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A horrifying spate of brutal child murders and Britain’s escalating knife crime epidemic drove actor Stephen Graham to make the hit Netflix show, Adolescence.
The series landed on the streaming giant earlier this month and has proven a runaway global success – amassing more than 24million views.
Split into four, one-take episodes, it follows 13-year-old Jamie – played by rising star Owen Cooper – who is accused of murdering his female classmate.
Adolescence has won plaudits internationally for its chilling depiction of radicalisation and incel culture involving young boys – with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer going so far as to say it should be shown in schools to educate young teens.
As well as sparking a debate in parliament, the series has also prompted fierce comments online about who Adolescence’s main protagonist is based on.
However, Graham – who co-wrote the drama with Jack Thorne and starred as the father of 13-year-old Jaime – insisted it was not one specific case the prompted him to pen the drama but a host of savage child murders.
‘Where it came from, for me is there was an incident in Liverpool, a young girl, and she was stabbed to death by a young boy. I just thought, why?’ the 51-year-old This is England star told the Radio Times magazine.
‘Then there was another young girl in south London who was stabbed to death at a bus stop. And there was this thing up North, where that young girl Brianna Ghey was lured into the park by two teenagers, and they stabbed her. I just thought, what’s going on? What is this that’s happening?’
A horrifying spate of brutal child murders and Britain’s escalating knife crime epidemic drove actor Stephen Graham to make the hit Netflix show Adolescence. (pictured: is Graham with Owen Cooper, left, who plays his son Jamie in the show)
Ava White (pictured) was stabbed in the neck at the junction of School Lane and Church Alley in Liverpool city centre on November 25, 2021
Elianne Andam (pictured) was stabbed to death in a fit of ‘white-hot anger’ on September 27 2023. Her death is believed to have been one of those that inspired the story of Adolescence
Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe on Saturday 11 February 2023. Actor Stephen Graham said her murder had horrified him
Speaking at a Next on Netflix event earlier in the year, the father-of-two added: ‘The idea came as – over the past 10 years or so – 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.
‘When I mentioned it to Phil [Barantini, director], it just really hit me hard. I just thought, ‘Why? What’s going on? What’s happening? Why is this the case?’.’
Stephen added the spate of stabbings and child murders was a sharp contrast to the world he grew up in.
‘We’re entering this kind of era where there was, like, four, five, six, seven cases of young boys – and I’m going to call them young boys, they’re not men – stabbing girls to death,’ he said.
‘And, you know, that beautiful saying, “It takes a takes a village to raise a child”, I just wanted to create something that kind of looked at it from that perspective, but also looked at it like, look, maybe we are all slightly accountable in some way, be that parents, be that school, be that government, community, society.
‘And now, let’s be completely honest, when I was a kid, when we were kids, we didn’t have these kind of things.
‘But today, the internet is as much of a teacher and a parent to our children as we can be. Do you know what I mean? And that was kind of where it came from.’
Ava White, 12, stabbed to death over a Snapchat row
The case Graham mentioned in Liverpool is believed to be the murder of Ava White, a 12-year-old Catholic schoolgirl who was stabbed to death in the city centre by a 14-year-old boy in November, 2021.
A jury found ‘Boy A’ guilty of murder after two hours and eight minutes of deliberation and a 12-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court
Her killer, a 14-year-old boy, stabbed the Year 8 Notre Dame Catholic College pupil with a flick knife (pictured) after an argument about him filming her on social media
The horror attack took place after a row over a Snapchat video. A court heard Ava and her friends had become embroiled in an argument with her killer and three of his friends after the boys filmed a series of Snapchat videos of her group.
Ava’s friends said the boy, who cannot be named or identified legally due to his age, ‘grinned’ after stabbing her in the neck with a flick-knife before fleeing the scene. Him and his friends were later seen on CCTV going into a nearby shop.
Ava was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital with critical injuries and died a short time later. The teen responsible for her death was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 13 years after being convicted of murder.
