Toni O’Rourke discusses online misogyny in new Channel 4 thriller

Irish actress Toni O’Rourke says the Channel 4 series Hunting Alice Bell reflects the loud rise of online misogyny.

Series premise and O’Rourke’s role

In the multi‑layered thriller, O’Rourke plays Ros, a queer video‑game developer who becomes the target of online trolling after being accused of being Alice Bell – the lover and accomplice of a fictional anaesthetist serial killer portrayed by Simon Pegg. The accusations throw the lives of several women into chaos.

O’Rourke described the script as “propulsive” and noted that episode six was withheld until filming began, creating varied timelines for the cast.

The show, co‑written by David Baddiel and Peter Bradshaw, was originally conceived as a film before being adapted for television, a format O’Rourke believes allows deeper character development.

She highlighted the series’ focus on how different women respond to online hatred – some fight, some hide, others placate – and stressed the importance of portraying women with “multitudes” rather than a single victim narrative.

O’Rourke, a Dún Laoghaire native, welcomed the largely female cast and the growing appetite for female‑led stories, citing industry reports on gender disparity. She hopes audiences are entertained while the series prompts reflection on the prevalence of misogynistic abuse online.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ / Pexels.