Many of us have witnessed firsthand the transformative bliss IVF has brought to families struggling to conceive, but the story behind the years of struggle and scientific research to pioneer the treatment is lesser known. Jack Thorne, the genius behind Adolescence, and his wife, Rachel Mason, were inspired by their own IVF experience to create Joy – the moving story behind the world’s first test-tube baby, which will leave you in awe.
James Norton’s performance as Robert Edwards, one of the pioneering scientists, is even more watchable than Happy Valley, in which he stars as villain Tommy Lee Royce. But at the heart of this outstanding drama is the long-overlooked nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), who helped pioneer the fertility treatment.
With Joy available to watch now on Netflix, here’s everything you need to know about the 70s-set drama before you tune in, including the plot, cast and release date.
What is Joy about?
Every birth is a somewhat remarkable story, but just under five decades ago one of history’s most extraordinary ones unfolded. The 2024 British biographical drama Joy takes us back to 1978, when the world’s first ever successful IVF birth took place. That first ‘test-tube baby’, Louise Joy Brown, was the result of years of tireless work and research from surgeons, scientists and embryologists. But until Joy, the story has been told through a male lens, often neglecting the instrumental role of Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), a young nurse and embryologist who assisted scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton) and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy) in pioneering the revolutionary process.
The movie spans the decade-long effort it took to get to Louise’s birth, including the obstacles the trio faced, such as funding difficulties and pushback from the church community and the press. The drama opens with a letter based on a real document that Robert wrote asking for Jean’s name to be put on a plaque that honours the scientists behind IVF.
Thomasin revealed what drew her to the role, and spoke about the challenge of playing Jean when there was so little publicly known about her. ‘It was infuriating because there’s very little on her. Jean was a very private person. Rachel and Jack did painstaking research to find out as much about her as possible, but there was very little information out there,’ she told Netflix.
‘I feel like I know Jean very well, and I really feel for her. It’s true that she had endometriosis and that she wasn’t able to have children of her own, so the fact that she helped other people have children – 12 million-plus babies – shows that she’s left such a huge impact,’ she added.
Who’s in the cast of Joy?
The cast of Joy includes:
- Thomasin McKenzie (Eileen, The Power Of The Dog) as Jean Purdy
- James Norton (Happy Valley, Little Women) as Robert Edwards
- Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The Beautiful Game) as Patrick Steptoe
- Joanna Scanlan (Riot Women) as Gladys
- Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders) as Trisha
- Ruth Madeley (Doctor Who) as Maggie
- Jemima Rooper (Matriarch) as Ruth Edwards
- Miles Jupp (Do Not Disturb) as George
- Tanya Moodie (Motherland) as Muriel
- Ella Bruccoleri (The Other Bennet Sister) as Lesley Brown
- Douggie McMeekin (Steve) as John Brown
- Rish Shah (Obsession) as Arun
How can I watch Joy?
You can watch Joy now on Netflix.
Is there a trailer for Joy?
Yes – you can watch the trailer for Joy here.
Is Joy any good?
Yes – if you love a heart-warming story based on true events, you’re bound to be moved by Joy. The film will be especially poignant for those who’ve gone through IVF in their own families, with one viewer praising it as ‘fascinating and moving’. Also, James Norton isn’t a household name for no reason – here he again shows off his impressive range. Most of us know him as Happy Valley’s chilling villain Tommy Lee Royce, and he brings the same mesmerising depth to his portrayal of the warm but determined Robert Edwards.
What other James Norton dramas can I watch now?
If you’re in the mood for something darker, we’d recommend the period thriller The Nevers. James stars as a charming yet morally ambiguous aristocrat in 1896 London who’s drawn to a group of women, called The Touched, who have supernatural powers, and he ends up exploiting them in his secret club. All episodes of The Nevers are available to watch now on ITVX. If you’re a fan of a dramatic backdrop and plot twists, the 2025 ITV psychological thriller Playing Nice takes us to the stunning Cornish coastline, where James plays a dad who finds out his toddler was swapped at birth. All episodes of Playing Nice are available to watch now on ITVX.