Yahoo News Channel 4 defends Kiri from claims of "inaccuracies"
Channel 4 is defending the portrayal of social workers in Sarah Lancashire's new drama series Kiri amid complaints of "significant inaccuracies".
The latest hard-hitting project from National Treasure and This is England's Jack Thorne tells a harrowing fictionalised tale of a 9-year-old black girl who is kidnapped by her grandparents just as she's about to be adopted by a white family.
In the series, the kidnapping takes place because Kiri's troubled social worker Miriam Grayson (Lancashire) makes the mistake of letting the girl's grandfather have one unsupervised visit.
It's certainly a compelling premise, but one that has now angered real-life social workers. A review penned by One Stop Social, a support hub for industry professionals, has specifically suggested that Kiri is unrealistic.
"There are a number of significant inaccuracies depicted that I believe will only serve to further harm or distort our already embattled profession," the reviewer argued.
One Stop Social also points to what it considers to be multiple logic leaps in the show, such as Miriam being solely responsible for Kiri's well-being prior to her fostering. In reality, such a decision would apparently have to be approved by an oversight panel.
However, Channel 4 is standing by Jack Thorne's depiction of social workers in Kiri, saying in a statement to Digital Spy: "Kiri is a complex and entirely fictional 4-part drama populated by fully-drawn, three-dimensional characters, each with their own human flaws and personal difficulties.
"The drama explores, among other topics, the vast pressures placed upon social workers and the very difficult job they do. Extensive background research was undertaken to ensure the themes explored within the drama were accurately and authentically portrayed and social workers, various departments within the police and charities were all consulted during the scriptwriting and development stages."
Controversy aside, Kiri has been a huge hit for Channel 4, with the January 11 premiere's audience of 3.2 million viewers being the channel's biggest drama launch in two years.
Kiri continues next Wednesday (January 17) at 9pm on Channel 4.
Missing People UK is dedicated to bringing missing children and adults back together with their families. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can access more information on their website or by calling 0800 116 000.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Runaway Safeline on 1-800-RUNAWAY.
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