Social work drama viewed by more than 3 million people

A drama centred around the actions of a children’s social worker was viewed by more than three million people last week, Channel 4 has announced.

The press team said Kiri, which follows the aftermath of a child abduction during unsupervised contact for a girl about to be adopted, was viewed by 3.2 million people total on Wednesday night, the biggest opening for a Channel 4 drama in two years.

Last night's brand new #Kiri averaged 3.2 million viewers/ 15.5% share at 9pm – biggest @Channel4 drama launch in over 2 years @jackthorne pic.twitter.com/PFx6KAf4KN

— Channel 4 Press (@C4Press) January 11, 2018

The portrayal of social work has been hotly debated since the show aired, with a social worker arguing that the show makes you feel empathy for a social worker in a way other portrayals of the profession have not tried to do in the past.

Others have complained the show relies on unrealistic stereotypes and could be harmful, especially as social workers are so infrequently shown on television.

The social worker, Miriam, is played by Sarah Lancashire, and Kiri features some of the more in-depth discussions about social work processes seen in fictional television.

Across the first episode, Miriam explains what she considers standard practice in regards to contact, how she came to her conclusions and discusses with her manager the fact her decisions were discussed and supervised.

The debate about social workers in Kiri will continue this Wednesday when episode two airs.