Viewers were left "heartbroken" and "furious" after watching the BBC's "gut-wrenching" Windrush scandal drama Sitting in Limbo, which aired last night.
The feature-length film tells the true story of Anthony Bryan (played by Patrick Robinson) a Jamaican-born painter and decorator from Edmonton who was wrongfully detained by the Home Office when he applied for a British passport in 2015, after living in the UK for 50 years.
Eight-year-old Anthony had moved from Jamaica to the UK in 1965 after his mother Lucille (Corinne Skinner Carter) did the same.
His hellish three-year ordeal with the Home Office cost him his livelihood, the roof over his head, his right to use the NHS and to receive a state pension, despite having worked in the UK his whole life.
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Aged almost 60, Anthony was faced with deportation to Jamaica, a country he hadn't lived in since he was a child.
Eventually, the family were able to raise the funds for legal fees and win an injunction. While Anthony was at last given a British passport, he has never received compensation for what he was made to endure.
Viewers took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the drama, which had left them angered and saddened by the appalling institutional racism that Anthony experienced.
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"Watching Sitting in Limbo on @BBCOne and I'm furious, heartbroken and ashamed - #WindrushScandal #BLM," wrote one distressed reviewer.
"I am getting more and more angry by the minute watching 'Sitting in Limbo' #bbc dramatisation #windrushscandal. You think sort of know what happened but not prepared for gut wrenching, tragic injustice inflicted on hard working #blm Brits. Radical action needed. What shall we do?" said another.
While a third emotional viewer chimed in: "Oh my god!!!! Just finished watching the BBC programme 'Sitting In Limbo' . I am in floods of tears. If this isn't proof that racism is a massive issue in this country then I don't know what is. I'm literally shocked at the information in this programme about the Home Office.
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Others called the programme a "painful but necessary watch".
Ian Wright, who is the cousin of actor Patrick Robinson, who plays Anthony Robinson, joined in the debate.
Tweeting in support of Patrick, he wrote: 'So proud of my cousin Pat. The lead actor in #SittingInLimbo. The shocking true story of Anthony Bryan and the Windrush scandal in this country... Spread the word.'
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He then added: "The helplessness. Have you ever been so helpless. #SittingInLimbo."
June Sarpong praised the drama too, saying: "Gut wrenching, emotional yet sadly true #SittingInLimbo is a must watch. So proud of the whole creative that made his masterpiece happen."
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If you haven't yet caught the harrowing film, Sitting in Limbo is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: TV and Film, BBC, TV News, TV Entertainment
