Kemi Badenoch stirred the pot recently by repeating a conspiracy theory about the Netflix drama Adolescence. The Tory leader claimed that the show was “based on a real story” involving a non-white boy, but that’s not the case at all.
🤔 What Was Said?
Badenoch shared her theory on GB News, stating that she believed Adolescence was inspired by a real-life crime, with the perpetrator being a non-white boy. However, this claim is far from accurate.
In Adolescence, the drama centres on a white boy who is arrested after a young girl is tragically stabbed to death. But the theory pushed by Badenoch and some commentators, like right-wing figure Ian Miles Cheong, suggests that the show involved a “race swap” of a real-life black murderer, which has been debunked by the show’s creators.
This has been described as wholly untrue by Jack Thorne, the writer and co-creator of the series, which has been praised by Keir Starmer for the way it has opened up a debate about the radicalisation of young men.
Starmer met Thorne, and some of the shows other creators, in Downing Street this week, along with charities engaged in child protection, and the PM said he would like as many pupils as possible to watch the series.
The four-part drama is about a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a girl at his school. The Guardian’s reviewer described it as “the most devastating and immaculately scripted and played series I have ever seen – as close to televisual perfection as you can get”.
Has she watched it?
Well, it seems she hasn’t. Haggis shared the clip from BBC Breakfast News this morning and added the text: “Kemi Badenoch compares watching Adolescence to Casualty : Charlie Stayt: Have you watched Adolescence yet? KB: No, I probably won’t…. I don’t need to watch Casualty to know what’s going on in the NHS.. “
Kemi’s angry
Kemi was not the only one confused by her comments. She shared the clip and wrote: “So many odd things about this interview. – BBC encouraging us to watch a fictional drama on a rival platform.
-The presenters thinking it was a real documentary
-A lack of interest in REAL LIFE misogyny like the grooming gangs scandal which Labour just broke a commitment on.”
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Related: Kemi Badenoch pushes baseless theory about Adolescence’s inspiration
