Adolescence is the talk of the town at the moment.

Millions have already watched the four-episode Netflix series, making it the most-watched show on the streaming platform around the world over the weekend.

It tells the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is accused of murdering his classmate.

Stephen Graham and Ashley Walters also star, with the show directed by Philip Barantini.

But many have been wondering if the harrowing crime-drama is based on a true story.

Is Adolescence based on a true story? Netflix show explained

No, Adolescence isn’t based on a single real-life case and is a fictional story.

However, Graham, who created as well as starred in the show, revealed that the series was inspired by the growing knife-crime epidemic in the UK.

Speaking to RadioTimes about the show, Graham said: “The idea came as – over the past 10 years or so – we’ve seen an epidemic of knife crime amongst young lads, up and down the country.

"And for me, there were certain instances that really stuck out where young boys – and they are young boys, you know, they're not men – were killing young girls.

"When I mentioned it to Phil, it just really hit me hard. I just thought, 'Why? What's going on? What's happening? Why is this the case?'"

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He went into more details on one incident speaking to Netflix, saying: “There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl.

“It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’

"And then it happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again. I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?’"

Viewers full of praise for Adolescence

Adolescence has been receiving rave reviews from critics and viewers alike.

Plenty of praise has come due to the fact Adolescence features the unique trait in that each episode of the story is told using a one-shot style.

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As director Philip Barantini told Netflix: “Basically, that means we press record on the camera and we don’t press stop until the very end of the hour.”

Jeremy Clarkson took to X to praise the camera work saying: “Adolescence. The camera at the end of show 2. How on earth did they do that? It’s impossible.”

Netflix responded with a behind-the-scenes video of some of the shoot, showing how the camera was attached to a drone for some of the filming.

Someone who worked on the show also replied, saying: “Hey Jeremy. Actor that worked on the show. It was indeed attached VERY carefully to a powerful drone. They only got the take in the bag on the final day.”

Clarkson responded and congratulated all those involved, describing it as “masterful television”.

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How to watch Adolescence

Adolescence is available to watch on Netflix.

It is a four-part series, with all episodes available now.