Stephen Graham had way bigger role in scrapped original version of Adolescence
He already had enough on his plate!

Adolescence star Stephen Graham is already very busy in the Netflix show – but his role was apparently even bigger in an earlier version.
The four-part series, which debuted in March, has quickly sparked a national conversation about misogyny in online spaces and the widening distance between parents and children in the social media age.
It follows the lives of Miller family, whose worlds are turned upside down when 13-year-old son Jamie is accused of murdering a girl in his class at school.
Praised by the likes of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, it was announced shortly after its premiere on Netflix that Adolescence would be made available for free to be watched in schools.
Drawing particular praise has been the performances of the central cast, including Ashley Walters, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, and, of course, Stephen himself.
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The 51-year-old actor, who is also known for his work on Line of Duty, Peaky Blinders, and This Is England, plays dad Eddie, whose son Jamie is the focus of the story.
The biggest TV hit of 2025 was nearly completely different (Picture: Netflix)Appearing in three of the four hour-long one-take episodes – as well as producing and writing – Stephen already had a lot on his plate when it came to the creation of Adolescence.
But it seems he would have had even more to do if the creators of the Netflix hit had stuck with their original idea for the biggest show of 2025 thus far.
Eagle-eyed viewers spotted that American actor Brad Pitt is down as an executive producer on the series – this apparently came about after Brad spotted Stephen in 2021 drama Boiling Point, also shot in one-take.