The Jetty creator says BBC crime drama was inspired by experience as teenager
"I wanted to tell a story that explores those ideas."
The creator and writer of BBC drama The Jetty has said that while the story is "fiction", it is "loosely inspired" by something she experienced when she was a teenager.
"A couple of my friends got involved in relationships with grown men," said Cat Jones.
"At the time, we all thought it was very exciting that these older guys were interested in our younger friends, but of course when you reflect upon that later, you realise that it was actually illegal and abusive."
She went on to say that she has "always been interested to know how those girls feel about that situation in the future".
"Is it something they look back on and think, 'We were in love, it was fine,' or do they look back and say 'that wasn't okay'?" asked Jones.
"I wanted to tell a story that explores those ideas."
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Jenna Coleman stars as Detective Ember Manning, who we find investigating a fire at a local boat hut when the series opens.
But it quickly emerges that the arson attack is linked to a local sex offender and the disappearance of a teenage girl 17 years ago.
"I've always wanted to write a detective thriller, as I just love them," said Jones. "The really special ones take a crime but makes the series about way more than just that event.
"It's about asking an audience to find what resonates in that extreme behaviour, and what we can learn about our own lives from the circumstances in the story."
Across its four-episode run, The Jetty explores numerous knotty themes, such as consent, memory and identity, which was a central draw for Coleman.
"Cat wanted to ask these questions, but not answer them," she told Radio Times magazine. "It's complicated. We all look at our past through a certain lens, and when Ember's lens gets shifted, she has to re-examine who she is.
"I'm always interested in a detective thriller when the case becomes personal. It's an awakening, really dense and nuanced."
Read more:
- The Jetty review: Jenna Coleman's crime drama has a fire in its belly
- The Jetty stars explain why "it's important to tell this story now"
- Jenna Coleman: The Jetty would have been made “through a different lens” 10 years ago
The Jetty is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Episodes will also air on BBC One.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
