Hit Netflix drama “Adolescence” has shattered a significant barrier in the U.K. television landscape, becoming the first streaming show to claim the top spot in the country’s weekly TV ratings.
The critically acclaimed series outperformed traditional broadcast heavyweights including BBC’s “The Apprentice” and “Death in Paradise,” according to official data released by U.K. ratings body BARB (Broadcasters Audience Research Board).
The first episode of “Adolescence” drew 6.45 million viewers in its debut week, establishing a new record for streaming viewership in the U.K. This figure surpasses the previous streaming record of 6.3 million set by Netflix’s “Fool Me Once” in January 2024.
“Adolescence” demonstrated remarkable staying power with its second episode attracting 5.94 million viewers, while BBC One’s “The Apprentice” and “Death in Paradise” followed closely in third and fourth positions with 5.79 and 5.75 million viewers respectively. The third and fourth episodes of “Adolescence” also performed strongly, drawing 5.14 million and 4.65 million viewers respectively.
Launched on March 13, “Adolescence” rapidly ignited a global conversation with its unflinching portrayal of a 13-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murdering a schoolmate. The series has earned widespread acclaim for its innovative single-shot filming technique used in each episode, heightening the drama’s intensity.
“Dark and brilliantly written, this show unpacks the complexities of humanity and manhood and how the rise of the manosphere has so eerily and quickly permeated itself into the lives of young people through social media,” wrote Aramide Tinubu, reviewing the series for Variety. “Gutting, raw and stunningly acted, ‘Adolescence’ highlights how we’ve failed ourselves and will continually fail the generations coming behind us.”
The cast includes Stephen Graham, newcomer Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters, Christine Tremarco and Amelie Pease.
While “Adolescence” marks a historic moment for streaming platforms, it still trails behind some of the year’s highest-rated broadcast programs. The BBC’s “The Traitors,” “Call The Midwife,” and the “Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell” documentary all had higher seven-day audience figures. Similarly, ITV’s headline-grabbing drama “Mr Bates vs the Post Office” reached 10 million viewers in its first week when it aired last year.
Barb began incorporating streaming data into its ratings calculations in November 2021, reflecting the growing importance of digital platforms in the television ecosystem. Netflix signed up to BARB in Oct. 2022.
