Viewers' fury at BBC show Is This Rape which showed shockingly confused students debating sexual consent

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Outraged viewers of a controversial TV programme that shows teenagers debating the definition of rape after watching a filmed scenario involving a woman who has passed out, have taken to Twitter to express their anger at the students' conclusion.

In the BBC3 documentary Is this Rape? Sex On Trial a group of 16 to 18-year-olds were shown a drunken scenario at a teenage party, and then asked to debate and vote on whether the act constituted rape.

The programme revealed how confused vulnerable young people are when it comes to sex - and how often lines are crossed - and has sparked a furious debate about the crucial issue of consent online.

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Viewers of a BBC3 documentary Is this Rape?  have taken to Twitter to express their views about the show which highlighted youngsters' confusion over what is and isn't rape

The BBC3 programme took a mixed group of teens away for three days. It then asked them to debate and vote on a three-part fictional playlet, which is set at your average teenage party.

At the end of the party, a drunken girl, Gemma, goes to sleep on a sofa bed and is joined by Tom, a boy she knows. He is also drunk. He climbs on top of her and a sexual act takes place.

Gemma is silent and unmoving throughout. It is two weeks before she reports it as rape. The panel was then asked to vote on whether it really was an act of force.

In the process of doing so, the boys and girls - separately and together - made moral judgements and opened up about their own experiences. They revealed how murky the sexual world they inhabit is - where consent, or ‘being up for it’ (as they put it), is very much seen in shades of grey.

Yet the issue was black and white for viewers who were appalled that the youths showed any confusion at all were over what does and doesn't constitute rape.

Sophie Levin Tweeted, 'She was asleep. ASLEEP. IF SOMEONE NOT ACTIVELY SAYING YES = RAPE' adding that the show was making her 'want to claw my eyes out.'

'Is this rape? On BBC3 is making me SO angry! Not saying no does not mean an outright yes to consent! This girl was obviously raped!' shouted Jessica Chelsey.

Laura Andrew ‏agreed, 'Rape is classified as unwanted sexual penetration. That's rape, mate. None of this 'misunderstandng' bull'

Fellow caps-locker Vicky Hudson Tweeted 'This programme on BBC3 is winding me up so much, rape is rape, drunk or not, boy or girl, RAPE IS RAPE AND SHOULD BE PUNISHED'

'Is This Rape BBC3 debate is making me despair,' wrote Alex Butrap. 'How do you not know if there's consent? The other person partaking in the act is a good clue'

'Is this rape? On BBC3 is making me SO angry! Not saying no does not mean an outright yes to consent! This girl was obviously raped!' shouted Jessica Chelsey.

Laura Andrew ‏agreed, 'Rape is classified as unwanted sexual penetration. That's rape, mate. None of this 'misunderstandng' bull.'

Sophie Levin was also on the same page saying, 'She was asleep. ASLEEP. IF SOMEONE NOT ACTIVELY SAYING YES = RAPE' adding that the show was making her 'want to claw my eyes out.'

Fellow caps-locker Vicky Hudson Tweeted 'This programme on BBC3 is winding me up so much, rape is rape, drunk or not, boy or girl, RAPE IS RAPE AND SHOULD BE PUNISHED.'

'Is This Rape BBC3 debate is making me despair,' wrote Alex Butrap. 'How do you not know if there's consent? The other person partaking in the act is a good clue.'

Meanwhile Meg offered a rhyme to help those confused over consent: 'No matter what you wear or where you go, yes means yes and no means no'. 

'#SexOnTrial is actually devastating,' Tweeted jessie. 'Just because a lad buys you drinks doesn't mean he has the right to rape you. Madness.'

Eleanor Kirk agreed, 'I weep for the human race watching these reactions to a sexual assault.'

Youngster Charlie admitted to being 'baffled' by his peers . 'I mean my generation is shockingly ignorant about consent. It baffles me sometimes'

As well as anger, there was a purveying sense of sadness from Tweeters disappointed in how mixed up the youths appeared to be about sexual consent.

'#SexOnTrial is actually devastating,' Tweeted jessie. 'Just because a lad buys you drinks doesn't mean he has the right to rape you. Madness.'

Eleanor Kirk agreed, 'I weep for the human race watching these reactions to a sexual assault.'

Youngster Charlie admitted to being 'baffled' by his peers . 'I mean my generation is shockingly ignorant about consent. It baffles me sometimes.'

While legosass found the documentary hard to watch, saying 'No no no no please stop this programme i can't deal with this stop the victim blaming.'

While many agreed the show made for uncomfortable viewing, many felt it was an important topic, and one that needed discussing.

