Hearts & Minds: Adolescence: the cultural phenomenon that's an object lesson in storytelling

If you are going to be critical of something, make sure you have done your homework. Know what you are talking about. Kemi Badenoch subscribes to a conspiracy theory about Adolescence, that the Netflix phenomenon was based on the true experience of a black boy, not white as portrayed. Any semblance of research would have uncovered Jack Thorne, the writer and co-creator, saying this was not the case, it was entirely fiction. Then, to undermine her authority still further, Badenoch admits she has not watched the programme.

Still, it just shows what a success Adolescence is that the Conservative leader is opining in the first place, quizzed during a live radio interview. It is dominating conversations socially, culturally and politically and not just in the UK but worldwide. It’s rare for a show to reach so many levels and across different continents. It highlights spectacularly the power of the story, how a tale well told can cut across and through, able to resonate with a vast, multi-layered audience.

Increasingly, CEOs and their comms teams find themselves searching for a narrative, one that is easily understood, yet can cover all manner of hidden facets about them and the company. Obviously, it does not have to aspire to convey the raw emotion evident in Adolescence, that was a made-for-TV drama of the most intense, soul-bearing, gut-wrenching kind.

But the four-parter contains some lessons. There is a tendency to clutter, to use props and effects. These can serve as a distraction. Here, there are barely any and the ones that are used, the half-sandwich and the chair, have a purpose. The plot is not difficult to follow, the chain is kept simple. This is about a teenage boy being guided to unpeel his feelings and trying to explain them. Getting there requires enormous talent and superb writing and pacing. In the most gripping scenes, it is two actors speaking and the camera zooming in and out of their faces, such that you can see what they’re thinking, how they’re struggling. You’re there, in the room, in the cell. You’re with them, sharing their intensity, consumed by the terrible seriousness of the occasion.

As a result, Adolescence delivers integrity. Thorne did study police and legal procedure, he examined real-life cases. It’s authentic. That should always be the aim. Get that right and people will watch and read. They will understand, appreciate and remember.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.