Unflinching BBC drama about each guardian’s final nightmare races up Netflix charts
BBC One’s gutting drama Best Interests left viewers in bits when it aired in 2023, asking the difficult question: who decides a child’s fate when they are untreatably unwell?
The four-parter, which stars Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen in heartwrenching performances, has now arrived on Netflix – and is already shooting up the streamer’s Top 10 list as subscribers put themselves through the emotional wringer.
Written by This Is England’s Jack Thorne, Best Interests follows parents Nicci and Andrew (Horgan and Sheen) as they – along with eldest daughter Katie (Alison Oliver) – care for their 13-year-old Marnie, who suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy.
When Marnie is admitted to intensive care after picking up a chest infection, her doctor informs Nicci and Andrew that they have reservations about continuing to treat her for the degenerative disease – ultimately leading to a battle in court. With desperate Nicci determined to keep Marnie alive and Andrew increasingly unsure whether it’s worth fighting, their tight-knit family is torn apart by a dilemma that’s every parent’s worst nightmare.
Best Interests appeared to draw heavily from the highly-publicised case of Archie Battersbee – a 12-year-old boy whose parents fought to keep him on life support after he was found unconscious and considered to have suffered brainstem death. A court judge ruled in favour of Barts Health NHS Trust in 2022, allowing for his life support to be withdrawn after finding that it was not in Archie’s best interests to continue invasive mechanical support.
The series received critical acclaim when it aired in June 2023, picking up two Bafta nominations for Best Limited Drama and Best Actress for star Horgan.
It was also hailed by critics and received four and five-star reviews across the board. The Independent’s Nick Hilton praised the stellar cast’s performances, describing Sheen and Horgan as “terrific, both wholly believable in their frustration and grief”.
“The show poses big questions, both about the practical issues surrounding end-of-life care, and more philosophical enquiries about the value we, as a society, place on young lives,” he continued. “Anchored by a raft of excellent performances, this is a powerful, moving story of the impossible decisions facing the parents of seriously ill children.”
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Rounding out the cast are Niamh Moriarty as Marnie, as well as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s Noma Dumezweni, former Strictly Come Dancing star Chizzy Akudolu, Kaos’ Mat Fraser, Grantchester’s Gary Beadle, Game of Thrones’ Lucian Msamati, Rivals’ Lisa McGrillis, Green Wing’s Pippa Haywood and Black Mirror’s Shane Zaza.
Best Interests is now available to stream on Netflix.
