Sometimes, you just have to see what everyone’s talking about. So, I caved and binge-watched Adolescence in one day. It was gripping—great acting, clever filming (each episode shot in one take). As TV dramas go, I’d rate it 8 or 9 out of 10. It’ll probably win awards. But let’s be clear: it’s fiction. The Prime Minister seems confused, treating it like a documentary. Newsflash: it’s scripted. No one actually dies or goes to jail.
Plus, a lot of it feels unrealistic. I could nitpick plenty of scenes, but here’s the big issue: 13-year-old boys almost never kill their classmates. Not even if they’re bullied, spend time online, or have a stressed-out dad. And especially not if they come from a loving home.
Oh, and why did the show make the killer a white working-class boy? Silly question—just more “woke” nonsense, I guess.
But seriously, why did the PM invite the show’s creators to Downing Street for a “roundtable” (whatever that means) to discuss the “issues” it raises? Don’t get me wrong—we do have real problems: internet radicalization, absent fathers, and white working-class boys being left behind. They’re failed by society, feminism, and globalization.
But how would the Adolescence team help? They’re great at making TV, not fixing social issues. That’s like asking an actor who played a villain to lecture on corporate bullying, or a TV doctor to teach real surgery. Pointless.
If we want to help struggling boys, stop demonizing them—and stop slapping “toxic” on masculinity altogether. There’s nothing wrong with being a boy or a man. But if we keep telling them there is, they’ll start believing it. We’ve done this for years, then act shocked when things go bad.
Keir Starmer claims he hates political stunts. Good for him. But using Adolescence to shape policy? That’s a gimmick. Wake up, PM. Boys need respect, encouragement, and positive role models—not a TV drama shoved at them as a “warning.” That’ll only make things worse.
