Netflix Adolescence boss blasts ‘absurd’ claims of ‘race-swapping’ as he breaks silence on backlash: ‘Nothing further from truth’
Jack Thorne, co-writer of Netflix’s hit series Adolescence, has firmly rejected the claims that the show is based on real events or that characters were “race-swapped” for political purposes.
The acclaimed writer addressed the so-called misinformation that has been circulating online about the four-part drama.
Speaking on The News Agents podcast, Thorne insisted there is “no part of this that’s based on a true story, not one single part.”
He emphasised that the series focuses on issues of masculinity and the radicalisation of young boys, rather than making any point about race.
“They’ve claimed that Stephen [Graham] and I based it on a story and so they’re saying that we race swapped it, because we were basically here and then ended up there, and everything else, and nothing is further from the truth,” Thorne explained.
The 46-year-old writer pointed out that children from all ethnic backgrounds commit crimes.
“It’s absurd and not true to claim that they are only committed by Black boys,” he said.
“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 this is about boys.”
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The controversy escalated when X accounts claimed the drama was based on real-life murders in the UK that were committed by Black men, such as the Southport murders.
X owner Elon Musk was criticised for amplifying the misinformation by responding with a one-word comment: “Wow.”
Several users pointed out that Adolescence was already in production and being filmed before the Southport attack occurred last July.
Adolescence follows the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by newcomer Owen Cooper in his first acting role, who is accused of murdering a female classmate named Katie.
The four-part series, filmed in one-take episodes, explores the aftermath of this shocking incident.
Jamie’s parents, portrayed by Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham, are forced to confront the situation as police investigate the impact of online radicalisation and incel culture on their son.
The cast also includes Top Boy’s Ashley Walters as DI Luke Bascombe and Erin Doherty as psychiatrist Briony Ariston.
In various interviews, Graham has explained that while the miniseries is not based on one specific case, he drew inspiration from several shocking knife crimes.
“Where it came from, for me, is there was an incident in Liverpool, a young girl, and she was stabbed to death by a young boy. I just thought, ‘Why?’,” Graham told Radio Times.
He referenced other tragic incidents, including a young girl stabbed at a bus stop in south London and the murder of Brianna Ghey.
Graham told Tudum he wanted to “shine a spotlight” on alarming behaviour of boys radicalised in online forums by figures like Andrew Tate.
The series has made a significant impact since its release, reaching 24.3 million views in just the first four days.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has suggested Adolescence should be shown in schools to educate young teens about these issues.
The show has sparked debate in Parliament about the challenges facing young people today.
Despite calls from viewers for another season, Thorne has indicated he won’t be returning to Jamie’s story.
“I think that we’ve told the story that we wanted to tell,” he said, though he expressed interest in potentially using the one-shot template for a different story.
Thorne also revealed his one regret after watching the series, wishing he had included more of Jade, the best friend of victim Katie.
“I wish we’d spent longer with Jade, her best friend, because I think Jade was a really interesting character, and she was beautifully played,” he said of the character portrayed by Fatima Bojang.
However, he cautioned against delving more into the victim’s life.
“I think doing an episode on Katie or spending time with Katie’s family would have sort of taken us into a story that we weren’t telling, and that would have been a mistake.”