Adolescence creator-writer Jack Thorne has vehemently rejected the claims that the show is based on a real crime story committed by a Black child, a theory that entrepreneur Elon Musk has amplified.
(Also read: Will Netflix hit Adolescence be back with a second chapter? Creators respond)
Directed by Philip Barantini, the show, with each of its four episodes shot in a single take, centres around a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper), who is arrested for the murder of a classmate. The Netflix series has taken the internet by storm for its outstanding performances and nerve-wracking cinematography.
Creators react to “anti-white propaganda" claims
The show's creators, Stephen Graham and Thorne, have insisted that the show is inspired by multiple stories in the UK and not based on a particular crime. However, last week a post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that show was based on "real life cases such as the Southport murderer" and by making the protagonist white, the creators have pushed an “anti-white propaganda”. While Musk did not openly accept the claim, he reacted to post with "Wow" which amplified its reach.
When asked about "race-swapping" allegations on The News Agent podcast, Thorne said, "They’ve claimed that Stephen and I based it on a story, and another story, so we race-swapped because we were basing it on here and it ended up there, and everything else. Nothing is further from the truth. I have told a lot of real life stories in my time, and I know the harm that can come when you take elements of a real life story and 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."
‘We are making a point about masculinity’
{{/usCountry}}When asked about "race-swapping" allegations on The News Agent podcast, Thorne said, "They’ve claimed that Stephen and I based it on a story, and another story, so we race-swapped because we were basing it on here and it ended up there, and everything else. Nothing is further from the truth. I have told a lot of real life stories in my time, and I know the harm that can come when you take elements of a real life story and 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."
‘We are making a point about masculinity’
{{/usCountry}}When asked by host Jon Sopel, how he reacted to the criticism, Thorne replied “That it should have been a Black boy? It's absurd to say that (knife crime) is only committed by Black boys. It’s absurd. It's not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes. 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 that this is about boys."
According to The Variety, Netflix revealed that the show has broken all records for a limited series and garnered 66.3 million viewers in two weeks.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.