Chernobyl series to tell truth about disaster
A new television series chronicling the events of Chernobyl will be a key and prestigious TV series of our age.
That’s according to founder and CEO of Chernobyl Children International, Adi Roche, who is urging the public to tune in to the new HBO and Sky series, simply titled ‘Chernobyl’, to witness what she describes as one of the greatest cover-ups in history.
The series, which premiered on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV this week, dramatizes the events of the 1986 nuclear accident which released radioactive material across Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Western Europe, and brings to life the true story of the brave men who fought to save Europe from disaster.
Speaking ahead of the show’s debut on Irish screens, Adi Roche said: “The upcoming series sees Chernobyl as never articulated or envisioned before. This wonderful new and creative series is helping us all to see Chernobyl with fresh eyes and ears, fresh heart, fresh understanding, with fresh compassion and solidarity.”
According to Ms Roche, the Soviets were “Chernobyl deniers from day one” and still, to this day, maintain that the disaster only led to the death of 31 people.
“This has never been corrected although experts put the actual death toll at a minimum of 4,000 and as high as 93,000,” she said.
The series stars a host of well-known actors including Irish actress Jessie Buckley, as well as Jared Harris and Emily Watson.
Ms Roche said: “This series is an honest, truthful and a jarring appraisal of human behaviour acting as a cautionary tale for all of us.”
The series’ Irish screen debut comes just one week after the cast and crew of the series attended a special event at the United Nations in New York, co-hosted by Chernobyl Children International and the Belorussian, Irish and Ukrainian Missions to the UN.
“The series took the United Nations by storm last week. It doesn’t shy away from telling it like it is.
“It is not for the faint hearted and it was a shock for the delegates to see the story told in such a frank and direct way.”
She continued: “Its raw truth telling of the deception and cover-up is deeply disturbing as it replaces the narrative of what has been convenient all these years. For the first time we get behind what really happens when we ignore the truth.”
During the poignant event at the United Nations, Roche called for international recognition and a Nobel Prize nomination for the 750,000 first-responders to Chernobyl, known as ‘liquidators’ who fought to contain the disaster.