10 / 10. The time is 23 minutes after midnight. An excellent, cautionary dramatisation of the Chernobyl explosion in April 1986

HBO’s miniseries Chernobyl dramatises the build up to and horrific explosion at Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 in Pripyat, Ukraine, and the aftermath. This incident became one of the worst man-made disasters in history.

Created and written by Craig Mazin and directed by Johan Renck, Chernobyl is based on the recollections of Pripyat locals from the book Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich, but the series takes some dramatic license for some the events depicted, and indicates that the real reasons for the incident were covered up and how the investigators fought to reveal them. Also, Emily Watson’s character Ulana is an amalgamation of a few different people.

Upon release, Chernobyl quickly became the highest rated IMdB entry, so it had a lot to live up to and it didn’t disappoint. Everything looks so authentic and realistic you can imagine it to be filmed in 1986 at the time of the disaster. It features some of the most terrifying scenes ever seen on TV or film, mostly because this actually happened and the true horror of radiation poisoning.

Never have I been so gripped by a story where I knew the disastrous end result beforehand. I won’t easily forget the horrific scenes of the tragic poisoned firefighters and their excruciating fates. A taut atmosphere runs non-stop through the first three episodes, the acting, pacing and cinematography is excellent. The attention to detail of characters, wardrobe and sets; the Chernobyl plant and Pripyat, is amazing.

All those brave people who risked their lives and many who lost their lives; the first responding firefighters, volunteers, and mining teams, who worked on the clean-up, in the contaminated water under the building and the removal of the toxic graphite on the roof, is heart wrenching and humbling to watch.

The story then moves to after the disaster, Jared Harris is amazing as Valery Legasov, he is an enthralling presence as always. The science behind the explosion and the events leading up to it are explained in a way that’s understandable to non-scientists. Emily Watson’s performance as Ulana Khomyuk and her court testimony is equally riveting and well scripted. Stellan Skarsgard is also excellent as Boris Shcherbina.

Chernobyl is not only the story of the disaster and its aftermath, it is a story about the devastating power of secrets and lies, and how ambition and fear can drive people’s actions. This was a story that needed to be told in depth.

“What is the cost of lies?”