Channel 4’s new miniseries holds all the light and dark elements of a complicated premise in balance, and even finds room for some laughs
There aren’t many certainties left in this increasingly barbaric and chaotic year of our fled Lord 2020, but one of the few remaining, to which I cling as if a drowning woman to driftwood, is this: as far as ever is possible, you should always be warned when a prolapse is in the offing. Let me perform this service to you before discussion of Channel 4’s new four-part drama Adult Material begins. Unlike the scene itself, we’ll ease into it. Let’s start at the beginning.
Hayley Burrows (Hayley Squires) is a 33-year-old hardworking, devoted mother-of-three. Her hard work is as a porn star, Jolene Dollar. She is successful, respected and clear-sighted about exactly what she can get out of the industry – and what it can take. She keeps a weather eye out for the younger girls, including a 19-year-old first-timer Amy (Siena Kelly) who arrives on set starry-eyed (“My boyfriend worships you!”) and bouncing – soon literally, atop the organ around which the industry is built – with enthusiasm. “I love sex!” she tells Hayley/Jolene before they begin. “Well,” says Hayley, after a pause. “That’s a good place to start.”
