The Virtues on Channel 4: Is #TheVirtues based on a true story?

Channel 4 will air episode two of The Virtues tonight (Wednesday, May 22). The Virtues, created by This is England director Shane Meadows, has left many fans wondering if the series is based on a true story due to how true to life the story of Joseph (played by Stephen Graham) seemed. Shane Meadows has spoken to Channel 4 about the true story behind The Virtues.

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Is The Virtues based on a true story?

Although Joseph is a fictional character going through fictional events, Meadows has said in interviews that the series is based on his own life.

He told Channel 4: “I’d suffered on-and-off with anxiety and depression for a lot of my adult life.

“In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s I’d tried to keep it at bay by going out clubbing, doing things you shouldn’t be doing etc.

“But the anxiety and depression stayed with me and I realised the route of all this was something in my past that I hadn’t really acknowledged, let alone properly dealt with.

shane meadowsShane Meadows has said that The Virtues is based on some of his real-life experiences (Image: GETTY)

“So, the essence of Joe’s journey was borne out of me discovering that things that happen to you as a kid can be so traumatic that you can completely push them out of your mind as some kind of survival mechanism.

“About four or five years ago I started seeing someone professionally and was able to at least get to the bottom of what was causing my issues, but

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