Normal People star Paul Mescal addresses criticism of ‘pornographic’ sex scenes

‘We worked very hard to make it feel like it was a real, accurate and truthful representation of sex amongst young people today,’ said the actor

Normal People star Paul Mescal has defended the BBC series against criticism of its “pornographic” content.

Last week, a debate erupted on RTÉ Radio 1’s talkshow Liveline when a listener named Mary phoned in to complain about Normal People‘s prurient sexual content.

She complained that the scenes constituted “something you’d expect to see in a porno movie”.

However, Mescal, who plays Connell in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s hit novel, appeared on The Late Late Show to defend the series.

“I actually listened in [to Liveline] yesterday, and I suppose I was a bit surprised,” he said, “but the last thing I want to do here is sit and judge people for that, because they’re obviously entitled to their opinion.

“But my own perspective of it is that I think we worked very hard to make it feel like it was a real, accurate and truthful representation of sex amongst young people today,” he continued.

“It’s actually something I’m incredibly proud of and I’m really proud to see on Irish screens, personally.”

Normal People tells the story of a tumultuous relationship between two Irish teenagers, played by Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones.

All 12 episodes can be seen in the UK on BBC iPlayer.