Movies

Did You Spot Stephen Graham’s Wife in Adolescence’s Shocking Cameo?

BBG News

Stephen Graham’s latest series, titled “Adolescence,” has garnered significant popularity. This gripping narrative centers around a 13-year-old character who stands accused of a violent murder committed against one of his schoolmates.

The crime show, written by Stephen and Jack Thorne, was only released on Netflix on Thursday, but has already made waves and earned huge praise for its storyline and videography. 

In this scenario, Stephen assumes the character of Eddie Miller, the father of a child named Jamie (Owen Cooper), who is accused of having stabbed one of his schoolmates, Katie (Emilia Holliday).

Meanwhile, as Stephen was being showered with accolades, his wife Hannah Walters was equally involved in the project, contributing significantly to the same production through their shared company, Matriarch Productions.

However, many viewers may not have noticed this, but Hannah made a fleeting appearance on screen in the series, while also having a significant impact behind the scenes.

The actress and producer, 48, appeared in episode two as Mrs. Bailey – a teacher at Bruntwood Academy who reprimands Katie’s grief-stricken best friend Jade (Fatima Bojang) for punching Ryan (Kaine Davis).

Afterward, her personality shows signs of attentiveness as Jade reveals details about her relationship with her mom and asserted that she lacks any other close friends.

And this is not the first head-turning project that Hannah has worked with her husband on.

Their collaboration brought forth the multi-BAFTA-nominated film Boiling Point in 2021, where Hannah not only served as an executive producer but also appeared on screen. 

The film – like each episode of Adolescence – was remarkably filmed in one single take. 

Their romance began not on a Hollywood set, but in the draughty drama halls of Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, in Sidcup, Kent, where the couple first met while training as actors.

It was a connection that would only deepen over the years, particularly when they reunited professionally on This Is England in 2006. By then, their bond had strengthened, and just two years later, on June 6, 2008, they tied the knot.

And Stephen has always been his wife’s biggest fan. 

During a recent online Q&A session about the 2021 prison drama “Time,” he expressed his admiration by saying, “I remembered Hannah from my days at drama school and always thought she was exceptionally talented.

Speaking on the Graham Norton show last month, Stephen explained how Hannah was also key to getting the production of their other current streaming success on Disney+, the Victorian London crime and boxing drama, A Thousand Blows, off the ground as she presented the story to Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, who was fascinated by the idea.

The pair chose Ibstock, Leicestershire as their new home, locating it near Hannah’s family. They are respected members of the community and reside in a four-bedroomed semi that costs £450,000.

The showbiz pair were chosen to cut the ribbon at a newly reopened doctors’ surgery in the village, following a revamp two years ago.

After only two days, episode one of Adolescence has already been viewed by 2.7 million people, suggesting that the series could become a ratings sensation.

Audience members are in awe after watching the psychological mini-series that received a flawless 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Its outstanding rating on review website has come from fans and critics alike praising its realistic portrayal of British society and its gripping plotline, with some even comparing it with Netflix’s 2024 triumph Baby Reindeer.

The series was filmed in South Kirkby, West Yorkshire, and the cast and crew were based at Production Park a studio facility near Wakefield, for six months last summer.

Some on location filming also took place, one being the Miller house, which is located just a few minutes from the studio.

Ashley Walters plays the character of DI Luke Bascombe in the highly praised four-part series, which was filmed in a distinctive way using almost uninterrupted single takes that span nearly an hour each.

The opening two episodes of four track Jamie’s arrest and follow the efforts of DI Bascombe and DS Frank (Faye Marsay) in getting to the bottom of the stabbing.

As an executive producer on the show, which aired on Thursday, Stephen, 51, said the idea for the series came to him from looking at the epidemic of knife crime in the UK.

In a conversation on Radio X, Hannah spoke to Chris Moyles. She started by addressing the serious tone of the show and then proposed that they could move on to some fun topics, while showing respect.

Initially, my feelings took a chilling turn after coming across an article detailing a tragic incident. The piece focused on a young boy who had taken the life of another young girl.

