The TV drama “Piper Alpha” is an “invasion of the deepest wounds of our family”

The families of the men who died in the world’s worst oil rig disaster have described plans to turn the tragedy into a television drama as “an invasion of our deepest wounds”.

A total of 167 people died when a gas leak triggered explosions that ripped apart the Piper Alpha platform 120 miles off the coast of Aberdeenshire in July 1988.

The bereaved say the “catastrophic impact” of the tragedy, which remains the worst offshore accident in history, still haunts them 36 years later.

The BBC and STV Studios want to retell the events of that night in a reality drama. But the families of the deceased workers say their loss should not be “trivialized into an entertaining plot.”

An incredible 61 men survived, but 30 of the 167 dead were never recovered.

BBC and STV are currently developing a television drama about the Piper Alpha disaster, in which 167 people died when the oil platform exploded in 1988.

Paul Sparks, who was only one year old when his grandfather Alexander Duncan (51) died in the disaster, said: “I know it is an important part of history – but the thought of a dramatisation of it is shocking. It feels like an attack on the deepest wounds of our family.”

“The loss of my grandfather has had a catastrophic impact on our entire family and this loss should not be trivialised as a plot device for entertainment – it is a painful reality for our family.”

“I’ve heard the stories and the impact it’s had on families since then is enormous.”

He said it must be “remembered within the framework of historical truth and treated with dignity,” adding: “It should not be exploited for a creative project or for profit.”

His grandfather, a steward, had switched shifts to cover for another worker.

Patrick McLaughlin’s father Charles, an electrician, also died in the disaster. He was only 46 years old.

Mr McLaughlin said: “It doesn’t feel right to have actors who could portray someone who was killed that night. I know if someone played my father I wouldn’t be happy. The families have been through enough.”

His younger brother Paul took his own life at the age of just 33. The family believes this was a consequence of his father’s death.

McLaughlin, 60, said: “After my father died, he was never the same. Families still struggle, especially my mother, who is now 84. When they do that, people get haunted again.”

Paul Sparks, whose grandfather Alexander Duncan died in the disaster, said the thought of his family’s tragedy being dramatized was “harrowing.”

According to sources, screenwriter James Wood and the STV team are working closely with a number of survivors and families and are managing the project with “the utmost care and sensitivity”.

Survivor Ed Punchard, who spoke to producers, said: “The more people in the industry know how easily health and safety problems can arise, the less likely it will be.”

The TV project is still in the research phase and, according to sources, is still pending approval.