Adolescence writer Jack Thorne directly addresses online assumptions that the Netflix crime drama had race-swapped harrowing real-world crimes that the series had been based on, effectively dismissing the prevalent rumors. The 2025 Netflix miniseries focused on the fictional Millers, a seemingly ordinary British family whose peaceful lives are shattered when their son becomes the leading suspect in a horrific murder. Starring Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper, Adolescence reviews praised the show’s writing, performances, and production techniques, and it raised widespread discussions about its tackling of toxic masculinity and misogyny in online spaces and its effects on younger generations.

While Adolescence may have been a critical and viewership hit, Thorne directly addressed several falsehoods and claims about the series’ inspirations when speaking to The News Agents podcast. Alongside directly refuting critiques that falsely claimed knife crime in the UK is mainly being committed by Black youths, Thorne affirmed that the series took no direct inspiration from any single case, and instead set out to tell a tale that explored the chilling potential consequences of the amplification of a toxic masculine ideology has on younger generations. Check out Thorne’s response below:

Nothing is further from the truth. There is no part of this that’s based on a true story, not one single part. It’s absurd to say that this [crime] is only committed by Black boys. It’s not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes. We’re not making a point about race with this. We are making a point about masculinity. We’re trying to get inside a problem. We’re not saying this is one thing or another, we’re saying that this is about boys.

“It is absurd to say that knife crime is only committed by black boys. It’s not true.” Adolescence creator Jack Thorne responds to misconceptions that the show was based on a real story and Jamie was ‘race-swapped’.@maitlis | @jonsopel pic.twitter.com/qPgQd8Xh8R — The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) March 25, 2025

What This Means For Adolescence

The Series Has Come Under Fire From Certain Influencers

Despite an overwhelmingly positive reception, Adolescence has found itself brought into the fold of culture war discussions online by right-wing influencers and tabloids, most notably on X by Elon Musk. Alongside claims that Jamie’s story was taken from several real-world cases involving Black teens, with some specific examples seeing individuals falsely claiming the teen was based on the 2024 case of Axel Rudakubana. Others have made the claim that Thorne and Graham wrote the series to vilify young men, with some going as far as to frame the victim Katie as a bully and antagonist who instigated the conflict.

However, both claims are easily refuted by those who are aware of the actual cases that they claim the story is based on, and who have actually watched the show for themselves. Alongside Graham having mentioned the series’ inspirations, development on the series predates Rudakubana’s crimes, which occurred in July 2024, just after the series itself began filming, with Jamie’s story not resembling any available details of the killer’s case. Furthermore, Jamie’s indoctrination into incel culture predated his interactions with Katie, with her acting in response to his own harassment of her when she falls victim to personal images leaking.

Our Take On Thorne’s Response To Adolescence’s Detractors

The Series Carries A Very Necessary Message

Adolescence tackles an incredibly relevant, terrifying threat facing the world today, as Jamie became indoctrinated into misogynistic incel culture, revealing aspects of this movement to those less in-tune with the dangers they present. However, just as it is informing those out of the know, those who propagate these movements online profit from it, enveloping it in a broader culture war narrative. As such, Thorne’s firm defense of Adolescence and refutation of the claims is not only welcome, but incredibly necessary in combating the threats it warns about.