A few months later, an article appeared on the news, detailing a tragic event: a young boy had murdered a young girl. To be truthful, it deeply affected me emotionally.

As a devoted admirer, I found myself utterly bewildered by these two events unfolding at the extremities of our land. The question that echoed within me was, “Why, oh why, are these occurrences happening?

Even though I’m a father, I believe that anyone with a shred of empathy would question such circumstances and wonder, “What’s transpiring? What’s the state of our society today?

Stephen added that the spate of stabbings was a sharp contrast to the world he grew up in.

He stated that we’re moving into an era with a troubling increase in incidents involving multiple young individuals, who I will refer to as young men, being involved in the tragic deaths of women by means of stabbings.

Building on the idea of “It takes a village to raise a child,” I wanted to create something that expands upon this concept, suggesting that not just parents, but also schools, governments, communities, and society as a whole share some level of responsibility in shaping a child’s development.

Back when I was young, we didn’t have all these digital tools and resources at our fingertips. But nowadays, the internet plays a significant role in guiding and educating our children just as much as parents can. Can you understand what I am trying to convey? This realization is what led me to think about this subject.

On Thursday, Adolescence co-star Ashley said he ‘f***ing regretted’ saying yes to his hero Stephen after gruelling hours on the set of the Netflix show.

The actor, 42, said: ‘Regardless of what the job was going to be, I would have said yes anyway. You never say no to Stephen Graham.

‘He has a heart of gold, he’s one of the purest guys in this industry, as far as I’m concerned.

‘I’ve worked with a lot of people, they are not all like him. So to work with people that you love, respect, is so rare in this game.

‘So when you get the opportunity, you do it. And that’s what it was.’

It required three months to finish filming the entire series. Typically, each episode was produced within a span of three weeks. The initial week was dedicated to going over the script, while the following two weeks were spent on technical rehearsals and actual filming.

To create an uninterrupted hour-long TV show, they had to film several different takes instead of just one.

The cast and crew filmed 10 single-take versions over episode one of the series, and ended up using take two. While it wasn’t until take 14 when they got it perfect for episode two.

However, Ashley hadn’t quite expected the challenging nature of the unconventional filmmaking approach. With a chuckle, he admitted, “Upon arriving, I honestly wished I hadn’t.

He continued: ‘It was the hardest thing in the world. No, no it was. I was so insecure. I was so insecure, and it’s a lot. I had to learn the whole script.

In the initial episode, I had quite a bit to share. You were guiding much of it, too. There was a good deal of police terminology and other unfamiliar terms in it.

Co-stars and critics alike have praised Owen, 15, for his chilling performance, and Stephen was so impressed at the young British actor’s first audition, that he’s since revealed he turned to co-writer Jack Thorne when Owen left the room and said ‘I think that’s him’.

And Owen recently opened up about how Stephen has supported his career amid filming. The seasoned actor recommended his agent to the teen star, who came to watch a bit of episode one.

‘I got Wuthering Heights from that!’ Owen revealed in Variety. ‘But it’s been going really well. I’ve really enjoyed it. Obviously it not one-shot anymore! So I’m getting used to that. But it’s been amazing. Emerald’s lovely.’

Owen also told the outlet how Stephen was ‘always checking in on him’ during emotionally grueling scenes – with a psychologist on set.

Elsewhere, Stephen has branded the discovery of Owen, Adolescence’s ‘biggest achievement’.

He shared with The Independent that we strive to provide chances that might not typically be accessible to some individuals.

Right from the outset, our team made a deliberate choice to seek an individual lacking extensive background. Just as we discovered Thomas Thurgoose (from This is England) many years back.

‘We wanted someone who didn’t have a lot of experience, but we knew that what we were doing and what we were trying to ask this young person to do was cosmic in many ways.

‘It’s a huge undertaking, but we cast Owen, who had no experience, he’d done a couple of little theatre workshops, and he was just starting to do little bits in school.’

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2025-03-18 12:38

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