TV Series· 2020· Drama

I May Destroy You

by Michaela Coel

I May Destroy You: it draws on 2 recorded sources.

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What influenced I May Destroy You

The works this one is recorded as drawing on.

Fleabag

TV Series · 2016

InfluenceLOW

Lineage rather than acknowledgement. Waller-Bridge's series made a particular thing commissionable at the BBC: a half hour written by and starring one woman, drawn from her own life, moving between comedy and a serious trauma the show takes its time reaching. Coel's series is the next one of those and is often discussed beside it. Michaela Coel has not named Fleabag as a source and has been clear that the work comes from her own experience which is why the importance is set to LOW.

Real-world influences

Events, places, movements and ideas outside fiction that this work is recorded as drawing on.

Personal Experiences

Real world

Real-world influenceHIGH
  • Abuse
  • Trauma & healing

Michaela Coel wrote the series from her own experience of being sexually assaulted after her drink was spiked while writing her previous show, and of piecing together what happened.

About the work

I May Destroy You

After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, her life changes irreversibly and Arabella is forced to reassess everything: her career, her friends, even her family. As Arabella struggles to come to terms with what has happened, she begins a journey of self-discovery. The series is set in London with a predominantly Black British cast. Coel stars as Arabella, a young writer in the public eye who seeks to rebuild her life after being raped, with co-stars Weruche Opia as Terry and Paapa Essiedu as Kwame, her two best friends. The series premiered on 7 June 2020 on HBO and on 8 June 2020 on BBC One.