episode three - that are some of the most unsettling moments I've seen on TV in ages.
"But the reason why I find it so easy to recommend to watch is because of its attention to detail.
"What is so good about this drama, unlike so many others, is that it has a cast of British actors but none of them is trying to do a terrible Russian accent."
Chernobyl is airing now on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.
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