The court previously heard her killer – known only as Boy A – gave a false alibi to police and blamed another boy for slaughtering Ava, before changing his story and claiming he acted in self-defence.
The teenager said he ‘didn’t mean to’ stab Ava and was ‘trying to get her away from me’.
The court was told Ava and her friends became involved in an argument with the defendant and three of his friends after the boys recorded social media videos of the group.
Leanne White (left), sat with older daughter Mia, 18 (right), said Ava dies ‘every day’ for her
Holiday picture with Leanne White (centre), slain Ava (right) and big sister Mia (left)
He said he thought she was a boy, who might be armed, and feared she would ‘batter’ him.
However, the court heard the boy seemed unfazed by the killing, dumping his knife and his coat in a wheelie bin as he tried to cover up his actions.
CCTV later showed him and his friends in a shop where the teen killer took a selfie and bought butter, which he said was for crumpets.
He then went to a pal’s home and when his mother contacted him to tell him police wanted to speak to him he told her he was playing a computer game.
The boy was arrested at about 10.30pm just two hours after the fatal stabbing.
During the court hearing, Ava’s mother Leanne White broke down as she described her anguish: ‘My beloved Ava dies all over again every morning I wake up.
Police cars in Liverpool city centre following the murder on November 25 2021
A police cordon near the scene in Liverpool city centre where 12-year-old Ava White died following an assault
‘The moment Ava died is now yesterday, tomorrow and forever. It is the past, the present and the future.
‘It is not just one horrific moment in time that happened last whenever. It is not just the moment, the hour or second.
‘Our lives became permanently divided into before and after.’
A jury found ‘Boy A’ guilty of murder after two hours and eight minutes of deliberation and a 12-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court in May 2022.
Elianne Andam, 15, stabbed to death over a teddy bear
Also believed to have been key in building the story of Adolescence is the horrifying murder of schoolgirl, Elianne Andam.
The 15-year-old was knifed to death outside Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south London, during a row over a teddy bear.
Her killer, Hassan Sentamu, stabbed her in the neck with a kitchen knife after flying into a fit of ‘white-hot anger’.
In a victim impact statement, Elianne’s mother Dorcas Andam said she was the ‘kindest, most loving daughter’ who was ‘vibrant, creative, and purposeful’ and loved to sing and braid hair
Hassan Sentamu (pictured) was today convicted of murder by a jury following Elianne’s death
He had admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder and having a blade after a jury rejected his claim that autism affected his ability to exercise self-control.
Elianne, who family called ‘kind’ and ‘vibrant’ in impact statements, was brutally killed after showing ‘solidarity’ for her friend, who was going to collect a cuddly toy after breaking up with Sentamu.
She grabbed back Sentamu’s belongings after her friend handed them over when he didn’t bring the bear to the meeting on September 27, 2023.
In a scene of terror on the south London street he chased down the year 11 pupil and stabbed her four times including in the neck as she ‘begged for mercy’.
The court heard Sadistic Sentamu had brought a knife to the scene after the girls had splashed him with water and insulted him the day before.
In a victim impact statement, Elianne’s mother Dorcas Andam said she was the ‘kindest, most loving daughter’ who was ‘vibrant, creative, and purposeful’ and loved to sing and braid hair.
Elianne (pictured right) grabbed the bag of Sentamu’s belongings out of his hand after he failed to bring a teddy bear as agreed
Pictured are knives that police seized from Sentamu as they investigate the killing of Elianne
Hassan Sentamu (pictured) fatally stabbed Elianne Andam in Wellesley Road, near the Whitgift Centre, Croydon
She said: ‘Elianne was my world, she was the kindest most loving daughter I could have asked for she was vibrant, creative and purposeful.
‘She loved deeply, loved to sing, to braid hair always practising new style. Our home was full of her music, laughter and energy. There was always warmth and joy when Elianne was there.
‘Now the music has stopped the laughter has gone – all that is left is a deafening silence that echoes through my life.’
Addressing Sentamu, Mrs Andam continued: ‘You brutally murdered her in the most humiliating way in broad daylight.
