Adolescence is currently mustering up huge critical recognition. It is a 4-part drama about a knife crime and is stunningly shot in one-take for each hour long episode.

Have you seen the show? Does it deserve the praise it is getting pretty much across the board?

I've finished this mini series today and I found it harrowing and deeply moving. The masterful production and camera work, for me, puts it above most other dramas I've seen and makes it all feel so claustrophobic and terrifying. You're really in there with the cast (which is brilliant I must add) and feel every ounce of emotion that they feel.

A must watch, I think. So important!

Binged it over the last 24 hours, couldn’t stop watching it. So good but so upsetting.

Minor grievance, but I was surprised there were no visitor lanyards/signing in or out at the school. Most things seemed pretty accurate so this surprised me.

Watching it here now and it’s brilliant. Who the hell would be a teacher these days, madness!

Watched this all in one go too, absolutely phenomenal. An early contender for best of the year. The single takes and real-time filming was obviously really well done, but it wouldn't have worked without a really harrowing, sensitive story to boot. It's a difficult subject matter and they could've easily been overly dramatic with it, but the characters all felt extremely genuine - serious props to the kid who played Jamie as you couldn't help but feel for him sometimes despite what he did, and the changes in character he showed with the therapist was incredibly done. Making the family normal and not abusive with only subtle clues that there was a slight disconnect between father and son was a really good choice too as that could've easily felt cliched. That last part of episode 4 was beautiful and the whole of episode 3 was stunning.

I couldn't help but nitpick slightly at Episode 2 as it was a bit more contrived and less believable, working in education myself, but that's minor quibbles in what is a great achievement, and actually quite an important show to watch in our current times as it's hardly the stuff of imagination.

It was good for sure. Great acting. Some of it was a little unrealistic but that didn’t really matter.

I'm three episodes in, can't wait to watch the final episode tonight, definitely the best thing I've watched for a while. How they've done the whole one-take filming thing for each episode is a bit mind-blowing to me, particularly how at the end of episode two the camera just starts flying through the air. Just incredible! There are 3-minute behind-the-scenes videos available for each episode which talks about how they filmed it, really interesting to watch.

One of the best things I've ever watched, stunning. Episode 3 completely shook me to the core.

On 16/03/2025 at 20:50, T Boy said:

Binged it over the last 24 hours, couldn’t stop watching it. So good but so upsetting.

Minor grievance, but I was surprised there were no visitor lanyards/signing in or out at the school. Most things seemed pretty accurate so this surprised me.

That's often a problem when you watch a programme with a setting you know about! I've found the same thing with any drama based in a school, or involving politics.

I don't have Netflix, so I haven't seen the programme. However, a lot of colleagues have been raving about it. I might get Netflix for a month so that I can see it and, perhaps, a few other programmes.

Undoubtedly one of the best things I have ever seen in the last 10 years. The writing, acting and technical ability of how it is shot is all absolutely superb. Struggling to find even any flaws. Episode 1 was my favourite, purely because of the suspense and drip feed of the information right until the end of the episode, which is harrowing to watch really and turns everything you feel on its head. Like others have said, episode 3 is the probably the highlight and the one I suspect will win all the awards. The whole episode is superb and that last sequence just leaves you with the chills.

16 hours ago, Suedehead2 said:

That's often a problem when you watch a programme with a setting you know about! I've found the same thing with any drama based in a school, or involving politics.

I don't have Netflix, so I haven't seen the programme. However, a lot of colleagues have been raving about it. I might get Netflix for a month so that I can see it and, perhaps, a few other programmes.

I’d recommend ‘Toxic Town’ if you do sign up, thinks it’s the same producer!

Watched this last weekend, thought it was one of the best things I've seen in a long time.

Episode 3 was incredible and I liked the one take filming, it almost made me feel like I was watching a live show, if that makes sense.

Watched this all in one go last night and thought it was so well done. Giving so many different perspectives too and seeing the impact of what happened.

The way it was shot too was amazing - episode 3, which was basically a 2 hander was amazingly played and such a stand-out.

On 16/03/2025 at 21:12, Steve201 said:

Who the hell would be a teacher these days, madness!

100%! the second ep showing all the crap teachers have to contend with was just 😱 - got to be so bad working in some secondary schools

I know, kids are wee shits like. No way I could keep calm in those situations!

Fantastic programme , but I wasn't suprised everything Stephen Graham touches is gold,

I can understand why some people don't like it though as it was never intended as a drama with twists and turns etc, but more of an insight into how people are affected,

On 16/03/2025 at 20:50, T Boy said:

Minor grievance, but I was surprised there were no visitor lanyards/signing in or out at the school. Most things seemed pretty accurate so this surprised me.

Omg this really BUGGED me big time. Also the fact the Headteacher was happy to just leave them in the school building / let them walk around unescorted! I don't know about any other school but that certainly wouldn't be allowed to happen in mine.

Otherwise, this was an amazing show, the acting was superb, the story was gripping, the reality that this could quite easily happen to any child was harrowing! It was also interesting to see something from the perspective of the family of the accused, it's so often on the victims family, really made me think, which is exactly the intention of the show. Excellent.

The director also did Boiling Point was a great film, really like his one-shot style. This was a very gripping watch too.

Cannot stop thinking about the intenseness of ep 3! This show was expectational

This was a strong, enjoyable watch. Really excellent if you only mostly watch Netflix though.