‘Adolescence’ creator Stephen Graham surprised by how the show has struck ‘a nerve’ in India-OxBig News Network

This image released by Netflix shows Mark Stanley, from left, Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham in a scene from ‘Adolescence’

Adolescence creator and actor Stephen Graham says the rave response to the hit Netflix series across countries, including India, is “unbelievable” as they didn’t think the British crime drama would produce such a ripple effect.

Adolescence, which premiered on the streamer on March 13, has garnered glowing reviews online from Indian audiences, comprising film personalities like Anurag Kashyap, Hansal Mehta, Sudhir Mishra, Shekhar Kapur, and Alia Bhatt.

The show, with each of its four episodes shot in a single take, centres around a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for the murder of a classmate. Graham, who stars as Jamie’s father and also serves as a writer on the Netflix series, said he was surprised when he found out about the show’s popularity especially in India.

“I got a text from a mate of mine, telling me how big Adolescence is in India. And my first response was, ‘Hold on… did you say India?! Did I hear you correctly?’ Apparently, it’s really striking a nerve there,” he told Rolling Stone in an interview.

“But it just seems to have struck a nerve in a lot of places! The thing you have to understand, when we set out to do this… it was very colloquial. But it’s like we dropped a stone into this pond, and the ripple effect it’s produced has been unbelievable,” he added.

Directed by Philip Barantini, Adolescence also stars Ashley Walters, Christine Tremarco, Erin Doherty and Faye Marsay. It is one of the most-watched shows worldwide on the streamer. The aim with the series, Graham said, was to make “one of those social dramas for right now”.

“We have a real crisis going on with young men today, and we’ve got to start talking about it right now. It affects all of us. I just wanted to start a conversation about this, a real conversation. I didn’t know if people would be ready to talk about it. But I think they are. And hopefully, this is just the beginning of the conversation,” he added.