What inspired Netflix's crime drama Adolescence?

Netflix's new crime drama 'Adolescence' is currently turning heads, and its inspiration comes from the real-life struggles of growing up. The show looks at the tough decisions teens face and how one wrong choice can change everything.

Owen Cooper - breakout star of the hit psychological drama - has taken Hollywood by storm, leaving the cast and crew speechless with his stunning performance.

Jacob Elordi, Cooper’s co-star, earlier confessed that working with the film star on the new Wuthering Heights remake was a bit intense at times.

Jacob shared: "He's a rock star. He's brilliant and he's intimidating."

"I think the first time I met him I asked 'Are you nervous mate' and he went 'No' and I thought cool... cool me neither," he added.

However, 'Adolescence' shot straight to the top of Netflix just one day after its March 13 release, and it's already got a flawless 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie isn’t based on one true story, but Graham said it was inspired by the rising issue of knife crime in the U.K. that’s been getting more attention lately.

“There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl,” Graham shared with 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 reports, 83% of teen homicides involved a knife in 2023-24. There were 50,500 knife-related crimes in England and Wales, a 4.4% rise from the previous year. Teens made up 17.3% of these offenses.