We shouldn't shy away from rape scenes – they are vital -

The actor and writer Doon Mackichan was wrong to call out all depictions of sexual violence in drama, says Olivia Petter. When done right, they can be educational and lifesaving

- Olivia Petter

Some of the most memorable scenes I’ve seen on screen involve sexual assault. Years after watching them, I can still recall every detail. How it was filmed. If there was music playing. Where I watched it. What feelings it stirred in my own body. These scenes have disturbed, devastated and galvanised me. Often all at the same time.

So I was shocked to hear the actor and writer Doon Mackichan, of the comedies Two Doors Down and Toast of London, as well as the seminal sketch show Smack the Pony, suggest that they only make things worse for women. Speaking at the Hay Festival over the weekend, the 61-year-old lamented the nation’s obsession with “crime porn” and described it as “profoundly deflating for women”. She continued: “We are watching stuff that makes us debilitated and exhausted, it just doesn’t help us overcome this. We are wading in very, very ugly waters of misogyny and violence against women.”

Mackichan went on to explain that she had been motivated to speak out against rape scenes after two female actors told her about the “horrific” experiences they had filming them. Mackichan recalled that one actor was told “that if she felt uncomfortable, just shout … but she had lost her voice, she was being pinned down by four guys”.

“We have got a bit used to it and we have to realise what an aberration it is to women to be watching this kind of thing,” Mackichan added.