“VACCA is, unfortunately, all too timely, as we are currently in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. However, this film carries an important positive message about the power of vaccination to defeat smallpox, a brutal infection that killed 250 million people during the last century. Peter McSweeney’s film pays appropriate homage to the man who brought us the gift of vaccination – which ultimately will provide the only permanent solution to the coronavirus.
Of all the people I’ve encountered in the history of medicine, Edward Jenner is the one I’d most like to spend time with. Jenner is well known as the father of vaccination, one of the greatest ever medical inventions, which ultimately wiped out the horrific scourge of smallpox. He was also a true renaissance man – polymath, socialite and lover of life – who gives us insights into a visceral and fast-moving era in science and medicine. Jenner wasn’t a saint, and his flaws make him all the more human and engaging. His life, intertwined with the stories of smallpox and vaccination, makes a compelling package that is crying out for a major film to be made about it – but would also be difficult to do convincingly while remaining acceptably true to the facts.
I believe that Peter McSweeney has risen magnificently to the challenge of translating this multifaceted and sometimes contradictory character to the screen. As someone who has researched this field in depth, I’m particularly impressed by Peter’s scholarship and attention to detail. I also admire the imaginative but historically feasible tricks that Peter uses to fill in the gaps in what we know about Jenner, and to give the story the pace and energy that a modern audience would expect. His script is lively and colourful and tells Jenner’s story in a new and gripping way that will make great television – and fill a gap in the historical record.”
Gareth Williams MD ScD FRCP FRCPE Docteur hc Angers
Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Honorary
Senior Research Fellow in English University of Bristol,
author of ANGEL OF DEATH: THE STORY OF SMALLPOX
and PARALYSED WITH FEAR: THE STORY OF POLIO
Email: gareth.williams@bris.ac.uk || Website: profgarethwilliams.com
In our post-truth era, marked by fake news, pandemics and a distrust in science, never has it been more timely to tell Dr Jenner’s story. Two centuries ago, an unconventional, introverted man battled against ferocious opposition to introduce his “miraculous breakthrough” to the world, vaccination. This is an inspirational tale of how the greatest medical innovation of all time, which has revolutionised medicine and saved millions of lives, was met with outrage and fear, peddled by populist leaders.
The story is set in the rich and fascinating Georgian era, when the world was being redefined and moving away from medieval, primitive thinking towards an age of reason, innovation and science.
‘Mad’ King George III was on the throne. Napoleon was waging war against the rest of Europe and America and France had found freedom through revolution. Lust for liberty and freedom hung in the air and there was an insatiable appetite for change, not just in the halls of power but also on the streets. The stage was set for unlikely heroes to emerge and challenge long held ‘truths’, borne out of superstition and scripture. Dr Jenner was perhaps the most heroic of them all.
This is not just a story about Jenner, nor is it just a story about the discovery of vaccination. Society is on trial here, as we examine just how the ‘masses’ decide who they can trust in this time of emergency. We explore the price of ambition and the collateral damage this causes, from his friendships to his marriage. How will his wife Catherine bear the impossible burden of being a workaholic’s widow? Is Jenner altruistic or merely meeting his own needs? At its core, this is a character driven period drama about the fragility of love and relationships, the price of needing a ‘greater purpose’ and how an ordinary man ends up achieving an extraordinary feat.
It is important to highlight the significance of the ensemble cast in this story, with the series featuring an ensemble of sharp, witty and entertaining characters. The narrative is fast paced, flipping from dark drama to farcical comedy. We cut between the idyll of the shires, the flamboyant ostentation of English high society and the darkness, fear and squalor swamping inner city London. Such contrast lends itself to a modern and creative cinematic approach.
Dr Chris Newman stated, “It is worth noting that as you read this, around the world, teams of scientists are desperately working to create a vaccine to deal with our current global epidemic. The fear and terror millions are feeling today is just a taste of how it must have felt in Jenner’s world.”
Writer: Peter McSweeney
Producers: Stephen Robert Morse and Max Peltz
Enquiries: peter@petermcsweeney.com