'The Simpsons have done nuclear a big disservice'

Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said The Simpsons had portrayed nuclear energy unfairly

TV show The Simpsons has "done the nuclear industry a big disservice", according to the boss of Sizewell C.

Julia Pyke is joint managing director of the two-reactor nuclear power station being built on the east Suffolk coastline which is expected to power as many as six million homes.

Due to start operating in the mid to late-2030s, Sizewell C has proved controversial, with some residents – including those in nearby Leiston – strongly opposed to the project.

But Ms Pyke believes some people's negative perceptions of nuclear energy stem from the hazardous way in which it has been portrayed in the long-running animated programme.

Julia Pyke said more work needed to be done to convince people of the benefits of nuclear energy

In The Simpsons, the nuclear plant where Homer Simpson works is often shown as being dangerous or unsafe and having a damaging impact on the environment.

Three-eyed fish are sometimes shown swimming in water near the site, with the implication being that exposure to nuclear waste has left them deformed.

"I definitely think The Simpsons, which I very much enjoy, has done the nuclear industry a big disservice," Ms Pyke told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

"I am not [cartoon power plant owner] Mr Burns."

The Sizewell C nuclear power plant will provide energy for 60 years

Once up and running, the power plant, off Sizewell beach, will be able to generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity for 60 years.

Expected to cost £32bn to build, up from the initial £20bn that was quoted, the project has long been opposed by campaigners.

Ms Pyke said a lot of work still had to be done to change how people perceived the world of nuclear power and convince them of its benefits.

'We need to do better'

"We have to better communicate the social benefits of nuclear power and what it is going to contribute to society, focusing on opportunities for people," she said.

"Nuclear is one of the safest ways of making electricity and it is a bit like the fly-drive analogy – people worry about flying but statistically it is extremely safe.

"We just need to do a much better job of publicising it in a softer way and not being too technical in the way we explain things.

"We need to move to much more emotionally-resonant ways of communication so people feel much warmer towards the industry."

Fox and Disney+ have been contacted for comment.