Starring Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes, the series is based on a true story about the downfall of tech company Theranos.
The Dropout: Official trailer from Disney+
BBC iPlayer now has a chilling real-life drama about one of the world’s worst medical scandals available to stream for free. The drama miniseries The Dropout first arrived on Disney Plus in the UK years ago, but has found a new home on BBC iPlayer.
Starring Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes, the series is based on a true story about the downfall of tech company Theranos. Holmes was a college dropout turned billionaire businesswoman who claimed to be making revolutionary blood tests that didn’t actually work.
The series synopsis reads: “Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. From Executive Producer Elizabeth Meriwether, The Dropout is the story of Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) and Theranos, an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong.
“How did the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye?”
The Dropout has an extensive cast, including Rollerball’s Naveen Andrews, Manifest’s Elizabeth Marvel, Fargo star William H. Macy, British actor Stephen Fry and 24 star Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Other stars include Bill Irwin, Utkarsh Ambudkar, LisaGay Hamilton, Michael Ironside, Laurie Metcalf, Anne Archer, and Sam Waterston.
The eight-part drama is based on the ABC podcast of the same name which was hosted by journalist Rebecca Jarvis.
During awards season, the series earned six nominations at Primetime Emmys including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, with Seyfried winning for Outstanding Lead Actress.
The Dropout was also nominated for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film and Seyfried won Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards.
Speaking about the show, Amanda Seyfried told Good Morning America : “I was never too concerned with us being on the wrong path because of all the research and [show creator] Liz Meriwether at the helm.
“This is our version of the story, and then real life is happening. And you’re like – you want to be involved but you don’t want to be too involved because you want to be able to serve the story.”
On playing a real person, the actress said: “Being able to absorb the footage and mimic somebody and try to embody somebody that actually… there’s a template out there, is very exciting. I hate to say that because it’s a real person with real consequences and a real life – and I wish her well – I just, as an actor, very specifically, it was thrilling.”
The Dropout can be watched in full on BBC iPlayer.
