Adolescence on Netflix dramatises every parent's worst fear.
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The four-part drama, which comes to our screens courtesy of cast member Stephen Graham and screenwriter Jack Thorne, kicks off with police breaking into the home of a 13-year-old boy called Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) and arresting him on suspicion of killing his classmate Katie.
While Jamie initially insists he's innocent, it soon emerges that he's been engaging with incel culture online – and the truth about what happened to Katie begins to come to light.
It's a haunting examination of misogyny, masculinity and the dangers of social media, but is it entirely fictional, or based on real-life events?
Read on for everything you need to know about the inspiration behind Adolescence.
Is Adolescence based on a true story?
Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence. Stephen Graham.
The show's creators have made it clear that Adolescence is not based on a single case, but that it is inspired by shocking real-life events and the growing knife crime epidemic in the UK.
"Where it came from, for me," explained Graham in a recent interview with Radio Times magazine, "is there was an incident in Liverpool, a young girl, and she was stabbed to death by a young boy. I just thought, why?
"Then there was another young girl in south London who was stabbed to death at a bus stop. And there was this thing up North, where that young girl Brianna Ghey was lured into the park by two teenagers, and they stabbed her. I just thought, what’s going on? What is this that’s happening?"
Stephen Graham. Netflix
The actor also echoed those comments at a Next on Netflix event earlier this year.
"The idea came as – over the past 10 years or so – we’ve seen an epidemic of knife crime amongst young lads, up and down the country," he said.
"And for me, there were certain instances that really stuck out where young boys – and they are young boys, you know, they're not men – were killing young girls.
"When I mentioned it to Phil [Barantini, director], it just really hit me hard. I just thought, 'Why? What's going on? What's happening? Why is this the case?'"
Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston and Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller. Ben Blackall/Netflix
Graham continued: "What's going on with our society as a whole, as a collective, and without being disrespectful, when these things are on the news – and we’re a couple of kids from council estates – but when these things are on the news, your judgement instantly goes to blaming the family, you blame the mum and dad.
"We’re all guilty of it, because that's the easy common denominator. I just thought, 'What if that's not the case at all?'"
So, while the series is not based on a specific true story, or even inspired by a particular incident, it seems the idea did come from a tragic series of events over recent years, which Graham and the team behind the show wanted to explore.
The official synopsis for the series says: "Adolescence tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school.
"Stephen Graham will play Jamie’s father and 'appropriate adult', Eddie Miller. Ashley Walters stars as Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe, and Erin Doherty is Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist assigned to Jamie’s case."
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
