Miracle of life

Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton star in a powerful drama about the first IVF baby

- CAREN CLARK JUDY EWENS, STEVEN PERKINS

The birth of Louise Joy Brown, the first ‘test-tube baby’, in 1978 was the culmination of a decade of inspirational work by a group of dedicated British scientists and medics who developed the pioneering treatment of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) – transforming the lives of millions of people around the world.

Now, their story is being told in Netflix’s one-off true-life drama Joy, which begins in 1968 as Cambridge-based scientist Dr Robert ‘Bob’ Edwards, played by James Norton, carries out research into ways to help people who are struggling to conceive.