With 90s nostalgia at an all time high, Niamh O’Reilly takes a look at Pam & Tommy which vividly tells the story behind the infamous sex tape scandal.

There’s a moment in Pam & Tommy where Pamela Anderson (Lily James) is standing on the set of hit '90s TV show Baywatch. Meanwhile, three male producers are discussing how tight they can make Anderson’s wedgie to show as much of her posterior as possible, yet still get away with it being a family show.

Right from the off, we know that Pamela is a commodity. Pam & Tommy, streaming on Disney+, takes us on a deep dive into the story behind the nefarious release of an intimate tape Anderson made with her Mötley Crüe drummer husband Tommy Lee, while on honeymoon. The saga went on to become one of the world’s most infamous sex scandals.

Much has been made of the incredible physical transformation of both Lily James and Sebastian Stan, who play the title roles. So much so, that the initial publicity stills had the internet scratching its head as to which was the real couple, and which were the actors?

For those coming to Pam & Tommy expecting a nonstop, salacious shocker, you’re in for something of a surprise. It does start out that way, however. Episode two brings us on a rollicking thrill ride through the couple’s first meeting, including Lee licking Anderson’s face from chin to hairline, right through to their jet-speed romance and Mexico beach wedding just days later. There’s sizzling chemistry, there’s over-the-top hedonistic partying, there’s even a scene where Tommy Lee has a drug-fuelled, deep and meaningful conversation with his penis in the bathroom. Even for a show that’s billed as sensational, this seems excessive, but is in fact based on Lee’s autobiography.

As it progresses, Pam & Tommy morphs from the outlandish into a more thoughtful retrospective on the treatment of women in the media and society during the '90s.

Up until recently, many believed the tape was part of an orchestrated publicity stunt on behalf of the couple or released with their consent. However, this was not the case and consent is the real question posed throughout the show.

The story behind the robbery is as off-the- wall as you’d expect. One-time porn star and carpenter Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen) is the disgruntled employee who decides to get revenge on Tommy Lee by staging a daring burglary and stealing the rocker's safe. The safe is packed with Lee’s greatest possessions; guns, money, his new wife’s wedding bikini and a small, seemingly innocuous videotape. Gauthier soon realises what he’s got in his possession and with the help of his porn connection Uncle Miltie (Nick Offerman) uses the power of the burgeoning internet to sell the tape all over the world.

The non-consensual releasing of the tape was a huge violation, especially for Anderson who, already viewed as a sexual commodity, felt the implications to a greater extent than her husband. Tommy is back slapped and complimented, while Pam is shamed and in episode four grilled by a room of older, white men, in a gruelling deposition that’s truly a tough watch.

Pam & Tommy comes on the back of a wave of documentaries and dramas which aim to right the wrongs of the past through must-see TV shows. Monika Lewinsky, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, the list of women in need of redress goes on. But while Pam & Tommy positions itself very much in Anderson’s corner, there’s a problem. The recent Monica Lewinsky drama, Impeachment starring Beanie Feldstein and Clive Owen for example, had the full cooperation of Lewinsky;

Pam & Tommy did not have the consent of Anderson. For a show examining the very issue of consent, it feels as though it’s doing the same thing the tape did. Namely exploiting someone’s pain for financial gain.

All episodes of Pam & Tommy are streaming on Star on Disney+ now.