Channel 4 teases teen drama Consent with hard-hitting first look
Over-achieving student Natalie learns the disturbing truth about a fellow student in a first look at Channel 4 factual drama Consent.
Warning – the following article contains adult subject matter and discussion of themes that some readers may find upsetting.
One-off factual drama Consent airs on Channel 4 tonight, with the film exploring how young people's sexual expectations are distorted by easy access to pornography – and the broadcaster has shared an uncomfortable first-look at the upcoming programme.
In the clip, which can be exclusively shared by RadioTimes.com, privileged student Archie tells new friend Natalie that they had sex at a recent party. However, Natalie cannot remember the incident.
"What the f**k happened at the party?" she asks, horrified, before revealing that she can't remember.
"Of course, you remember. I was drunker than you," he replies, before she asks whether they had slept together and if he had used a condom.
After he falls silent, she continues: "You went too far, I didn't want this."
Watch the first-look clip below, which contains strong language and adult themes.
Written by first-time writer Emma Dennis-Edwards, Consent is based on hundreds of testimonies of young people from both state and private school backgrounds and stars newcomer Tom Victor as a rich, academic achiever whose friendship group is dominated by porn culture.
When female students join the fictional private school, he meets scholarship student Natalie (Lashay Anderson) and they bond over feeling like outsiders, but when "boundaries are crossed" and "trust is broken" at a party one night, "nothing will ever be the same between them".
The hour-long drama examines how the school deals with Natalie's accusation and stars Heartstopper's Rhea Norwood, House of the Dragon's Ty Tennant, Screw's Denzel Baidoo, The Serpent Queen's Alex Heath and Death in Paradise's Kimberley Nixon, who plays school teacher Ms Parkinson.
Speaking about writing Consent, Dennis-Edwards said she was "shocked but not entirely surprised" by the culture of toxic masculinity and misogyny when researching the drama.
"Whilst social media has proved to be an amazing tool for young people to express themselves socially and politically it must also take some of the responsibility for the misogyny and sexual harassment that has become almost commonplace in our schools," she added.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, visit the Rape Crisis, Victim Support or NSPCC websites for support and information.
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