The hit Netflix drama Adolescence has made history by becoming the first streaming show to take the top spot in the UK’s weekly TV ratings, according to Variety.
According to official data from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB), the show outperformed popular traditional TV programs The Apprentice and Death in Paradise, reported Variety.
The first episode of Adolescence drew 6.45 million viewers in its debut week, breaking the previous UK streaming record of 6.3 million set by Netflix’s Fool Me Once in January 2024.
Adolescence is a British crime drama miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini.
The four-episode series follows the arrest of a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is accused of murdering a female classmate. What also makes the series a masterclass is that each episode is filmed in a single, continuous take.
Graham, who is co-creator of the show, also plays Eddie Miller, the father of the accused Jamie Miller.
The series premiered on Netflix on March 13 and has received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, direction, and performances.
Earlier, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also praised the series and said he watched it with his own teenage children. He also backed the idea of the crime drama being shown in the UK Parliament and in government schools.
