I May Destroy You: What the Must Watch reviewers think

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan share their thoughts on I May Destroy You.

Michaela Coel's new 12-part drama started on BBC One on Monday.

It shows the fallout from a sexual assault which occurs after the main character Arabella - played by Coel - has her drink spiked.

Coel, who wrote and co-directed the series, has previously revealed she was a victim of sexual assault herself.

Have you watched it? What did you think? Leave your comments below...

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Hayley says: "You really felt as though you were there"

"I loved it. Although it’s not an easy watch, it’s very raw. I was a big fan of ‘Chewing Gum’ which came out in 2015 and was [Coel's] sitcom about the 24-year-old who was losing her religion and trying to lose her virginity. That was very funny and very rude. Michaela Coel has an incredible face for comedy, and now we’re seeing her do something very straight, real and very dark. The fact that she can switch so easily is a real testament to her talent.

"The show feels unique in its messiness and rawness. Also its subject matter is something that has and will continue to be explored by clumsier writers, so it’s interesting to see it done so well.

"It manages to capture the curiosity and the confusion of all these real feelings because she has lived it and she’s an excellent writer. I thought it was excellent, you really felt as though you were there.

"It’s important to understand what this kind of trauma does to a person, and how it gets into every aspect of your life and disrupts your thinking, your relationships and work life. I’ve not actually reached the final episode yet, but it doesn’t feel like the kind of thing where she’ll give us an easy solution or revenge fantasies, because real-life trauma doesn’t have those and this feels real and authentic."

Scott says: "It's really uplifting and a huge achievement"

"Yes it’s a Must Watch, it’s fantastic. The whole core of the show is centred on sexual trauma and Michaela Coel has been open about having similar experiences to what this drama is talking about.

"I think the main emphasis is that it happens to more people than we might have realised. The message of the show is 'I’m with you and I know what it’s like', to people who have also gone through that. It’s hard to tell others about it and takes a lot of time.

"I think the way that Michaela articulates it so brilliantly - whilst also making a drama that’s reflective of London - is really uplifting and is a huge achievement.

"It’s also an important show for people who haven’t been sexually assaulted. If you haven’t been through that experience, you might not understand or acknowledge that the other person might not be able to remember exactly what happened or why they aren’t acting themselves for weeks on end. Also, why they might find it hard to reach out and get support or go through the legal process."

I May Destroy You is on BBC One on Monday evenings and on BBC iPlayer. 

Must Watch is available as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds, or through your podcast app.

This week, the team also review Sitting in Limbo, and Hillary.

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