Adolescence writer: We are not the right people to tell victim Katie’s story
Jack Thorne said he does not imagine there will be a second series of the hit drama as ‘Jamie’s story is finished’.
Adolescence writer Jack Thorne has said the team behind the hit Netflix show are not the “right people” to tell the story of fictional murder victim Katie.
The four-part crime drama, co-written and created with This Is England star Stephen Graham, follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller who has been accused of killing his female classmate.
Asked if they would create a second series focusing on Katie, Thorne, 46, told ITV’s This Morning: “I don’t think we’re the right people to tell Katie’s story.
“I think there are other makers out there that could tell beautiful dramas about Katie or girls like Katie, and that those shows should be made.
“Our aim was to try and tell Jamie’s story as fully as we possibly could, and maybe trying to tell her story would dilute that in some way and maybe we would be inadequate for that task.
“The second thing in terms of the second series, is, I think Jamie’s story is finished.
“I don’t think there’s anywhere more we can take Jamie, so I don’t think there is a series two.
“We’d love to explore the one shot format in another way. We’d love to tell other stories with it, but I don’t think a series two of Adolescence is quite right for us.”
The series, which starts with the arrest of Jamie, played by newcomer Owen Cooper, has been at the top of the most-watched programmes on the streaming website globally and has prompted questions in Parliament.
The drama took months of preparation and rehearsals so that each episode could be filmed in one continuous shot, which was praised by viewers of the show.
The limited series, starring Graham as Jamie’s father, examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, which has been blamed for misogyny online, and the use of social media in bullying.
The series has received backing from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and creators Graham and Thorne have accepted an invitation to a parliamentary meeting by Labour MP Josh MacAlister to discuss online safety with MPs.
Thorne said the response to the drama has been “overwhelming” and added that people have told him “I’ve had conversations with my kids I’ve never had before because of this show”.