'Well done BBC3 for making Is This Rape? #SexOnTrial. Demonstrating EXACTLY why we need to have this conversation. #NoMeansNo every time,' Tweeted Melita Kiely

Billend congratulated BBC3 for 'airing a programme that finally educates people on what consent actually is'

Jo Unwin ‏quoted and recommended the show: ''He raped her, but he wasn't a rapist' - very good programme IS THIS RAPE on BBC3 last night. Worth watching'

Janey Beasley hailed the programme as 'essential viewing for all young people'.

'Well done BBC3 for making Is This Rape? #SexOnTrial. Demonstrating EXACTLY why we need to have this conversation. #NoMeansNo every time,' Tweeted Melita Kiely.

Jo Unwin ‏quoted and recommended the show: ''He raped her, but he wasn't a rapist' - very good programme IS THIS RAPE on BBC3 last night. Worth watching.' And Janey Beasley hailed the programme as 'essential viewing for all young people'. 

Meanwhile Billend congratulated BBC3 for 'airing a programme that finally educates people on what consent actually is' and Amy Purcell agreed, 'I'm so glad the bbc aired this programme, it highlights so many problems with rape and how it's perceived.' 

Many commented that they felt it was schools' responsibility to teach youngsters what constitutes as rape.

Maddie demanded, 'We need comprehensive consent education for ALL, and we need it now,' and Georgia agreed, 'This documentary needs to be shown in schools. Schools don't talk enough about rape. Teach children what consent is.'

Craaaazy eyes' wrote 'They should 100% look more into rape in school,' but added the programme was 'so deep'. 

Many commented that they felt it was schools' responsibility to teach youngsters what constitutes as rape. Maddie demanded, 'We need comprehensive consent education for ALL, and we need it now'

'Craaaazy eyes' agreed, 'They should 100% look more into rape in school,' but added the programme was 'so deep'

Is This Rape? was soberly hosted by Will Best, and it demonstrated how valuable it can be when kids are actually invited to discuss morals and feelings and given evidence on which to make their own judgments.

Is This Rape?, which aired last night at 9pm, was soberly hosted by Will Best, showing clips of long debates, and it demonstrated how valuable it can be when kids are actually invited to discuss morals and feelings and given evidence on which to make their own judgments.

‘Oral sex isn’t as bad as penetration... she gave him signs,’ said one youth during a discussion.

‘If you’re friends with someone and you know they’ve done something like that [where the girl wasn’t willing], you don’t want to spread it around or tell anyone ’cos they’re your friend,’ said another.

‘There are 12 girls here and all of us have either had this [been forced into a sexual act] happen to us or known someone it’s happened to,’ shared one teenage girl.

‘She was afraid of him! Submission isn’t a sign of consent, it’s just a sign of weakness.’

Some struggled with the idea of it being rape. ‘He semi-raped her,’ says one. Another: ‘80-20 [rape] perhaps? The word rape, that’s quite harsh . . . he saw an opportunity and he took it.’

Hearing this, Kane Tweeted '80:20 consent- she wasn't raped enough' disgusting attitude. Shame on these students.'

While Kait said the boys on the programme 'already have me at boiling point'. 

In the BBC3 documentary Is this Rape? a group of 16 to 18-year-olds are shown a drunken scenario at a teenage party, and then asked to debate and vote on whether the act constituted rape 

At the end of the party, a drunken girl, Gemma, goes to sleep on a sofa bed and is joined by Tom, a boy she knows. He is also drunk. He climbs on top of her and a sexual act - let’s just say oral sex - takes place

The film was shown to the youths in three segments: the party takes place in the first, the questioning of Gemma in court in the second and the questioning of Tom in the third. There was a vote among the panel after each section.

The first vote was on the question: ‘Is this rape? Or did Gemma agree to what just happened?’

The boys were divided.

‘He raped her - there was no consent ’cos she was unresponsive.’

‘Yeah, but he was being led on, because she didn’t push him off.’

‘He seemed like a normal guy, heat of the moment, he went for it.’

Beth Neil Tweeted the quotes in disbelief: ''Rape is too harsh a word' 'semi-rape' '95% rape' 'if she didn't want it she would have pushed him away'. Horrific.' 

Kait said the boys on the programme 'already have me at boiling point'

Kane Tweeted '80:20 consent- she wasn't raped enough' disgusting attitude. Shame on these students.'

Alan Lane, meanwhile, had more sympathy of the complex issue the youths were facing: 'Whatever else can be said these teenagers on BBC3 Is This Rape? are brave, thoughtful buggers. Ferociously trying to bring clarity to a mess,' he wrote.

Dom Clark III who wrote, 'I'm impressed with the maturity of some of these teenagers in #IsThisRape but it's clear more education is needed around the word 'no'.'