‘Mercilessly killing her on the floor as she begged for mercy. You walked away showing no remorse as if her life meant nothing.
‘You did not only kill Elianne, you killed me mentally and emotionally. Your actions were senseless and evil.’
Elianne’s heartbroken mother added he had ruined her life when he killed her daughter in the most ‘deliberate’, ‘senseless’ and ‘evil’ way.
Sentamu fled the scene after stabbing Elianne before dumping the murder weapon in a nearby garden
Brianna Ghey, 16, trans girl ambushed and murdered
Actor Graham said that among the stories that helped to inspire Adolescence was the killing of transgender teenager, Brianna Ghey.
She was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife during the fatal attack in Linear Park, Culcheth, near Warrington, in February 2023, which the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Yip, described as ‘exceptionally brutal’.
The 16-year-old schoolgirl was ambushed by evil Eddie Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson, who were both 15 at the time of the killing.
Jenkinson and Ratcliffe, who had developed an obsession with killing and torture, were unmasked as Brianna’s murderers on February 2 last year when a judge lifted an anonymity order at their sentencing.
The twisted killers were then handed life terms for murder, with a minimum of 22 years for Jenkinson and 20 years for Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism and was also found to have been transphobic about his victim.
The trial at Manchester Crown Court heard how Jenkinson and Ratcliffe met Brianna off the bus at 1.53pm on February 11 2023, before they walked towards Culcheth Linear park together.
Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe on Saturday 11 February 2023
The killers were unmasked earlier this year after both being jailed for the murder of Brianna. Pictured: Scarlett Jenkinson, left, and Eddie Ratcliffe
But one hour and 23 minutes later, the killers were spotted calmly walking away from the park without Brianna.
During that window of time, the pair inflicted a vicious assault on Brianna and murdered her. The pair still blame each other for inflicting the fatal wounds.
‘Timid’ Brianna was found lying face-down in the mud with 28 stab wounds.
Her savage killers, described as a ‘danger to society’ by their victim’s mother, had planned the attack in great detail, with a handwritten note in Jenkinson’s room reading: ‘Saturday 11th February 2023. Victim: Brianna Ghey’.
They then desperately sought to cover their tracks, with Jenkinson posting a Snapchat tribute that called Brianna ‘such an amazing friend’ and ‘one of the best people I’ve ever met’.
The trial heard how Jenkinson was able to access twisted videos of the torture and murder of real people before she and Ratcliffe murdered Brianna.
Jenkinson also sent ‘dehumanising’ messages over Snapchat and WhatsApp in which she described Brianna as ‘it’.
Forensic officers carrying equipment through Culcheth Linear Park on February 13 – two days after Brianna was killed
CCTV footage released by police showed the moment Brianna (in white) met Jenkinson (X) and Ratcliffe (Y) at a bus stop on the day of her death
Eddie Ratcliffe, a former champion kickboxer, murdered the teenager
Scarlett Jenkinson, previously known only as Girl X, was convicted of Brianna’s murder and admitted to being obsessed with serial killers and torture videos
A court sketch shows Scarlett Jenkinson (left) sitting alongside Eddie Ratcliffe (right) during the sentencing hearing
Graham said the trio of murders had left a sickening impact on him – and a desire to answer the question as to how and why such young British teens were becoming child killers.
Appearing on Chris Moyles’ Radio X breakfast show, Graham said: ‘It started when I read an article, and it was an article about a young boy who’d stabbed a young girl to death, and it just, you know, it made me feel cold.
‘And then a couple of months later, there was a piece on the news, and it was about a young boy who’d stabbed a young girl to death, and if I’m really honest with you, they hurt my heart.
‘And these two incidents were opposite ends of the country. And I just thought, ‘Why? Why is this happening?’
‘Not just because I’m a father, but I think any kind of human being with an ounce of moral compass can look at that kind of situation and think, “What’s happening? What’s going on with society today that we’re in?”.’
