Adolescence writer Jack Thorne has shut down ‘absurd’ claims that the hit Netflix drama was adapted from real-life crimes after misinformation spread online.
Earlier this week, X account @stillgray made completely false allegations that the one-shot show was ‘based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer’ and claimed the team had ‘swapped the actual killer from a Black man/migrant to a white boy’ as part of ‘anti-white propaganda.’
The damaging and inaccurate statement was widely condemned, but Elon Musk was blasted for amplifying the misinformation when he responded: ‘Wow.’
Now, Thorne, who co-wrote Adolescence with Stephen Graham, has reacted to the false claims being circulated online, saying: ‘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.
‘I have told a lot of real-life stories in my time. I know the harm that can come when you take elements of a real-life story, and you put it on screen, and the people aren’t expecting it. There is no part of this that’s based on a true story, not one single part.’
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Thorne, 46, also pointed out that children from all ethnic backgrounds commit crimes and that it was ‘absurd and not true’ to claim that they are only committed by Black boys.
He continued on The News Agents podcast: ‘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.‘
After his comment on social media, X owner Musk was heavily criticised for allowing mistruths to spread.
@Shayan86 explaining: ‘Adolescence is not based on the Southport attack or a single case. It was already in production and being filmed before Southport happened.’
The Southport tragedy occurred on July 29 last year, as 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, killing three girls and seriously injuring 10 others. Adolescence was filmed over six months between March and September.
‘The amount of viral nonsense that is posted as news on this app, often amplified by Elon Musk, is mind-boggling’, the X user added.
Echoing their thoughts, @Sensanetional said the prevalence of misinformation was ‘concerning’ and @priestleyl branded X a ‘hell site’.
In various interviews, Graham has explained that while the miniseries is not directly based on one singular case, he drew inspiration from a string of shocking knife-related 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 began to Radio Times magazine.
‘Then there was another young girl in south London who was stabbed to death at a bus stop. And there was this thing up North, where that young girl, Brianna Ghey, was lured into the park by two teenagers, and they stabbed her.
‘I just thought, “What’s going on? What is this that’s happening?”‘
Graham also told Tudum that he wanted the show to ‘shine a spotlight’ on the alarming behaviour of these boys, who had been radicalised in online forums by the beliefs of figures like Andrew Tate.
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‘One of our aims was to ask, “What is happening to our young men these days and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?”,’ Graham continued. ‘And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over.’
Split into four one-take episodes, Adolescence follows 13-year-old Jamie, who rising star Owen Cooper plays in his first-ever acting job, as he is accused of murdering a female classmate, Katie (Emilia Holliday).
Jamie’s parents (portrayed by Christine Tremarco and Graham) are then forced to confront the shocking incident as officers investigate the impact of his radicalisation and incel culture involving young boys.
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Listen to the full interview on The News Agents podcast on Global Player later today.
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