Loved Adolescence? Here Are 9 More Must-Watch Stephen Graham Performances
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6 hours ago
Everyone's talking about Netflix's new four-part drama. If you've already raced through it, here are nine more Stephen Graham performances to add to your watch list
While he’s been a familiar face on TV and film screens for decades now, this Scouse star is really hitting a crescendo. The turning point? Perhaps it was Stephen Graham’s lead role in Line of Duty series 5, or perhaps his turn in White House Farm (2020), though we’ve always loved him in This Is England. But 2021’s Boiling Point is a real stand-out: a one-shot chef drama written and directed by Philip Barantini. It’s a fizzing, intense portrayal of a fine dining kitchen in calamity, bagging four nominations at the BAFTAs, including a nod for Graham’s role as buckling chef Andy. Since this slew of eminent roles, Graham was appointed OBE in 2023, solidifying his place among Britain’s shiniest stars.
And now another collaboration between Graham and Barantini has captured the nation’s attention: Adolescence, a four part drama centring on a teenage boy accused of murder, with each episode filmed in one continuous shot. It has sparked a national conversation about digital consent and the radicalisation of teenage boys – and the series creators are hoping the government will take note, too.
If you’ve already raced through the four episodes and you’re left wanting more, we’ve gathered Stephen Graham’s top performances to tune into next.
10 Must-Watch Stephen Graham Performances
Adolescence
It’s got everyone talking – and Stephen Graham’s performance in Netflix’s new four-part drama Adolescence is sure to attract some awards.
A family’s world turns upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested for murdering a schoolmate. The charges against their son force them to confront every parent’s worst nightmare.
Boiling Point
This one-shot, 90-minute chef drama is stressful – to say the least. But it shot Stephen Graham into the upper echelons of Britain’s acting talent; his performance is arresting, devastating, and a must-see.
A talented chef spirals inexorably towards destruction, as his life descends into chaos during one night’s service at his fancy London restaurant.
A Thousand Blows
If Erin Doherty’s performance in Adolescence also compelled you, you can watch both her and Stephen Graham in another new release right now: historical boxing drama A Thousand Blows.
Hezekiah and Alec, two friends from Jamaica, finds themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s East End. Here they meet Mary Carr, Queen of an all-female criminal gang known as the Forty Elephants, and run afoul of Sugar Goodson, criminal kingpin and notorious boxer.
Time
The first series of this prison anthology drama stars Stephen Graham opposite Sean Bean as a prison officer forced to choose between his principles and his family.
Guilt, violence and impossible choices – what does it take to survive? Tense, gritty and heartbreaking – Jimmy McGovern’s award-winning prison drama, with an all-star cast.
Line of Duty
If you haven’t seen Line of Duty yet, where have you been? You’ll have to watch four series before Stephen Graham makes his appearance as undercover officer John Corbett in series 5 – but you’ll be so gripped you’ll hardly notice the episodes flying by.
Bent coppers and the detectives sent to stop them. AC-12 isn’t here to make friends. Will their investigations land them deadly enemies?
This Is England
A classic for a reason. Stephen Graham’s breakthrough role was as Combo Gascoigne in 2006’s This Is England, a coming-of-age drama centering on young skinheads in a 1983 England infiltrated by far-right politics. Graham has since reprised his role in the TV series This Is England ‘86, This Is England ‘88 and This Is England ‘90.
It’s 1983 and school is out. Over the course of the summer holiday, after the death of his father, 12-year-old Shaun finds fresh male role models when those in the local skinhead scene take him in.
Matilda The Musical
For more of an upbeat Stephen Graham film, try the film adaptation of the RSC’s smash hit stage show Matilda The Musical. Graham stars as Matilda’s neglectful father and dishonest used cars salesman Mr Wormwood.
Based on the Roald Dahl classic, Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.
Gangs Of New York
Stephen Graham has a small role in this 2002 movie, but it’s worth the watch nonetheless, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson and more.
Amsterdam sets out to avenge the death of his father who was killed in a gang fight at the hands of a crime lord, Bill ‘The Butcher’. Whilst doing so, he gets caught up in the Civil War.
White House Farm
Based on the real harrowing events of 1985, Stephen Graham leads the investigation into a shooting at White House Farm, which leaves five people dead.
The Bamber family, with the exception of son Jeremy, are found dead at White House Farm. But the case might not be as open-and-shut as first thought.
Bodies
This surreal Netflix drama had everyone talking at the end of 2023. In it, Stephen Graham is a time travelling pioneer at the centre of an intriguing investigation that spans more than 150 years in London.
In 2023, Detective Hasan discovers a dead body in Longharvest Lane, Whitechapel – while in 1941 and 1890, two other detectives find the same corpse.
