Ashley Walters, star of Adolescence, has revealed he sustained a sports injury just before filming the demanding new series alongside Stephen Graham.
The four-part drama, from the creators of Boiling Point, offers an exhilarating experience with each episode shot in one continuous take, immersing viewers directly into the action.
The plot unfolds as Walters’ character DI Luke Bascombe leads a raid on the house of Eddie (played by Graham) and Manda Miller (Christine Tremarco) to arrest their 13-year-old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) for the murder of a classmate.
Walters, best known for his role in the popular crime series Top Boy, expressed his excitement about the project at the London premiere of Adolescence.
He recalled: “Stephen told me about this project, and was like, ‘This is like a role you’ve never done before. It’s completely different’. I was like, ‘I’ve played a cop! I had a cop show’, but he said, ‘Nah, it’s not the same, man’.”
Adolescence star needed chiropractor on set after ‘painful’ health issue (Image: NETFLIX)
The actor then confessed: “I took it for granted, I’m not gonna lie. Because I wanted to do the one-shot process so much.
“And I turned up to set with a bad back, by the way. My back had gone. I’d just been playing basketball with my daughter before I got on the train and my back was completely gone. I suffer with sciatica.”
Sciatica is a specific type of pain that travels down the sciatic nerve, causing numbness and tingling from the lower back down the back of the leg.
Recreating his awkward first day on set, Walters shared: “So I kind of got out the car, and I think Jo [Johnson, producer] and Hannah [Walters, executive producer – no relation] were standing there like, ‘For f***’s sake!’ Excuse my language.”
He admitted: “It was really bad. It nearly didn’t happen, but we found a good chiropractor and it worked.”
Ashley Walters suffered with back pain during production (Image: NETFLIX)
Despite the initial setback, Walters delivered an impressive performance as the lead detective in a case inspired by the UK’s escalating knife crime. However, the Top Boy actor confessed that the role was not without its challenges, even after resolving his back issues.
“When I got there… I f****** regretted it,” he joked, drawing laughter from the audience.
He continued: “Every day, Phil [Barantini, director] will tell you, I was in tears! Every day I was going home, crying in my script. Rocking, you know.
“It was the hardest thing in the world. No, no it was. I was so insecure. I was so insecure, and it’s a lot. I had to learn the whole script.
A family’s life crumbles when their son is arrested for murder (Image: NETFLIX)
“And I had a lot to say in that first episode. And you’re leading a lot of it, as well. A lot of it is police jargon and whatever.”
Filming hour-long episodes in one take is undoubtedly a daunting task for even the most seasoned actors.
Fortunately, Graham and his team assembled a top-tier cast, resulting in one of the most compelling dramas in recent years, poised to be one of ‘s biggest hits of 2025.
Adolescence is available to stream on .