Accused of MURDER

STEPHEN GRAHAM on a timely drama that searches for answers after a shocking tragedy

-  IAN MACEWAN

ADOLESCENCE FROM THU 13 MAR, NETFLIX DRAMA

Earlier this year, Luther star Idris Elba examined the alarming rise in knife crime in the UK for a BBC1 documentary. Now another acclaimed British actor, Stephen Graham (This Is England, Line of Duty), is giving his take on the issue that has blighted the lives of families up and down the country in new Netflix drama Adolescence.

The plot of the four-part series centres around 13-year-old Jamie Miller (played by newcomer Owen Cooper) and his family when the teenager is arrested on suspicion of murdering a female classmate.

When DI Luke Bascombe (Missing You's Ashley Walters) takes the youngster, who denies any involvement, to the police station for questioning, Jamie's traumatised parents, Eddie (Stephen) and Manda (Emmerdale's Christine Tremarco), along with sister Lisa (Amélie Pease), follow close behind. Eddie is named as Jamie's 'appropriate adult' while he is in custody, while duty solicitor Paul Barlow (Happy Valley's Mark Stanley) arrives to represent the boy.

The experiences of Jamie, his family and schoolmates, the investigating officers including DI Bascombe and his colleague DS Misha Frank (Ten Pound Poms actor Faye Marsay) and child psychologist Briony Ariston (Stephen's A Thousand Blows co-star Erin Doherty) play out in real time, in one continuous shot per episode, across the four parts.

We caught up with Stephen, 51, who came up with the idea and co- wrote the script with award-winning writer Jack Thorne (Toxic Town), to find out more...

What inspired you to write about this subject, Stephen?