The True Story of IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy: Why the Netflix Movie Joy Is Essential Viewing
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
The development of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) stands as one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the late 20th century, culminating in the birth of Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first “test-tube baby,” in 1978. The new Netflix film, Joy, attempts to tell the true story of this controversial, decade-long struggle, focusing its narrative on the often-forgotten third pioneer: IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy. Directed by Ben Taylor and scripted by Jack Thorne, Joy is a crowd-pleasing medical biopic that assigns itself the tricky task of crafting an uplifting story from a journey filled with heartbreak and public scrutiny. More than just a historical drama, the movie arrives at a crucial moment when reproductive rights and access to fertility treatment are under renewed threat globally, making its message of scientific celebration and a woman's right to choose exceptionally timely.
The Birth of IVF: Pioneers Against the Establishment
The journey to successful IVF was fraught with challenges, running into years of denied funding and failed trials. The film chronicles the collaborative—and often clashing—working relationship between three central figures: physiologist Dr. Bob Edwards (played by James Norton), crotchety but kind-hearted obstetrician Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), and the young British nurse who became an integral embryologist, IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie).
The trio’s research, taking place in Britain during the 1960s and 70s, was met with intense societal and institutional resistance. The very idea of conceiving a child outside the womb was regarded by much of the British public, the church, and the tabloid media as a “kind of crime against nature”. Tabloids were quick to mock and demonize the researchers, famously dubbing Edwards “Dr. Frankenstein”. Steptoe, resident at a shabby, underfunded hospital in Oldham, needed brazenness to stand up to skeptical gatekeepers in the medical world.
The path was challenging, requiring immense fortitude, especially for the women undergoing the experimental treatment, collectively known as “The Ovum Club”. These hopefuls were often warned that they were likelier to pave the way for others than to become mothers themselves. The process detailed in the film showcases the "palpable hope and the profound highs and lows that the nurses and doctors navigate daily," according to James Norton.
The Decade-Long Quest
The long quest finally reached a critical point in 1978 with the birth of Louise Joy Brown. The name Joy itself is a direct tribute to this historic outcome, as it was Louise Brown's middle name. The birth scene, faithfully recreated in the movie—even integrating real clips of the actual birth—provides a powerful, eye-moistening climax to the arduous process. Production designer Alice Normington intentionally used yellow tiles in the recreated hospital room to evoke feelings of "sunshine and happiness, reflecting the film’s themes of joy and hope".
Elevating the Unsung Hero: Jean Purdy’s Essential Role
While Dr. Edwards and Dr. Steptoe often received the lion’s share of the credit, IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy's contribution was absolutely vital. She joined Edwards’ research team as an assistant in 1969 before becoming more integrally involved as an embryologist. McKenzie portrays her with "plucky, earnest resolve" as she serves as the unsung heroine and audience surrogate, utilizing her common sense and emotional intelligence to cut through the "patriarchal blather of the 1970s scientific fraternity".
The sources emphasize that her work was essential to the successful development of IVF. Purdy began working with Edwards in 1968 and was present for the crucial moments of the research. She holds the distinction of being the first witness of the successful cell division of the embryo that would become Louise Joy Brown. Her critical involvement was such that when she had to take time off to care for her sick mother, the entire IVF research project was put on pause.
Despite her crucial role, Purdy was largely forgotten at the time, with credit often bestowed solely upon Steptoe and Edwards. Tragically, she died young at age 39 in 1985 from complications with skin cancer. It was not until long after her death that her contribution was formally acknowledged. Robert Edwards, who later won the Nobel Prize for his innovation, strongly advocated for her recognition, sending a letter protesting the exclusion of her name from a hospital plaque, stressing that Purdy "contributed as much as I did to the project" and regarded her as an "equal contributor to Patrick Steptoe and myself". Joy echoes this critical work in elevating her name to the status of her male colleagues.
IVF and the Politics of Choice
The release of Joy is particularly poignant given the current political climate surrounding reproductive medicine. Co-writer Jack Thorne was approached to develop the film four or five years ago, and he and his wife/co-creator Rachel Mason, who underwent seven rounds of IVF to conceive their son, saw the story as political long before the recent crises. They argue that fertility is still not really seen as a disease, and treatment is tragically viewed as a "luxury good" accessible only to those with funds or the right insurance.
The film arrived just after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos should be considered children, throwing the legality of in-vitro fertilization treatments into question, as IVF often involves the disposal or storage of embryos. Rachel Mason called this ruling "cruel," emphasizing that the fact that IVF treatment "could be under threat doesn’t make any sense" given the 12 million IVF babies born since Louise Brown.
A defining moment in the film and for the creators was an exchange where Jean Purdy's colleague insists: “We are here to give women a choice”. Thorne explains that they did not want to suggest that all women must have babies, but rather that the process is about choice—helping women overcome medical obstacles to achieve their desired family outcome.
A Working-Class Miracle
The issue of access is underscored by the social background of the first IVF success. Louise Brown's parents were working-class people who had little money. Thorne notes that the fact that the first successful IVF baby came from a working-class family "really, really matters," as a working-class IVF baby remains a "very, very rare thing" due to the prohibitive costs and dauntinly low success rates (still well below 50%). This highlights the ongoing necessity of fighting for accessible fertility rights.
Blending Fact and Drama: The Production of Joy
Like most Hollywood biopics, Joy utilizes the real history as its foundation but takes certain liberties to create a compelling narrative. The film is based on the verified true story of the invention of IVF by Steptoe, Edwards, and Purdy. However, since much of IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy’s private life was not well-documented and she has no close relatives still living, aspects of her personal life—such as her connection to the church, her personal drama with her mother, and a sketchily drawn romance—were invented for the screen.
Despite these necessary fictionalizations, the screenwriters, Jack Thorne and Rachel Mason, conducted extensive research. They interviewed original workers at Bourn Hall (the first IVF clinic co-founded by the trio in 1980), as well as the living relatives of Edwards and Steptoe. Crucially, they also spoke to the actual women who participated in the early trials, the surviving members of "The Ovum Club," calling the experience "profoundly moving". This commitment to detail ensured that while the film provides comfort through its "soft and sun-warmed" visual style and upbeat soundtrack, it remains grounded in the historical reality of the medical struggle and the immense hope and devastation experienced by the patients.
🔖 Key Takeaways
The Netflix film Joy provides an essential look back at the history of IVF, emphasizing several key points supported by the sources:
🗝️ Recognition for Jean Purdy: The film rightly champions IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy, the nurse and embryologist whose contributions were crucial to the first successful cell division and birth of Louise Joy Brown, but who was tragically overlooked during her lifetime.
🗝️ The Political Struggle: The invention of IVF was a controversial, decade-long fight against both medical and societal establishments. Today, the story remains highly political, serving as a reminder that access to fertility treatment is often viewed as a luxury rather than a medical necessity.
🗝️ The Centrality of Choice: The film underscores that the core mission of IVF pioneers was to provide women with a medical choice—the ability to overcome biological obstacles to motherhood if they desire it.
🗝️ Enduring Hope: Despite the low success rates and costs that still plague IVF treatment, the story of Joy celebrates the moment when science provided millions of families worldwide with the possibility of having children.
The invention of IVF, as depicted in Joy, is like the first successful climb up a mountain considered impossible: it required decades of grueling effort, battling not just treacherous natural obstacles (the science), but fierce resistance from critics and gatekeepers (society). The true victory belongs not only to the famous guides who led the expedition, but crucially, to the essential, often unnamed, climber—IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy—whose unique expertise made the final, life-changing step possible.
🌐 External sources
Keywords: IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy
IVF Pioneer Jean Purdy
