Channel 4's new drama The Gathering turns the spotlight on toxic parents as much as their teenage children. Set in Liverpool, the series follows a group of teens navigating sex, school, and social media, but the worst behaviour often comes from the adults.
Producer Simon Heath describes it as an exploration of 'toxic teenagers - and their even more toxic parents'. One mother tries to pay her daughter's boyfriend to end the relationship and schemes to get another teen dropped from a sports team. Writer Helen Walsh says the over-investment in children can 'spill into something toxic and malign'.
The series opens with a violent attack at an illegal rave, then jumps back six months to unravel the events leading up to it. The show features well-rounded characters grappling with contemporary issues, including a gifted gymnast who is part of a free-running gang.
Walsh was inspired by Philip Larkin's poem This Be The Verse, which famously begins with a line about parents messing up their children. She notes that parents make decisions with good intentions but often don't know the outcome until it's too late.
The Gathering is produced by the team behind Line of Duty and Bodyguard, and stars Eva Morgan and Vinette Robinson. It airs on Channel 4.
