BBC Breakfast viewers were left unimpressed with Naga Munchetty as she berated Kemi Badenoch for not watching Netflix’s crime drama series Adolescence.
During Thursday’s instalment of the programme, Naga, 50, returned to the iconic red sofa to deliver the latest headlines alongside co-host Charlie Stayt, 62.
Kicking off the show, the duo welcomed the the Leader of the Opposition to discuss the local elections in England.
However, the conversation quickly shifted to the TV drama Adolescence, which has sparked a national conversation about the pressures young people and parents face today, particularly regarding the impact of social media.
Charlie proceeded to ask Kemi: ‘Have you watched Adolescence yet?’ to which Kemi honestly replied: ‘No no I haven’t, I probably won’t. It’s a film on Netflix, and most of my time right now is spent visiting the country…’
Naga then cut her off, saying: ‘It’s a four-part series on Netflix, and everyone is talking about it.
+10
View gallery
BBC Breakfast viewers were left unimpressed with Naga Munchetty as she berated a British politician for not watching Netflix’s crime drama series Adolescence
+10
View gallery
During Thursday’s instalment of the programme, Naga, 50, returned alongside co-host Charlie Stayt, 62, and the duo welcomed the Leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, to discuss the local elections
‘It is prompting conversations about toxic masculinity, smartphone use, young men feeling that they’re being ignored, and the idea of misogyny being increased in school.’
Taking a swipe at Kemi, she added: ‘Why would you not want to know what people are talking about?’
Kemi replied: ‘Well, I think that they are all important issues, and those are issues that I’ve been talking about for a long time.
She continued: ‘But in the same way that I don’t need to watch Casualty to know what’s going on in the NHS, I don’t need to watch a specific Netflix drama to understand what’s going on, it’s a fictional series, it is not a documentary.
‘What I’ve been talking about recently, for instance, is banning smartphones in schools. I’ve been going to schools all around the country.
‘I was in Evesham just yesterday talking to head teachers, talking to students, and they talk about the problems phones are causing.’
Unimpressed with her answer, Naga replied: ‘The difference this documentary has made, compared to say a politician, any politician, leader of the party, the Prime Minister going round talking in schools is this has made much more of an impact than any politician has in terms of what people are talking about right now.
+10
View gallery
However, the conversation quickly shifted to the TV drama Adolescence, which has sparked a national conversation about the pressures young people and parents face today (Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham pictured)
+10
View gallery
Charlie proceeded to ask Kemi: ‘Have you watched Adolescence yet?’ to which Kemi honestly replied: ‘No no I haven’t, I probably won’t. It’s a film on Netflix, and most of my time right now is spent visiting the country…’
+10
View gallery
Naga then took a swipe at the politician, saying: ‘It’s a four-part series on Netflix, and everyone is talking about it. Why would you not want to know what people are talking about?’
‘So it’s really confusing that you don’t want to know why, how this has made an impact, how parents are now saying we need to know more about smartphone use?’
Swiping back at Naga, Kemi replied: ‘I can read what people are saying about it. I look at research. This is something that I’ve been looking at for a long time.
‘One of the things that I’m more bothered by is the fact that just yesterday we had Labour telling us that they are not going to be investigating the rape gang scandal, something which had happened all across the country, that’s real, that’s happening right now.
‘We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about a fictional documentary.
‘We have thousands of victims – female victims, those are girls, young women, and some boys too.
‘I met the mother of a boy who killed himself after being a victim, I want to talk about that because that is real.
‘And yes, I’m glad that the Netflix drama is something that people are talking about, but it is not the only thing. There are many other things that are going on.
‘And my job as Opposition Leader is to hold the government to account, get them to hold a full national enquiry on what is one of the biggest scandals in our country.’
Following the uncomfortable interview, viewers then flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to blast Naga for berating a guest on the show.
+10
View gallery
Kemi replied: ‘Well, I think that they are all important issues, and those are issues that I’ve been talking about for a long time’
+10
View gallery
Swiping back, she continued: ‘But in the same way that I don’t need to watch Casualty to know what’s going on in the NHS, I don’t need to watch a specific Netflix drama to understand what’s going on’
+10
View gallery
+10
View gallery
Following the uncomfortable interview, viewers then flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to blast Naga for berating a guest on the show
One viewer wrote: ‘Naga Munchetty giving Kemi Badenoch a b******ing on BBC Breakfast cos she hasn’t watched Adolescence. And then calling it a documentary. Adolescence discourse is out of control.’;
‘Did anyone watch that disgraceful interview with Kemi Badenoch on @BBCBreakfast? Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty could hardly hide their contempt for her, pulling faces and constantly interrupting her or twisting her words. Well done @KemiBadenoch for a giving a great interview.’;
‘The absolute absurdity of Naga Munchetty and @BBCBreakfast going on and on about Adolescence to @KemiBadenoch is just risible. As though policy on this issue can only be made and understood if you’ve watched some fictional tv show. It’s pathetic. Give it up.’
Last month, Adolescence made British TV history, becoming the first streaming show ever to become the most-watched programme of the week.
The drama has captivated audiences and critics since it hit Netflix earlier last month, with each episode filmed in a single continuous take.
While the show is already being tipped for a string of BAFTA nominations, figures published by ratings body BARB showed that the first episode was watched by 6.45 million people in its first week.
The number makes it the biggest audience for any streaming show in the UK in a single week, beating the 6.3 million who watched Fool Me Once on Netflix last year.
The four-episode programme follows the Miller family, whose lives are torn apart when their 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death after being influenced by online misogyny.
+10
View gallery
Since its launch, Adolescence has amassed 66.3 million views, making it the most-watched limited series and most-watched UK title ever through its first two weeks (pictured Owen Cooper)
The show’s protagonist Jamie Miller is played by Owen Cooper in his acting debut, while his dad Eddie is played by Stephen Graham.
Top Boy legend Ashley Walters took on the role of DI Luke Bascombe and Erin Doherty plays psychiatrist Briony Ariston.
After his devastating performance as schoolboy Jamie, Owen is tipped for silver-screen success – and has been compared to a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
Meanwhile, Stephen, who co-wrote the script, has described finding Owen as the ‘biggest achievement’ of the four-part series.
Despite its huge success, Adolescence’s co-creator Jack Thorne has insisted he won’t be returning to Jamie’s story, telling The News Agents podcast: ‘I don’t think so and I don’t think Stephen [Graham] does either.
‘I think that we’ve told the story that we wanted to tell. We would like to do another story with the one-shot template, perhaps, and we are thinking how we might be able to do that, with Phil Barantini, our brilliant director.
‘But no, I don’t think it’s about what happens next to Jamie. I think we’ve told that as fully as we possibly can.’
