BBC drama Three Girls denies pushing 'far-right agenda'
Controversial three-part series about Rochdale child abuse case described as one of TV's toughest watches
The writer of BBC drama Three Girls, which examines the 2012 Rochdale child abuse scandal, has denied claims it could be used by far-right groups to stoke racism.
Speaking to The Guardian, Nicole Taylor said such groups would "hitch their wagon opportunistically to anything" but she was confident her drama "doesn't give them an opportunity to do so".
She added: "I felt very strongly, from beginning to end, that there is a significant benefit in airing this story and I still feel that."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Three Girls, which stars Maxine Peake as whistleblowing social worker, tells the story of the widespread grooming of young women by a group of Asian men in Rochdale between 2008-2012.
Nine men were convicted of child sex trafficking offences and sentenced to between four and 19 years in prison after dozens of girls, many of them in foster care, were abused.
Judge Gerald Clifton said the fact the girls "were not part of your community or religion", something that had led the men to treat them "as though they were worthless and beyond respect".
However, he rejected the idea that case itself was religiously or racially motivated, saying: "What triggered this prosecution was your lust and greed."
Taylor said she hoped the drama, which was made with the full cooperation of the victims and their families, would provoke a "wider discussion" about how the abuse was able to continue unpunished for so long, and why the authorities were so quick to ignore the victims.
Peake said that the drama focussed on the victims, rather than the abusers.
"It's a story that needed to be told about a swathe of society that's ignored, bullied and shipped off to one side," she told the BBC.
The "lack of care" shown towards the girls as they were being exploited was "mind-blowing", she added.
BBC entertainment correspondent Tim Masters warns: "Three Girls isn't an easy watch, although it is never prurient or sensational."
Three Girls runs over three nights on BBC1, starting Tuesday 16 May.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
Home Is Where We Start by Susanna Crossman: a 'delicate and wise' abuse memoir
The Week Recommends Crossman revisits her painful childhood in this 'disturbing and moving' memoir
By The Week UK Published
-
How to do F1: British Grand Prix 2025
The Week Recommends One of the biggest events of the motorsports calendar is back and better than ever
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published