Did Jamie kill Katie in Adolescence, and is the drama that shows a 'stark reality' for 'any parent' based on a true story?

Adolescence delves into the story of teenage boy Jamie’s arrest for the murder of his classmate Katie and the drama has likely raised several questions for viewers.

Stephen Graham has starred in several incredibly poignant dramas in his time, from Help to The Walk In and his new show Adolescence is equally harrowing. He co-created and wrote it with Jack Thorne and stars in the four-part Netflix drama as Eddie Miller, a father whose happy family life is shattered when his 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for murder. He insists he didn’t hurt Katie Leonard and the teenager’s denial might have left some viewers uncertain over whether he was actually guilty. Here we reveal whether Jamie killed Katie and if Adolescence’s depiction of every parent’s nightmare is based on true events.

*Warning: This article contains spoilers and discussion of sensitive subjects*

Did Jamie kill Katie in Adolescence?

In the final moments of Adolescence episode 1 it was confirmed in the most brutal way that Jamie Miller did kill his classmate Katie Leonard, as DI Bascombe showed the boy and his devastated father Eddie CCTV footage of the murder. Until then the audience would be forgiven for believing that there was no way Jamie could have committed such a terrible crime, as this was exactly the show’s intent. Star Stephen Graham explained to Tudum that they wanted viewers to "be on Jamie’s side and think, ‘Oh my God, this arrest is terrible. There’s no way he’s done this".

Another reason why some confusion might have arisen around whether Jamie was truly guilty is that he maintained his innocence throughout the first three episodes regardless of this video evidence. During a conversation with his appointed child psychologist Briony Ariston, the teenager even declared that you can’t "trust" videos anymore because they can be faked.

However, he tripped himself up in the same conversation and let slip some damning remarks about his opinion of Katie. He described her as a bully - and worse - and told Briony about how he’d perceived her as "weak" when pictures she’d sent to a boy at school got passed around. Jamie had decided to use this opportunity to ask Katie to go to the fair with him, thinking he’d have more of a chance of her saying yes when he thought she was vulnerable and everyone else hated her.

Katie had apparently responded that she "wasn’t that desperate" and had proceeded to call him an incel on social media. This infuriated Jamie who told the psychologist that Katie had also said he was part of one of those "truth groups". When questioned about what this meant he said that they are groups that say women don’t want men and "don’t care". He denied being part of them but said he agreed with the idea that 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men.

Jamie then spoke about that night and how scared Katie had been but refused to say he’d killed her. Briony tried to get him to comprehend what he’d done and make him realise that it was murder and he reacted badly when she said it was their final session together. The guard Frank came into the room to escort Jamie out and the teenager asked Briony if she liked him and said that he didn’t feel it was a proper goodbye.

Becoming increasingly upset the 13-year-old threatened her not to tell anyone what he’d confessed to her and begged her to tell Eddie he’s ok. The episode ended with tears running down Briony’s face and in episode 4 of Adolescence set months later, Eddie is told by Jamie that he’s finally changing his plea from not guilty to guilty.

Is Adolescence based on a true story?

In light of the heart-wrenching storyline, it’s all-too-easy to wonder whether Jamie’s crime in Adolescence is based on a true story and although the Netflix drama is fictional, it does reflect the prevalence of knife crime and global rise of incel culture. Stephen Graham also revealed to RadioTimes magazine that three real cases really stuck with him and made him wonder why so many horrific attacks were happening.

"Where it came from, for me is there was an incident in Liverpool, a young girl, and she was stabbed to death by a young boy. I just thought, why?" he said. "Then there was another young girl in south London who was stabbed to death at a bus stop. And there was this thing up North, where that young girl Brianna Ghey was lured into the park by two teenagers, and they stabbed her. I just thought, what’s going on? What is this that’s happening?"

Meanwhile, co-creator and co-writer Jack Thorne reportedly expressed to Tudum that Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill by Gritta Sereny also inspired Adolescence. This book examines the life and crimes of 11-year-old Mary Bell and Jack wanted to address why rather than who killed Katie in the Netflix drama.

"Telling a drama that’s a why-done-it, rather than a whodunit, hopefully engages people in different questions," he said. "Questions like, ‘What’s going on within our teenage boys?’ Phil (Philip Barantini, the Director), Stephen, and I are looking at masculinity - thinking about ourselves as men, the kinds of fathers, partners, and friends we are, and questioning with some intensity who we are as people."

The dynamic between Eddie and Jamie was something that woman&home magazine editor Hannah Fernando commented upon in a recent episode of her and Ian MacEwan’s podcast, Bingewatch.

"The interesting thing about this is the dynamic between family members, particularly father and son. This is all because of an increase in knife crime and young children and how awful it is. It shines a light on what is a very normal family, how it could happen to anyone and you wouldn’t know about it - that's the really chilling factor,” Hannah says. “It's multi-layered and has serious depth - for any parent it's quite a stark reality and scary. It kept me on the edge of my seat and made me want to watch more."

That “stark reality” really hit home for the fictional Eddie in Adolescence episode 4 as he told his wife Manda, “He was in his room weren’t he? We thought he was safe”. It was a heartbreaking moment in a show that is incredibly thought-provoking and hard-hitting.

If you or someone you know finds themselves in need of support or someone to talk to in a safe space, you can reach out to The Ben Kinsella Trust by visiting their website.