Eerie real-life inspiration behind 'disturbing' Netflix series Adolescence as viewers question if it’s based on true story

It's been only a few days since Adolescence dropped on Netflix (13 March), and it's since sky-rocketed straight to the prestigious 'No.1 in TV Programmes Today' in the UK as well as ranking in at an impressive 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The four-part limited series follows the story of a devoted father whose life is turned upside-down when his 13-year-old son is arrested for the violent murder of one of his classmates.

It stars the likes of This Is England's Stephen Graham as father Eddie Miller, Top Boy's Ashley Walters as the investigation's lead detective, A Thousand Blows' Erin Doherty as the child's psychologist, and newcomer Owen Cooper as 13-year-old Jamie Miller.

Now, for anyone who has watched the gritty drama, you'll know it delves into some pretty heavy topical issues that are extremely relevant today, tackling subjects like misogyny, incels, and the online 'manosphere'. Check out the official trailer here:

However, after rattling through the entire series in just one sitting, Netflix viewers have been left wondering what the actual inspiration for the plot was, as they question whether or not Adolescence was based on true story.

Graham, who co-created and wrote Adolescence alongside Jack Thorne, explained that it's an amalgamation of the 262 people who were stabbed to death in England and Wales between 2023-2024, and what their families endured.

Unlike many similar crime-dramas, the show doesn't pose a 'whodunnit' question, revealing in the very first episode that Jamie stabbed his victim after she cyber-bullied him, but begs the question, 'Why?'.

Stephen Graham stars as Eddie Miller, father to 13-year-old Jamie who gets arrested for the violent murder of one of his classmates (Netflix)

Despite admitting it is based on real-life events, Graham opted not to give any specific names.

"There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl," he told Tudum. "It shocked me.

"I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?' And then it happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again.

"I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?'"

The gritty four-part series introduces Owen Cooper to the screen (Netflix)

The actor - who himself is a father-of-two - went on to explain: "We could have made a drama about gangs and knife crime, or about a kid whose mother is an alcoholic or whose father is a violent abuser.

"Instead, we wanted you to look at this family and think, 'My God. This could be happening to us!’ And what’s happening here is an ordinary family’s worst nightmare."

Elsewhere in the interview, Graham added: "One of our aims was to ask, 'What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?'

"And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over."

Erin Doherty stars as Jamie's psychologist in an extremely unsettling scene (Netflix)

Noting that the series explores a number of complex subject matters, Graham warned that parents need to be 'mindful' of the impact external influences may have on their children.

He continued: "It's just being mindful of the fact that not only we parent our children, and not only the school educates our children.

"But also there's influences that we have no idea of that are having profound effects on our young culture, profound effects, positive and extremely negative. So it’s having a look at that and seeing that we’re all accountable."

Adolescence is currently available to stream on Netflix.