Adolescence writer dismantles misinformation about "race-swapping" in Netflix series
Jack Thorne says that criticisms levelled at the show by some viewers are "absurd".
Writer Jack Thorne has hit back at misinformation circulating about the acclaimed Netflix series Adolescence – explaining that criticisms from some quarters that the show engaged in "race-swapping" are "absurd".
Thorne, who co-created the drama with star Stephen Graham, made the comments during an appearance on The News Agents podcast, insisting that the show was not based on any specific real-life incident and the purpose of the series was to make a point about masculinity, not race.
"Nothing is further from the truth," he said of the claims, confirming that "there is no part of this that's based on a true story, not one single part".
Thorne added: "It's absurd to say that this [crime] is only committed by Black boys. It's not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes.
"We're not making a point about race with this. We are making a point about masculinity. We're trying to get inside a problem. We're not saying this is one thing or another, we're saying that this is about boys."
Meanwhile, despite the huge acclaim, Thorne revealed that there was one aspect of the series he wishes he could change, explaining that he would have liked to have spent more time exploring the character of Jade – the best friend of the victim Katie.
"I wish we'd done a bit more on Jade," he said. "I think there was a way that I could have written that episode 2, where I gave the audience slightly more glimpses of her."
It's worth noting that any criticism of the show has very much been a minority opinion, and the series has been a monumental hit both with critics – earning a raft of five-star reviews – and with audiences, becoming the first ever UK streaming show to top the weekly British ratings chart.
The show also set another record, beating the likes of Fool Me Once and Baby Reindeer to see the biggest audience for any streaming TV show in the UK.
Read more:
- Adolescence star Owen Cooper's audition tape for hit Netflix show has been released
- Adolescence star Stephen Graham confirms "possibility" of season 2
Thorne had previously warned that similar shows are at risk of not being produced in future, due to the ongoing funding crisis for UK scripted shows.
"If Channel 4 and the BBC are denied the opportunity to make these shows, that’s devastating.
"The problem of international finance and what that’s done is incredibly current and leading to a lot of my friends and emerging writers being denied the opportunity to tell stories.
"If they are denied the opportunity to tell those stories, then the whole culture starts to crumble, and shows like Adolescence and Toxic Town are no longer possible. Netflix making these shows is exciting, but it’s not everything."
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
