Netflix's new drama Adolescence has debuted with a ground-breaking real-time, single-take format. The series follows the Miller family, whose ordinary life is shattered when their son Jamie is accused of murdering a classmate. Stephen Graham, who stars in the show, has co-written the script with Jack Thorne for the first time, and his production company Matriarch Productions backs the project.
Graham explained the thinking behind the show: 'We wanted you to look at this family and think, 'My God. This could be happening to us!' And what's happening here is an ordinary family's worst nightmare.' Philip Barantini directs, employing the same uninterrupted filming technique seen in his earlier collaboration with Graham, Boiling Point. Actors underwent extensive rehearsals to ensure flawless delivery.
The cast includes Stephen Graham as a father, Ashley Walters as DI Luke Bascombe, Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston, and newcomer Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller. Walters is best known for playing Dushane in Top Boy, while Doherty played a young Princess Anne in The Crown. Cooper makes his on-screen debut after training with The Drama Mob; he landed the role of Jamie after a tape and audition, initially expecting to play Jamie's friend Ryan.
Other cast members include Christine Termarco, a seasoned actress known for Waterloo Road and Casualty, Amélie Pease in her first acting role, and Faye Marsay, who has appeared in Game of Thrones and Black Mirror. Cooper, aged 15, is the youngest of three siblings and is still at school, enjoying German and PE classes.