Alan Lane, meanwhile, had more sympathy towards the complex issue the youths were facing: 'Whatever else can be said these teenagers on BBC3 Is This Rape? are brave, thoughtful buggers. Ferociously trying to bring clarity to a mess,' he wrote. 

As did Dom Clark III who wrote, 'I'm impressed with the maturity of some of these teenagers in #IsThisRape but it's clear more education is needed around the word 'no'.'

Indeed the girls were divided, too. They were confused by the fact Gemma knew Tom and had had sex with him before, that she could have pushed him off and was giving mixed signals by smiling and looking at him during the party. He ‘got confused and was drunk’.

To this Jack Hughes Tweeted, 'The girls saying he was confused and drunk? Oh this is horrific, do not make excuses for him, he raped her.'

He later added, 'Who cares if they were in a relationship previously? You can rape your current sexual partner.'

Bethen also simply pointed out, 'Flirting isn't consent.' 

To the girls confused because Gemma had been smiling at him at the party Bethen simply pointed out, 'Flirting isn't consent.'

When asked if the act constituted rape, the girls were divided by the fact Gemma knew Tom and had had sex with him before, and was giving mixed signals by smiling and looking at him during the party

The boys struggled with the idea of it being rape. ‘He semi-raped her,’ says one. Another: ‘80-20 [rape] perhaps? The word rape, that’s quite harsh . . . he saw an opportunity and he took it.’

Most unnerving was that several girls reported: ‘We’ve all been in a situation [where the boy is pressing for sex] and you think, oh, OK, can’t be bothered, whatever.’ 

On this, Allison Morris Tweeted, 'So sad that some young women think that sometimes you just give in because it's easier, major societal fail.' 

The other sections of the drama, where Gemma has reported the rape and both she and Tom are in court, were even more revealing. 

We learn about their previous sexual contact and about an ‘intimate’ photo she had once sent him on Snapchat. We hear that she snogged Tom’s best friend on the night of the party. We see her, upset at the defence barrister’s firm questioning, saying ‘I just froze’ and trying to downplay her flirty texts.

('The court scene - and that's why people are too scared to report rape,' Tweeted Vicki Baker.)

The debate got fierier among the panel on the question ‘Did Tom believe he had consent?’ Some are scornful of the rape claim because it was two weeks before she rang the police - until one girl comes right out and reveals that it took her a year to report the fact that she had been raped.

Her raw experience feeds into the boys’ understanding of how deep the shock and shame of this invasion is.

But having seen the formality of the courtroom, the youngsters are torn. They’re worried that ‘his life will be ruined for a misunderstanding . . . rape is a big word.’ Some are firm that the girl has a responsibility; others say how easy it is to freeze, especially when you are drunk, just to let things happen.

The word ‘misunderstanding’ comes up a lot. The girls have to tell some of the boys: ‘You don’t necessarily want to have sex with someone just because you’re kissing.’

Nearly all the girls on the panel say that something like this has happened to them or to someone they know

The youths were also visited by two real-life cases. First, a young man who was falsely accused of rape before being completely cleared - but not before his life was destroyed. Then a girl who was raped while she was in a drunken stupor and who still bears the deep emotional scars today.

All are shocked by the experience of the young man brought in to tell them about being falsely accused of rape. On bail, broke, his life and business collapsed, his family traumatised, ‘the bank closed my account, I was thrown into the Dark Ages’.

Today, if he wants to be intimate with a woman, he actually records them verbally giving him consent, so worried is he about having the same nightmare unfold again.

The girls on the panel flinch at understanding how enormous the implications are of setting in motion such an accusation.

Some of the panel, still hating the ‘R’ word, say the crime should be reduced to sexual assault.

In the third part, Tom is questioned and quavers: ‘She wasn’t upset or anything, it was all fine.’

The programme revealed how confused, vulnerable or - in some cases - wounded young people are when it comes to sex - and it's sparked a social media debate

Detail is mercilessly sought. ‘Where were his hands? Where were hers?’ The video shows Tom’s hands on the back of Gemma’s head, hers lying motionless by her side. Complainant and accused are both reduced to tears.

Again and again, nearly all the girls on the panel say that something like this has happened to them or to someone they know.

One says she would be afraid to report such an act for fear of being questioned about what she was wearing and how drunk she was.

They have their final vote: ‘Is Tom a rapist?’

Terrible word. ‘You think of a vile monster, not a boy who did one bad thing,’ says one boy.

But the girl among them who was raped replies flatly: ‘[Rape] is actually torturing someone. What this is, is rape, OK?’

Last word goes to the lovely blond, round-faced, curly-haired chap who stares into the camera at the end, clearly shaken by what he has seen and discussed, and says: ‘Have I done this? Have I raped someone and not known it?’