“Adolescence” is set to be made available to all high schools across the U.K. in an initiative that comes with backing from the British government.
The smash hit Netflix drama — which has already provoked widespread debate for tackling the subjects of knife crime, toxic masculinity and the danger of online content on children — will now be made available alongside guides and resources for teachers, parents and carers to help them navigate the conversations that are raised.
The announcement follows a roundtable discussion held by Prime Minister Keir Starmer alongside representatives from charities such as Tender, the NSPCC, and The Children’s Society, as well as “Adolescence” co-creator Jack Thorne and producers Emma Feller and Jo Johnson. Thorne had already advocated for the show to be shown in schools.
“As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you — it hit home hard,” said Starmer. “It’s an important initiative to encourage as many pupils as possible to watch the show. As I see from my own children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they’re seeing, and exploring the conversations they’re having with their peers is vital if we are to properly support them in navigating contemporary challenges, and deal with malign influences.”
A four-part drama that has gripped much of the world, “Adolescence” tells the gut-wrenching story of a British family whose world is turned upside down when their outwardly normal 13-year-old son is arrested for the murder of a girl in his class.
“This isn’t a challenge politicians can simply legislate for,” added Starmer. “Believe me, if I could pull a lever to solve it, I would. Only by listening and learning from the experiences of young people and charities can we tackle the issues this groundbreaking show raises.”
Netflix will make “Adolescence” available to all secondary schools across the U.K. through the Into Film+ streaming service. Healthy relationships charity Tender will produce the guides and resources.
“Adolescence has captured the national mood, sparking important conversations and helping articulate the pressures young people and parents face in today’s society,” said Anne Mensah, Netflix vp U.K. content. “We’re incredibly proud of the impact the show has made, and are delighted to be able to offer it to all schools across the UK through Into Film+. As part of this, healthy relationships charity Tender will create resources for teachers and parents to help them navigate the important topics the show explores.”
Added Thorne, who co-created “Adolescence” with Stephen Graham: “We made this show to provoke a conversation. We wanted to pose the question — how do we help stop this growing crisis. So to have the opportunity to take this into schools is beyond our expectations. We hope it’ll lead to teachers talking to the students, but what we really hope is it’ll lead to students talking amongst themselves.”
Produced by Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B Entertainment, “Adolescence” continues to break records. Having reached number one in 80 countries around the world, it became the first streaming show ever to top U.K. TV ratings and — with 66.3 million views after two weeks — set a new Netflix record for a limited series.
Speaking to Variety, producer Hannah Walters said the reaction to the series had “been overwhelming,” adding that she’d been sent an email from someone “in the business for 38 years” who said he’d “never known anything to have had an impact like that.”
