Listen to old Irish viewers get outraged by the horniness of Normal People

The TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel Normal People premiered on the BBC on April 26, to pretty much universal acclaim, but it turns out not everyone’s a fan. In a segment covering the show on RTÉ’s Liveline on April 30, some older viewers expressed their dislike towards the nudity and sexual themes, with one calling it “something you would expect to see in a porno movie”.

Another suggested that Normal People – which centers around a relationship between Marianne and Connell, two students at the tail end of secondary school – gave the wrong message to young people, who apparently “think immorality is the norm”.

“I wouldn’t like a daughter of mine to be engaging in sexual promiscuity before she was married,” the viewer continued, as detailed in a Twitter thread by Liveline.

While there were some voices of support for Normal People during the broadcast – with praise for its treatment of contraception and consent – yet more outrage poured in about the characters’ ages. 

“These are children,” said one viewer. “A 17-year-old is a child and shouldn't be having sex.”

Read the full Liveline thread below, or listen back to the show itself. For a slightly different take, read the lead actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal on the show’s sex scenes, first loves, and working with Sally Rooney, in their interview with Dazed.