Pictured is 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, who died after being stabbed 28 times
Tributes left during a vigil in Golden Square, Warrington, to mark the first anniversary of the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer revealed he had watched Adolescence with his family – and that he supported a campaign for it to be shown in schools.
‘I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and it’s a very good drama to watch,’ the PM said in a speech in parliament
‘This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem.
‘It’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.’
On Sunday, MailOnline revealed how a ‘tsunami’ of British boys are turning to misogyny amid an increasing ‘pool of rage’ seething among young male teens.
In a bleak assessment of the nation’s youth, education experts say classes are increasingly being threatened by boys with ‘toxic’ views on women, sex and relationships.
So insidious is the so-called ‘manosphere’ culture, male children – some as young as 10 – are openly rebelling against female teachers in classes, it has been claimed.
While others as young as eight are regularly watching hardcore porn that teaches them to ‘dehumanise women’ and normalises performing degrading sex acts on them.
‘I worked with a boy who said to me “Sir, do you really have to choke a woman for sex?”… It makes my blood run cold,’ former teacher Michael Conroy disturbingly claimed.
Stephen Graham has revealed the two harrowing real-life incidents that inspired his new Netflix hit Adolescence, recalling that they made his ‘heart hurt’
Mr Conroy, who is the founder and director of Men At Work, added: ‘What we have seen in Adolescence isn’t fiction, it’s a reality.
‘The risk of lethality is already there.’
Mr Conroy, whose firm trains childcare professionals how to combat sexism in boys, said teachers were increasingly facing ‘horrifying’ misogynistic abuse at the hands of young male pupils.
The 57-year-old, who was previously a teacher for 16 years, said children were being inadvertently sucked into the online ‘manosphere’ culture while on social media.
Manosphere is a term for websites, social media influencers and blogs that promote masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism, with supporters of the movement insisting women are to blame for all the challenges faced by men.
He said he had come across ‘dozens of experiences’ of female teachers being told by boys as young as 11 ‘your opinion doesn’t matter because you’re a woman’ or storming out of lessons yelling ‘I don’t need to listen to you, you’re a woman!’.
‘The manosphere tells boys they’re under the attack,’ Mr Conroy said, adding: ‘I heard very recently from a very posh school where there was an evidence of a pool of rage among their older boys.
Teachers fear young boys and male teens are becoming increasingly more threatening and sexists towards female teaching staff. Pictured is Owen Cooper as his character Jamie explodes with rage at his psychologist, Erin Doherty (Briony Ariston) on Netflix’s Adolescence
Education experts are worried that the content some young boys see on social media is fuelling a rise in violent sexism in Britain’s youth (pictured is a scene from Netflix’s Adolescence)
Co-stars and critics alike have praised Owen (pictured, right, with Stephen), 15, for his chilling performance, and Stephen was impressed at the young British actor’s first audition
‘Teachers there said if they tried to raise topics about better behaviour with girls, they get such an instant reaction – the boys just kick off.’
Two of Britain’s biggest education unions agreed, and have warned the problem was ‘increasing’ and had become so severe, it was now ‘jeopardising’ schools.
Laying the blame on ‘toxic’ social media influencers like self-confessed misogynist Andrew Tate, Dr Patrick Roach of teaching union NASUWT told MailOnline: ‘Children’s safety, and the safety and wellbeing of teachers, is being jeopardised by the actions of misogynist online influencers.’
Speaking to MailOnline, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘I’ve heard first-hand from teachers that the rise of dangerous influencers is prompting a crisis in the radicalisation of young boys – which is why our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade is so vital.
‘These vile, misogynistic views are not innate, they are learned, so through our review of the relationships, sex and health curriculum we’ll be taking robust action to better help young people understand healthy relationships, consent and misogyny, and have produced a new guide for teachers on recognising the signs and intervening early on incel ideologies.
‘But this behaviour is not limited to the classroom; the evidence is increasingly clear that we shouldn’t be allowing children unrestricted access to harmful content, which is why we are bringing in much wider protection for children with the Online Safety Act.’
