As much grief as we like to give Netflix for the varying quality of its content catalogue, when the streaming giant produces a winner, it’s damn near-impossible to tear your eyes away. Such is the case for Adolescence, which we’re ready to crown the landmark drama event of 2025 (and others have deemed “flawless” television hence the 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating).
The British miniseries co-created, co-written, and starring Stephen Graham centres on 13-year-old schoolboy Jamie Miller – portrayed with incredible nuance by acting debutante Owen Cooper – who is arrested for the murder of his female classmate.
What unfolds is a modern cautionary tale about the damage laid waste to youth culture by the ever-present spectre of social media and unrestricted internet access, along with the dangerously festering wound of male rage.
But what’s even more notable than the sheer pathos of Jamie Miller’s story is the stunning technical achievement Adolescence represents.
Reuniting Graham with Boiling Point director Philip Barantini, similar to their phenomenal culinary film, the collaborators ambitiously decided to capture each of the hour-long episodes in a single take. Not stitched together on the cutting floor to resemble a continuous run a la Iñárritu’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and Sam Mendes’ 1917.
“If you can’t see the joins, it’s because there aren’t any. Each episode was genuinely filmed in real-time in one continuous shot,” Netflix explain during a recent Q&A thread hosted on X (formerly Twitter).
“It was initially planned that they would film each episode in full 10 times (once in the morning, once in the afternoon, across five days) – but in reality a few attempts had to be abandoned and restarted, so some episodes had many more than 10 takes.”
So which takes were chosen for which episode? According to the crimson N:
- Episode 1 – Take 2 (Shot on shoot day 1/5)
- Episode 2 – Take 13 (Shot on shoot day 5/5)
- Episode 3 – Take 11 (Shot on shoot day 5/5)
- Episode 4 – Take 16 (Shot on shoot day 5/5)
Netflix continued: “In preparation for the shoot, segments of the script were rehearsed and a little bit more added each day – starting with five minutes on the first day and then adding further material as they went through, so by the end of the week, they would be doing full run-throughs.”
Aside from rigorous rehearsals, a seamless theatre-esque run for each instalment demanded meticulous blocking, scene choreography, and even hotswapping handheld camera rigs for a drone; which poses a considerable challenge when scenes involve almost 400 extras like in the second episode (320 teenagers for school children, 50 adults for the teachers/parents/shoppers).
So what happens when someone stumbles or flubs a lines?
“It depends on the size of the mistake – in some instances they carried on, but often takes were completely abandoned. No pressure!” answered Netflix.
Breakout star Owen Cooper recently revealed how the unpredictability and occasionally spontaneous nature of principal photography actually added narrative texture to Adolescence.
During an appearance on The One Show, he recalled how an unscripted moment of exhaustion led to a brilliant exchange between his character and child psychologist Emma (Erin Doherty) in the uncomfortably tense third episode.
“In episode three, it was the second take of the day (we do two takes a day),” said Cooper.
“I was tired, so a yawn came to me. Then Erin did an amazing line, she said, ‘Am I boring you?’ That took me back and made me smile because it wasn’t in the script. I wasn’t expecting that at all, but it was amazing.”
“A lot of it is not followed by the script in episode three, so me and Erin just bounced off each other.”
But for anyone who’s still feeling sceptical, you can witness the magic being bottled via the behind-the-scenes footage above (courtesy of Netflix, prompted by Jeremy Clarkson of all people); as well as the extended featurette below.
