The Netflix limited series “Adolescence” achieved a remarkable sweep at the BAFTA Television Awards, culminating a phenomenal awards season across 2025-26. On Sunday night, the groundbreaking four-part series took home four major awards, including Limited Drama, Leading Actor for Stephen Graham, Supporting Actor for Owen Cooper, and Supporting Actress for Christine Tremarco. These wins followed two earlier BAFTA TV Craft awards, solidifying its status as a critical and cultural phenomenon.

Stephen Graham earned his first BAFTA Television Award for Leading Actor, after eight nominations in acting categories, for his compelling portrayal of Eddie Miller. Miller is a beleaguered plumber and father serving as his 13-year-old son’s “appropriate adult” during a police arrest that devastates his family. Graham, who also co-created, co-wrote, and executive produced “Adolescence” alongside playwright Jack Thorne, produced the series through Matriarch Productions, co-founded with his wife Hannah Walters. His performance also garnered a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor, a Golden Globe Award for best actor, and a Critics’ Choice Award for best actor in a limited series. Graham, who was accorded the OBE for services to drama in the 2023 New Year Honors, expressed his gratitude, noting, “I’ve been nominated eight times and it’s the first time I’ve won. Nice one BAFTA, this is lovely.” He also shared an inspiring message for young viewers: “No matter where you’re from, anything is possible.” Graham triumphed over fellow nominees Colin Firth, Ellis Howard, James Nelson-Joyce, Matt Smith, and Taron Egerton.

Owen Cooper, a fast-rising British star, secured the BAFTA TV Award for Supporting Actor for his role as Jamie Miller, the 13-year-old at the heart of the series. This win completed an astonishing full set of major awards for Cooper’s first-ever screen role, making him the youngest actor to win the Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Actor Award, and Critics Choice for a single performance. Cast at just 13 years old with no prior professional acting experience, Cooper’s portrayal, particularly in his central episode filmed in a single, continuous, hour-long take opposite Erin Doherty (who played clinical psychologist Briony Ariston), received significant critical acclaim. He beat Ashley Walters (also from “Adolescence”), Fehinti Balogun, Joshua McGuire, Paddy Considine, and Rafael Mathé for the award. Cooper, reflecting on his win, stated, “Wow, it’s heavy that to be fair. A year ago this time last year I was presenting an award and now I’m collecting one, so this is a bit mad.” He humorously added that the three things needed for success are “One, an obsession. Two, a dream. And three, the Beatles.”

Christine Tremarco, who played Jamie’s mother, Manda Miller, also received the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress on the same night.

“Adolescence,” directed by Philip Barantini, captivated audiences with its unique cinematic approach, with each of its four episodes filmed in one unbroken continuous take by cinematographer Matthew Lewis. The series premiered on Netflix on March 13, 2025, and quickly became the second-most-watched English-language series in Netflix’s history. It delves into the aftermath of Jamie Miller’s arrest on suspicion of stabbing a female classmate, Katie Leonard, tracing the profound impact on his family (father Eddie, mother Manda, and sister Lisa, played by Amélie Pease), the investigating detective DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters), and the assigned clinical psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty). Produced by Warp Films with Plan B Entertainment (whose executive producers include Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner, and Dede Gardner), the series garnered widespread critical acclaim and an impressive array of accolades. Beyond its BAFTA triumph, “Adolescence” received 13 Emmy nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, winning nine, including Outstanding Limited Series and acting wins for Graham, Cooper, and Doherty. It also won all four categories in which it was nominated at the 2026 Golden Globes and secured awards at the Gotham Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and Royal Television Society Awards.

The series sparked a vital national conversation in the U.K. about online safety, incel culture, and the pressures facing young men. Co-writer Jack Thorne even met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street to discuss these subjects, and Netflix made the series available to schools as a free teaching resource, highlighting its significant societal impact.