This week on TV
The disturbing story of four
troubled teenagers caught up in a
scandal involving sexually explicit
photos being shared online is told
in this timely – and graphic –
Australian drama that highlights
the perils of relationships in the
age of social media.
The Hunting, shown across
four nights on Channel 5 this
week, begins with twisted Adelaide
school student Andy and his love
interest, Zoe, experimenting with
online sex over a webcam.
The following day, concerned
teacher Ray Allum (played by The
Riot Club star Sam Reid) catchesAndy’s friend Nassim with a nude
photo of his new girlfriend Dip on
his phone and orders him to delete
it before he faces expulsion.BROKEN TRUST
But it’s too late. Desperate to impress
his friend, Nassim has already
shared the image with Andy, who
has uploaded it on to an illegal
website full of explicit photos of
teen girls, along with his recorded
webcam images of Zoe.
What follows is a shocking
tale of broken trust, sexual
exploitation, misogyny
and ruined futures.
‘Ray is a new teacher. He
wants to be a friend to his
students and respects what
they’re going through,’
explains Reid.‘He tries to prevent them getting
into trouble by covering for them,
but the situation snowballs and he
ends up doing more damage. The
students are faced not only with
potential criminal charges but also
a loss of trust in one another.’WIDER NETWORK
As events spiral out of control, a
shocked Zoe and Dip discover how
their intimate images have beenshared without their consent,
and there’s a series of devastating
confrontations with their families,
their fellow students and the police,
while Zoe desperately tries to bring
Andy to justice.
But as time goes on, Ray makes
an even more shocking discovery
that Andy could be part of a
wider network of boys all across
Australia who have been sharing
explicit images of their female
friends and classmates online.TIMELY DEBATE
Reid says the drama, which
also stars Jessica De Gouw as
the school’s assistant principal
and The Cry’s Asher Keddie
and Richard Roxburgh (Va n
Helsing) as Andy’s parents,
has sparked huge debate inNEW DRAMA
The Hunting
Mon-Thu, Channel 5 HD, 10pm
Video
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An online sex scandal
rocks an Australian
community in a
compelling new drama
Eliza
Jessica De Gouw
The assistant school
principal reports the
shocking incident
to her boss and
a newspaper
journalist.Ray
Sam Reid
The new teacher
becomes romantically
involved with Eliza
and finds himself
deeply compromised
by the scandal.Nassim
Yazeed Daher
Nassim feels he
has to impress
his friend Andy
and shares an
intimate photo of
his girlfriend, Dip.Dip
Kavitha Anandasivam
Dip’s life unravels
dramatically when the
intimate image she shared
with Nassim goes viral.Andy
Alex Cusack
The 16-year-old
has got his toxic
views of women
from his misogynist
father, Nick.A naked photo of
Dip ends up online
without her consent