Adolescence: The Netflix drama that will have every parent talking - Join our watch thread plus Q&A with producer and cast

[CeriMumsnet]

Premieres 13th March 2025

Read Hannah and Christine's answers to your questions here.

If you’re after a gripping new series to get stuck into, Adolescence is set to be the show of the year - and it’s one that will chill parents to the core. This tense British crime drama begins with the shocking arrest of 13-year-old Jamie Miller for the murder of a classmate. But as the investigation unfolds, the series delves into the unsettling realities of modern masculinity, online radicalisation, and the pressures facing today’s teenagers.

Filmed in South Kirby with a raw, unflinching realism, Adolescence isn’t just another crime drama - it’s a conversation starter. If you were lucky enough to catch the Mumsnet exclusive preview, you’ll know just how haunting and thought-provoking it is, with themes that resonate long after you finish watching.

Watch the trailer here:

Q&A
Adolescence Executive Producer Hannah Walters and actress Christine Tremarco who plays Jamie’s Mum will be joining us for a Q&A in the next couple of weeks, so make sure to share your questions about the show for them below.

• Hannah Walters is an actress, producer and co-founder of Matriarch Productions, an entertainment production company who aims to provide a much-needed platform for underrepresented voices and stories in the UK. Their credits include BOILING POINT (2021) and most recent TV series for the BBC. Hannah has two children with her husband Stephen Graham.

• Christine Tremarco is a British actress who along with playing Jamie’s Mum in Adolescence can also currently be seen in Channel 4’s drama series, The Gathering and in the BBC’s Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story, directed by Al Mackay. Other screen credits include the BBC’s Responder opposite Martin Freeman, a series regular in Sky’s Wolfe, and Shane Meadows’ BAFTA winning series The Virtues opposite Stephen Graham.

So, what do we think? Will you be watching? Does the premise resonate with you? Let’s chat below! 👇

Episode 3 was fantastic - and all in a single shot. So much going on there and so many emotions conveyed.

I thought the incel part was played perfectly. Unfortunately with social media algorithms, porn and people skating the line on mainstream platforms this ideology is absolutely everywhere in a soft form. That doesn’t make it any less damaging. Just that it’s so much so part of some young men’s view that they can’t even see it!

I was thinking about showing it to my 12 year old. 15 definitely ok. There is no violence on screen. I do think the lesson in it is to talk to your kids about this stuff.

We also saw how dismissive he was of his mother & sister in the van in the final episode - it seemed that only men were worth his time.

I've just re-run that scene. He isn't in the slightest bit dismissive of his mum and sister. That their talk was full of seemingly by the by stuff was entirely convincing - what else could be said?

He thought he was only with his dad and had just dropped the bombshell of his changed plea and the filming method not showing his reaction invited us to picture his re-grouping of what to say.

A less well-written drama would have dived straight into an intense discussion about the whys and wherefores, but the almost phatic subject matter showed minds reeling, filling the silence.

In episode 1, Jamie keeps repeating he's done nothing wrong, what do you think he means by that? I couldn't work it out. Also one of the things that struck me is how 'normal' Jamie's family appear. What do you think is the significance of this?

I think he wanted to believe it hadn’t happened. He could barely deal with a needle never mind handle the horror of what he had done.

With the normal family I thought it was interesting how well the Mum and Dad treated each other. They never turned on each other, never blamed each other. The dad was a traditional strong dad figure trying to fix everything but actually they both held each other up when needed. There were suggestions that his Dad had a temper but we never saw him take it out on family. he was both strong and soft at times. I think it just showed he didn’t get his violence or hatred of women from home.

Dad, parent of two boys 14 & 12 here that I would say are pretty mature for their ages based on things we’ve watched together and conversations we’ve had. I’ve been hearing the hype about this show but know little about it. Just wondering thoughts on watching it WITH my boys, from those that have seen it?

I felt in that last episode we got a glimpse into the upbringing Jamie had and it seemed to have been quite 'hands-off' from a discipline and oversight perspective.

That doesn't explain everything though as I think parents were more hands off in previous generations & dc were often doing xyz without parents not necessarily knowing what they were doing.

Social media has decimated the world in so many ways and given extremists an unregulated platform to exploit the vulnerable.

It's terrifying

agree @echt

I think kids of that age can handle things better than adults do sometimes. They're much more pragmatic and they won't be imagining themselves as parents. But it depends on the kid - my DS would have been too sensitive.

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I think you meant to post on the other thread about this. The bribing one?

And some improvised. Stephen Graham mentioned it on the one show.

I've only watched the first episode so far but my take on 'I've done nothing wrong' is that 'it wasn't wrong to do what I did'. You can think that and still be scared because you know that others think it's wrong.

It was fantastic, groundbreaking and I don’t want to detract from that. But I think some of it should’ve been less ridiculous. The psychologist was very young and inexperienced, no way would anyone appointed to assess a child offender be shocked. She also goaded him when he was escalating, which was a very unsafe thing to do.

Some of the police stuff seemed daft, I don’t know enough about police procedures but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a fair bit of criticism.

The school was unbelievable. It seemed more like a ‘hard’ school from my own adolescence. Teenagers these days don’t behave like that en masse. The teachers and ‘junior school’ head were ridiculous caricatures. As if a senior policeman would send his own son to that dump. His bullied son also would have surely told his dad about the kids and social media at home, rather than unsafely doing so on the school site.

The school was unbelievable. It seemed more like a ‘hard’ school from my own adolescence. Teenagers these days don’t behave like that en masse.

Having watched the first two episodes this is my main criticism. The portrayal of the school felt about 30 years out of date, and quite insulting to teachers. An academy (which this school was meant to be) in that kind of area would most likely go down the super-strict route and behaviour of that kind just wouldn’t be tolerated. I also agree it was unrealistic that a senior police officer would send his son there, or would be so unaware of the kind of environment it was.

That said, I’m otherwise enjoying the series and the central performances, particularly that of the boy playing Jamie, are fantastic.

And would this particular policeman be given this job when his son is involved in the school? Conflict of interest?

I agree this also felt implausible.

@JitterbugFairy @bookworm14 He would have to step away if it transpired that his son was involved in some way but the school wasn’t a crime scene and they were only there to interview those close to Jamie and the victim. Police can actually question their own family members legally but ofc eyebrows could be raised depending on the circumstances but it’s not not allowed.

I have set a reminder to watch. Fo like Stephen Graham in most he does. Saying that Dh and I found A thousand blows weak.

Also, sorry quoting my own post.

My eyebrows were on the ceiling when she decided to bring a ‘boiling hot’ drink to a known volatile, violent offender.

Someone mentioned earlier how they were surprised the police officer’s son went to that school when it seemed so chaotic but to me that just reinforces how as parents we’re never 100% in the know.
That moment in the first episode when the son asks to stay off school because he’s sick, and the dad just brushes him off with “ask your mum” really stood out I think. Then he tries to excuse it to his colleague, saying his wife’s the tough one and he’s the softie. And the surprise from the son that his dads offered to go for food. So he’s not exactly a super present dad. It just shows how easy it is for things to slip through the cracks, even when you’re doing your best

Totally agree. Somebody called it anti white. But there are no perfect parents here.

Oh yes I hadn't thought of that.
My initial take on the drink was that, even though Jamie did what he did,and as awful as it was,he's still only a 13 year old boy who still likes marshmallows on his hot chocolate.

To me it was showing how little responsibility he takes for his actions. He knocked it flying then casually asked for another one. Perhaps he was used to being over indulged at home? No consequences for actions?