“It’s like something from a porno movie” — Normal People debate gets heated on Liveline

One caller phoned in to say that the televised adaptation of Normal People was like "something you would expect to see in a porno movie".

In a fascinating episode of Joe Duffy's Liveline on Thursday, a number of callers called in to discuss the televised adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People. In Duffy's own words, a number of the callers were upset with the amount of sex and nudity shown in the show, and the fact that it is secondary school students being portrayed. One caller, Mary, complained that the show was like "something you would expect to see in a porno movie", while another caller claimed that the show was "sexualising our young people. It's not normal". When the word "slut" was used by one caller, Duffy asked him what the male version of a slut was, to which he replied: "a dickhead". Bridget, a Leaving Cert student, called in to make the point that the healthy portrayal of consent on the show was refreshing to see, and that the aim of the show is to be realistic, hence the title Normal People. "I'm a sixth year student, and I know for a fact that this is going on... It's portraying how two people don't just have to fit into the mould. They can break the mould". Another caller, Clara, said that they could have just alluded to the sex scenes, without showing them, and that the show was "awful". She also said that it was unrealistic to see 17-year-olds driving and in pubs. Duffy shot to the show's defence, saying that he thought the acting was excellent, and reminding listeners that it is legal to drive at 17 in Ireland. Clara responded by saying: "That’s beside the point, the point is it’s filthy". The entire episode of the show will be available to listen to this evening here, and you can watch the first two episodes of Normal People on the RTÉ Player.