Netflix’s new limited series Adolescence has gripped audiences with its harrowing story of a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering his female classmate.
The four-part thriller unfolds in real-time, immersing viewers in the devastating impact of the crime on the boy’s family and community.
But is Adolescence based on real events, or is it purely fictional? Here’s everything you need to know about the shocking real-life inspiration behind the series.
What is Adolescence about?
Adolescence follows Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), a seemingly ordinary 13-year-old boy who is accused of brutally stabbing his classmate, Katie Leonard. The story begins with Jamie’s arrest, then explores the police investigation, the psychological impact of the crime, and its lasting consequences on Jamie’s family.
The series stars Stephen Graham as Jamie’s father, Eddie Miller, alongside Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, Faye Marsay, and Mark Stanley. Filmed in a continuous single-shot format, the show heightens the tension by unfolding in real time, forcing viewers to experience the events as they happen.
Is Adolescence based on a true story?
While Adolescence is not based on one specific true story, its creators drew inspiration from real-life cases of knife crime involving teenagers in the U.K. Co-creator and star Stephen Graham revealed that the show was inspired by a disturbing rise in youth-perpetrated violence.
“There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl,” Graham told Netflix’s Tudum. “It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’ And then it happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again. I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?’”
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 83% of teenage homicides in 2023-24 involved knives in The UK. Over 50,000 knife-related offences were recorded in England and Wales in the year leading up to March 2024, with juveniles aged 10 to 17 responsible for approximately 17.3% of these crimes.
Beyond the issue of knife crime, Adolescence also examines the radicalization of young men through online subcultures. Co-creator Jack Thorne revealed that the show was influenced by the growing influence of incel culture, an online movement that fosters deep-seated resentment toward women, explaining that incel culture gives boys a reason for their isolation.
“In lots of ways, I could understand what would attract Jamie to these ideas,” Thorne told The Wrap. “That idea of there is a reason why you aren’t liked. There is a reason why you find it very difficult to talk to women.”
“There’s a reason why you feel isolated from your parents. There’s a reason why you’re struggling academically. If you can put all these things in an argument that makes sense, that’s really, really dangerous.”
The series directly references the manosphere—a network of misogynistic online communities—and even name-drops controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who has been accused of spreading harmful ideas about masculinity and female subjugation.
The release of Adolescence comes just months after a real-life tragedy in Southport, where a 17-year-old named Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to 52 years in prison for the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. However, the show was conceived and written before the attack, making its themes feel even more eerily relevant.
Additionally, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently warned about a growing national security threat from “loners, misfits, and young men radicalized online.” The January statement came after multiple knife-related attacks by teenagers. In Australia, multiple reports of serious crimes involving alleged young offenders have seen Victoria join Queensland and NSW with tougher knife crime laws, further reinforcing the show’s chilling relevance.
While Adolescence is a work of fiction, its themes are deeply rooted in reality. The show explores the terrifying rise of knife crime among teenagers, the dangers of online radicalization, and the pressure young boys face in today’s society.
Graham summed it up best in an interview with Vanity Fair: “We didn’t want to create a story about bad parenting or gang violence. We wanted people to look at Jamie’s family and think, ‘This could be happening to us.’”
With Adolescence now streaming on Netflix, its message is clear: The crisis facing young men today is not just a story—it’s a wake-up call.
