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Wall Street, American Psycho, The Wolf of Wall Street… for decades, the image of the banker has loomed large in popular culture.

And after the 2008 financial crisis, the reputation of finance workers took a big hit, according to one of the creators of banking drama Industry.

Konrad Kay, who co-writes the series, says bankers faced a “lazy” and “villainous stereotype” at the time – with a perception that they needed “bringing down a peg or two”.

Industry is a critically-acclaimed drama set inside the fictional London office of Pierpoint & Co, a prestigious, high-pressure, sex-and-drug-fuelled international investment bank. It is now airing its third series.

Critics have called the series – that introduces new character Sir Henry Muck, a hyper-privileged eco-entrepreneur played by Game of Thrones star Kit Harington – an “excitingly ornate rollercoaster” and “more thrilling than ever”.

For Kay and co-creator Mickey Down, who both previously worked in finance, their show is not a simple question of whether bankers are good or bad.

“I guess what the show is saying, and we’re never didactic about this stuff, is that Pierpoint and the wider capitalist enterprise turbocharge some of their worst instincts,” says Kay.

Ultimately, bankers are “neither villains nor rock stars”, he adds.

Industry looks at some of the nuances of the financial world, the writers say, and especially the people at the beginning of their careers.

According to Down, the show is driven by the characters who have the least amount of power.

Industry follows three Gen-Z finance workers: Harper Stern (played by Myha’la), Robert Spearing (Harry Lawtey) and Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela).

Down adds that Industry is about realising there are “different ceilings for everyone” – and that your background, race and gender can “have a huge bearing on how successful you can be”.

This is partly why the co-writers say they portray the character of Harper, arguably the most ruthless of the three main characters, “with love”.

“People obviously throw a lot of words at these characters, insults sometimes, especially at Harper, saying she’s awful, she’s heinous, she’s selfish, all that stuff,” says Down, adding: “We write her from a place of understanding.

“We write her as a young black woman who has come from a disadvantaged background, who is ridiculously ambitious and will do everything to achieve her goals – and that is thrilling.”

Two victims of spiking have criticised how medical staff handled their cases, saying they felt “blamed” for what happened and were refused tests.

Imogen Turnbow and Saraya Haddad, both former students in Brighton, said they were denied drug tests at A&E, discouraged from contacting the police by staff there, and Ms Turnbow said a 111 operator implied it was her fault.

South East Coast Ambulance Service, which runs the 111 service in Sussex and Kent, said it was “sorry to hear of these concerns” and it took them “seriously”.

In 2022, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said an A&E’s primary responsibility was to address victim’s medical needs, rather than collect forensic samples.

While in a busy Brighton bar in 2021, Ms Turnbow said she went “incredibly quickly” from being fully aware of her surroundings to waking up in a cupboard.

The 24-year-old said she had “no idea” where she was and had “no feeling” in her leg.

“I am constantly questioning what happened, who was I with, where was I? I don’t have the answers.”

The following morning Ms Turnbow said she visited the Royal Sussex County Hospital A&E department but said she was told by staff there was nothing they could do and that she should call 111.

The non-emergency line then told her they would call back within the next few hours, but did not respond until the next day, according to Ms Turnbow.

Ms Turnbow said she got “quite upset” explaining the incident over the phone to the 111 service, and said the nurse told her she “needed to be more vigilant when going out.”

It was “complete victim blaming,” Ms Turnbow alleged. “I felt very let down by two services which in my head are meant to support you in unsafe situations.

“I didn’t actually know what to do at that point. I was terrified.”

She decided not to report the incident to police.

A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We take any concerns raised seriously and would invite Ms Turnbow to contact us with the details of her call so that we can look into the circumstances for her.”

Despite her experience, Ms Turnbow is urging victims of spiking to come forward.

“If we’re not reporting it, it’s just gonna get swept under the rug,” she said.

Stamp Out Spiking, an anti-spiking charity, estimates nearly 98% of victims do not report the crime.

Ms Turnbow said one of the biggest problems is that there is so much stigma around spiking itself.

“Either people don’t believe you” or it is considered “something that just happens”, she explained.

Spiking is not a specific offence, but it is illegal under separate laws.

The government says the main legislation relevant to spiking is Section 24 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which includes maliciously administering poison with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy that person.

It carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

Saraya Haddad told the BBC she was spiked while having three drinks and a meal over three hours at a bar in 2019, shortly before she had been due to perform in a street play in central Brighton.

The 27-year-old said she woke up 13 hours later, not remembering anything, only to learn friends had taken her home.

“I was… very discombobulated.”

Wanting to prove what had happened, she visited A&E at the Royal Sussex Hospital the next morning, but was “shocked” when she said they refused to test her for drugs which could have been used to spike her.

The Metropolitan Police says it may be possible to detect if someone has been spiked in the last seven days through a urine or blood sample. But some drugs leave the body within 12 hours or much sooner.

They said only police can conduct a forensic test, unless a victim has been sexually assaulted, in which case they can be tested at a sexual assault referral centre where they will also get specialist support.

The now-PhD student also claimed hospital staff discouraged her from going to the police saying it was a “waste of time” due to the time that had elapsed since the incident.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine says emergency department’s should encourage victims of spiking to contact the police and, where the victim gives consent, they should help facilitate this.

Ms Haddad said she decided not to take further action after her experience.

However, she decided to channel the incident into a solo play that aims to raise awareness of spiking, which she performed at Edinburgh Fringe.

There needs to be “much more education” for young people, Ms Haddad said.

She is urging emergency departments to also test for spiking substances.

According to the Metropolitan Police, symptoms of spiking include:

• Confusion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Hallucinations and paranoia
• Disorientation or poor coordination
• Loss of ability to communicate properly
• Memory loss
• Feeling sick or throwing up
• Lowered inhibitions
• Loss of balance
• Unconsciousness
• Problems with vision

More advice about how spiking can make you feel and what to do if you get spiked is available here.

Det Supt Andrew Harbour from Sussex Police said the force took the issue “incredibly seriously” and would “bring offenders to justice”.

Although he said the county had seen a “downward trend” of spiking offences, Mr Harbour said some incidents were not being reported.

Vapes containing the drug spice or other illicit substances, food and even chewing gum could be used for spiking, according to the force.

A spokesperson for the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said patients are treated based on presenting symptoms. A&E can only treat a person if they are ill, there are no screening tests routinely used.

They said that since neither women received treatment at A&E they would not comment further.