We might only be a month into the year, but an upcoming British crime drama could very likely already be shaping up as one of the best shows of 2025. This week Netflix offered a sneak peek of the biggest films and series coming up this year, with plenty of new and old favourites on the roster for viewers to dive into. Blockbuster shows like Stranger Things, Squid Game, and Wednesday might all be returning, but it’s a British drama that caught my attention more than any other.

The series Adolescence has been written by Jack Thorne, who is best known for writing the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the movies Wonder, Enola Holmes and Joy, as well as His Dark Materials and the upcoming The Hack. First announced last year, the four-part series stars Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, a father who faces the unthinkable when his 13-year-old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school.

Filmed in a continuous shot, the story unfolds in real time as those connected to the case try and figure out what happened to spark this shocking tragedy, who is actually responsible and whether or not there was a chance it might have been prevented. Speaking about the show at the Next on Netflix event in London this week Stephen said the idea for the story had been brewing over the past decade as he witnessed a shocking rise in knife crime perpetrated by young people across the country.

‘We’ve seen an epidemic of knife crime amongst young lads, up and down the country. And for me, there were certain instances that really stuck out where young boys – and they are young boys, you know, they’re not men – were killing young girls,’ he said. ‘When I mentioned it to Phil, it just really hit me hard. I just thought, “why? What’s going on? What’s happening? Why is this the case? What’s going on with our society as a whole, as a collective?” and without being disrespectful, when these things are on the news your judgement instantly goes to blaming the family, you blame the mum and dad. We’re all guilty of it, because that’s the easy common denominator. I just thought, “what if that’s not the case at all?”.’.

The premise of the series is incredibly timely, with knife crime in the UK at its highest point in 20 years. In the year ending March 2024 there were over 50,000 crimes of this nature, while the year before 244 people were killed using sharp instruments like knives and broken bottles. Even more shockingly, there have been several well-publicised cases of children murdering each other in this way. Adolescence will be released on March 13 on Netflix.

As Eddie and his wife Manda (played by The Responder’s Christine Tremarco) are confronted with their son being arrested for the distressing act of violence, the story playing out in one shot adds to the tension. Directed by Phil Barantini, who also used a similar continuous one-shot style in the 2021 film Boiling Point which also starred Stephen, he said this approach to filmmaking was done to evoke an ‘immersive feeling’ for the audience.

‘We’re all guilty of watching stuff with one eye on our phones, but for something like this, it’s so compulsive, that you can’t miss a beat. And that’s the idea, that it adds to the tension and to the anxiety, which is an immersive experience for the actors as well. You get the best performance because they’re in it. They’re living it. And there’s no cuts at all, so for one hour you have to be in character,’ he said.

Having watched some of the scenes from the series, the way it was filmed will undoubtedly have viewers on the edge of their seat and unable to look away and happily avoid scrolling their phones at as the episodes play out. Although blockbuster shows very much have their place in Netflix’s slate, it’s shows like Adolescence that stand out to me as ones we need to be seeing more of on our screens – dramas that share the reality of life in the UK and of everyday people faced with extraordinary circumstances, even if that means shining a light on issues that we might feel more comfortable looking away from usually.

Adolescence also stars, Ashley Walters (Top Boy) as Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe and Erin Doherty (The Crown) as Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist assigned to Jamie’s case. Others appearing include Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones), Mark Stanley (Happy Valley), Jo Hartley (After Life) and newcomer Amélie Pease. What I Own: I bought my £820,000 Nine Elms flat through a little-known saving scheme.

If you live at this house number, your property could be 'cursed'. Londoners are flocking to this ‘bustling’ neighbourhood 10 miles from the centre. We moved into a beautiful floating lakehouse and only pay £2,210 a year in 'rent'. The London neighbourhoods 'on the up' in 2025 revealed. Adolescence is streaming from March 13 on Netflix. Got a story?. If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.