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Stephen Graham's Netflix drama inspired by two real-life crimes that 'hurt' him
Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne's harrowing new one-shot Netflix drama Adolescence was inspired by two separate real-life crime stories that the star read about in the news.
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Stephen Graham has disclosed that his latest Netflix drama, Adolescence, draws inspiration from two distinct crime stories originating from different regions of the UK.
The chilling four-part series centres on parents Eddie (portrayed by Graham) and Manda Miller (Christine Tremarco), whose world shatters when their 13 year old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) is apprehended for the murder of a female classmate.
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Article continues belowThe series, co-created by Graham and Jack Thorne, delves into the troubling issue of young boys being radicalised by misogynistic online communities like the Manosphere, alongside the escalating problem of knife crime.
At the London premiere of the series, the Boiling Point actor shared that he felt compelled to develop the drama after learning about two separate incidents in the news.
"We'd been asked to create a one-shot piece which was going to be a series," Graham explained. "So we were coming up with the possibilities of what we'd make it about.
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"And I'd read an article in the paper about a young boy stabbing a young girl, and it made me feel a bit cold.
"Then, about three or four months later there was a piece on the news. And it was a young boy, again, who had stabbed a young girl - and they are young boys. They're not men. And it was the complete opposite end of the country."
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Despite an overall decrease in homicides, knife crime in the UK has seen a steady increase. Teenagers today are more than twice as likely to be fatally stabbed compared to a decade ago, as per the 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics.
"So, if I'm really honest, it really hurt my heart," the actor confessed. "For many different reasons.
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"Predominantly as a father but also, kind of, where we're at in society for this to happen.
"Me and Phil [Barantini, director) were in the car and I just came up with the possibility of an idea."
Graham went on to discuss how his passion for the renowned documentary series played a role in the show's conception, evident in the first episode which captures Jamie's arrest and grilling by the authorities.
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"I'm slightly obsessed with 24 Hours in Police Custody, as well," he revealed.
"We knew, because of the technique and how we shoot that we had to grab the audience straight away, and there's no better beginning than smashing through the door on a raid and coming into the house.
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"Pointing their guns at a 13-year-old boy. With that possibility we'd grab the audience's attention."
He was quick to choose screenwriter Jack Thorne for the job, celebrated for his work on the legendary This Is England series with Shane Meadows as well as the more recent Netflix success, the critically lauded Toxic Town.
"Jack's one of the finest writers," Graham extolled. "He writes the human condition with such complexities."
Article continues belowTouted as one of the UK's most steadfast acting figures, Graham's latest venture is tipped to become one of the finest TV series of the year; ensure you don't miss out on Adolescence when it drops this week.
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