Adolescence is small in some aspects, from the number of episodes it runs for to the boy at the heart of it all. But the show's impact is far bigger in scope.
Part of that comes down to the ambition of director Philip Barantini (Boiling Point), who shot each of the four episodes in one long continuous take. Just as impressive is the script, co-written by Jack Thorne and star Stephen Graham, which digs deep into difficult issues.
With all that going on, it might have been easy to overlook the acting which brings this all to life – except that was never going to be the case with a cast this strong. This would have always been a talking point no matter how Adolescence was filmed but, considering how the show was put together, for each actor to nail their part so well is nothing short of extraordinary.
Join us as we get to know the cast of Adolescence, and take a closer look at where you might have seen these actors before.
Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller
Owen Cooper plays the character of Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who has been accused of murdering a girl at his school. From his initial arrest to months down the line, we follow the case closely as we try to ascertain whether Jamie is guilty or not and, even more crucially, whether he's sorry or not too.
You might be surprised to learn that Adolescence is Owen Cooper's very first acting gig. He's the linchpin of the show in many ways, bringing incredible nuance to a very tough role. He's already been cast in Emerald Fennell's upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, but don't be surprised if Cooper shows up in a lot more soon following the success of Adolescence.
Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller
Stephen Graham wrote a particularly challenging role for himself with the part of Eddie Miller, father to Jamie Miller. Eddie plays a crucial role in the fourth and final episode, more like a walking bruise than a person by the end following all the guilt and trauma he's endured.
Following roles in Guy Ritchie's Snatch and Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Graham became a leading actor thanks to his breakout role in 2006's This Is England. Since then, he has appeared across notable franchises including Pirates of the Caribbean and Boardwalk Empire.
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He is a firm-favourite on the small screen too, with powerful performances across British dramas such as Peaky Blinders, The Virtues, Line of Duty and Boiling Point (which he worked on alongside Adolescence director Philip Barantini).
Ashley Walters as Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe
Ashley Walters takes on the role of Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe. The character has been assigned to Jamie's case and begins by leading the investigation, which takes him to the Miller home, his son's school, and beyond.
After Walters rose to fame as a key member of the UK garage group So Solid Crew, he made the switch from rapping to acting, appearing in a range of British shows and films including Bullet Proof, Top Boy and, more recently, Harlan Coben's Missing You. It all started though with the 2004 drama Bullet Boy, for which Walters was awarded Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards.
Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston
Erin Doherty appears in just one episode of Adolescence, the much-talked about third instalment, where she plays Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist assigned to assess Jamie.
After Doherty made her on-screen debut in Call the Midwife, she broke out in the role of a young Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown. Since then, Doherty has also starred in the British psychological thriller Reawakening and took the lead in the BBC murder mystery Chloe.
Christine Tremarco as Manda Miller
Christine Tremarco plays a key role in Adolescence as Manda Miller, Eddie's wife and mother to Jamie – the boy whose crime kick-starts the whole show.
The Liverpudlian star has appeared in a huge number of British shows and soaps since she started acting at the age of 15, in a ABC/BBC series titled The Leaving of Liverpool. Other projects include Casualty, Little Boy Blue (which also starred Stephen Graham), Clink, Emmerdale, and Wolfe, but Tremarco is probably most famous for her role as Davina Shackleton in Waterloo Road.
Faye Marsay as Detective Sergeant Frank
Faye Marsay plays Detective Sergeant Frank, another officer who works on Jamie's case alongside Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe.
After she was cast in smaller parts throughout the late 2000s, Marsay broke out with the role of Anne Neville in The White Queen before going on to appear regularly in Fresh Meat and Game of Thrones, two very different shows.
Genre fans might also recognise Marsay from playing Vel Sartha in Andor and her one-off appearance as Blue Coulson in the season three finale of Black Mirror titled "Hated in the Nation."
Mark Stanley as Paul Hunter
Mark Stanley takes on a significant role in the first episode of Adolescence where he plays Paul Hunter, the lawyer who guides Jamie through his initial arrest.
Stanley has appeared in films such as Mr Turner and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. On the small screen, his roles span the HBO series Game of Thrones, as well as various British productions including Happy Valley, White House Farm, The Bay and The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe.
Jo Hartley as Mrs Fenumore
Jo Hartley plays a teacher at Jamie's school called Mrs Fenumore, who shows the two police officers around to aid them in their investigation.
Since making her debut film role in the Shane Meadows classic thriller Dead Man's Shoes, Hartley has been in countless shows and films including, but not limited to, This Is England, The Young Victoria, Torvill & Dean, Bank of Dave, and the Netflix series After Life.
Amélie Pease as Lisa Miller
Amélie Pease plays Lisa Miller, Jamie's sister, whose role expands in the fourth and final episode of the series.
Like Owen Cooper, Amélie is also a newcomer making her debut here in a part that's sure to gain her more attention in the coming months following the show's well-deserved success.
Adolescence is available on Netflix now.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
