Is Adolescence based on a true story? Inside Stephen Graham’s Netflix series
ADOLESCENCE is one of the most talked about shows on Netflix.
The show’s fearless depiction of knife crime in the UK has sparked national conversations, as rave reviews for the programme have rolled in. But is the series based on a real-life story?
Groundbreaking series
Adolescence follows a 13-year-old boy named Jamie who is arrested for the murder of his classmate.
Opening with Jamie’s arrest, the show follows the subsequent investigation and the aftermath of the allegations.
Much of the series focuses on radical online forums, where incel ideologies are popular.
“Incel” stands for involuntary celibate and is an online community centred around misogynistic attitudes towards women.
The show’s creators wanted to highlight this dangerous online subculture, as social media and the internet can radicalise young people very easily.
Stephen Graham said: “We think he’s safe in his room… that home is the microcosm, and that’s where you should be safe.
“That’s where he’s raised and that’s where your security is.
“But through the telephone, through the internet, there’s a whole macrocosm out there of stuff that we have no control over as parents.”
The series also made headlines when it was revealed that every episode is shot in one take.
The show’s creators shared that they chose to film Adolescence in this way so that audiences were taken on an “immersive journey”.
They added that it adds an air of awkwardness, which makes it difficult for the audience to look away.
The story behind Adolescence
Although Adolescence isn’t based on one particular story, Stephen Graham shared that he didn’t want to focus on gang violence.
Instead he wanted to show that knife crime can impact any family.
He also revealed the chilling moment that made him decide to write Adolescence.
He said: “We’d been asked to create a one-shot piece which was going to be a series, so we were coming up with the possibilities of what we’d make it about, and I’d read an article in the paper about a young boy stabbing a young girl.
“It made me feel a bit cold.
“Then about three or four months later, there was a piece on the news about a young boy who’d stabbed a young girl.
“They are young boys, they’re not men.
“And it was completely the opposite end of the country.”
Stephen, who also stars in the show, said that the series’ name references how young both the perpetrators and victims of knife crime are.
Watching the show
Adolescence is available to watch on Netflix.
The four-episode show has a 100% score on the review website Rotten Tomatoes (as of March 2025) and has received rave reviews.
Adolescence boasts an impressive cast, including The Crown’s Erin Doherty as well as Faye Marsay and Ashley Walters.
The actor who plays Jamie, Owen Cooper, was just 14 when he took on the role but is now already tipped to star in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights.
He will star in the film alongside Saltburn’s Jacob Elordi and Barbie’s Margot Robbie.