Stephen Graham set to team up with huge TV actor for Adolescence-style series
Danny Dyer and Stephen Graham are set to work on a gritty new drama to rival hit Netflix series Adolescence. The powerhouse pair are putting their heads together for a show based on issues affecting society today, we can reveal.
'It's a gritty new drama,' says an insider. 'They are currently thrashing out what they want to do. It'll be in the vein of Adolescence. Something unflinching and moving.' Adolescence, co-created and written by This Is England favourite Stephen, has broken records and been the most watched series of the year. It explores misogyny among teenage boys and sparked conversation about online safety, even being discussed in Parliament.
Rivals star Danny, 47, and Stephen, 51, last worked on 2009 film Doghouse, a British slapstick horror, together and have stayed good pals. The source said they're planning a double date with their wives, Jo Dyer and Hannah Walters.
Danny previously called on Stephen to get him involved in one of his projects. Praising his hit Netflix series, Danny said: 'It's such an important subject but the fact they're doing it one take. As an actor and being part of that world I find it f****** incredible. So, Steve [Graham], you've got to roll me into something. I want a bit of this!' Former EastEnders star Danny described his longtime pal as a 'brilliant man, brilliant actor, kind soul'.
Former EastEnders star Danny picked up his first TV Bafta award in May for his part in Sky's Mr Bigstuff. He's been enjoying a purple patch in his career, recently filming the second series of Rivals, based on Jilly Cooper's racy novels.
Four-part series Adolescence was the brainchild of Stephen and writer Jack Thorne. It sees Liverpool-born Stephen as father Eddie Miller, who watches armed police burst into his home to arrest his 13-year-old son Jamie, played by newcomer Owen Cooper. It turned him into an overnight star.
It made history as the first streaming show to top the UK most-watched charts, with 66.3 million views in two weeks. It also went to number one in 71 countries around the world, including the US, Canada, Germany, France and Australia. It has been nominated for 13 awards at the Emmys.
It was created by Stephen and Hannah's company, Matriarch Productions and is also behind Disney series A Thousand Blows When the couple set up it they were determined the company would embody the working-class values they grew up with. They even paid for the rent on the production team 'because they wouldn't have been able to afford it'.
Stephen shared a rare insight into his relationship with his wife Hannah Walters in an interview with GQ, revealing that she reads scripts first for him because he is dyslexic, stating they have a 'great little partnership'. 'She's me best mate for one,' he said when I ask about their relationship. 'She's funny as f***. I find her dead saucy. She's amazing. She's the light of my life. Do you know what I mean? We're a great little partnership. It really works.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
2 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Martine McCutcheon's mum 'heartbroken' after being cut off from daughter after son's death
Martine McCutcheon's mum Jenny Tomlin has made a public plea for her daughter to get back in touch. Martine McCutcheon and her mum, Jenny Tomlin, used to be inseparable, but a sudden family tragedy sparked a heartbreaking rift. Now devastated Jenny is longing for reconciliation. "There was nothing she didn't include me in," says Jenny. "We did all the wonderful stuff – the premiere of Love Actually, the restaurants – but the memories I cherish are of us just sitting on my bed, bringing up old memories and laughing. I miss that." Their bond began crumbling following the devastating loss of EastEnders favourite Martine's brother Laurence John – lovingly called LJ – in 2022, aged just 31. Jenny reveals she endured an emotional collapse and drove Martine away. Jenny, 69, desperately wants to make amends with Martine, 49, for shutting her out, she discloses in an exclusive chat with our sister title OK! She said: "When I lost LJ, I detached. I was so heartbroken I couldn't talk to Martine. There was no big row – Martine tried to contact me for months, but I didn't answer. Martine was grieving and needed me, too. I want the chance to say sorry. I miss her so much – it physically hurts." Jenny and Martine did reunite once, fleetingly, last October, but it wasn't the emotional meeting she'd envisioned. "Martine texted me out of the blue," says Jenny. "She'd moved into a new home and wondered if my husband Alan could do some painting. We jumped at the chance and went over, but we didn't talk in depth. It was awkward and the atmosphere felt heavy." There was loose discussion about Christmas arrangements, but nothing was set in stone. That, Jenny reveals, was when the silence truly took hold. Reflecting on another high-profile family rift that has dominated the headlines, Jenny admits: "I understand the pain Victoria Beckham is going through over her estrangement from Brooklyn. He was her firstborn, too. It's a heartbreaking situation for anybody who is estranged or has lost their child." Remembering the agony of losing LJ, Jenny's voice breaks. "It's not the natural order to lose a child." But Jenny acknowledges the error she made "shattered" Martine's heart. "Eventually, I did pull myself out of that dark hole, but maybe it was too late," she admits. Recounting the day LJ passed away, Jenny explains she received a phone call from his fiancée, who told her he'd collapsed and they couldn't revive him. Still wearing her pyjamas, Jenny made the hour and a half journey from her home in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire to LJ's place by the Essex coast – but it was too late. "My precious boy was on the floor, wrapped up. I remember saying, 'It's okay to open your eyes now, son, I'm here'," she recalls, tearfully. "They'd worked hard doing CPR on him, but couldn't bring him back. It was like a nightmare. I couldn't believe my boy was gone." An autopsy revealed that LJ – a non-smoker and teetotaller – had tragically died from acute ischaemic heart disease and diabetes. In her distress, Jenny called Martine from the scene, but was so upset that her daughter had to speak with the paramedics to understand what had occurred. Later that night, Jenny drove to Martine's. "She looked at me and realised I needed looking after," shares Jenny. "She'd prepared the spare room, stroked my hair, gave me a cuddle and, somehow, I slept." LJ was laid to rest on October 31, 2022. Following this, Jenny describes her life as going "down a deep, dark pit". She adds, "I was seen by a mental health team and given anti-anxiety meds." Martine, known for her role as Tiffany Mitchell in EastEnders from 1994 to 1998, was only 15 when LJ was born and Jenny remembers how she became a sort of surrogate mum to him. After LJ's death, Jenny was crippled by anxiety, which she believes is the reason she hasn't seen her daughter or grandson, 10-year-old Rafferty, in such a long time. "I didn't contact Martine," she admits. "I abandoned her. I was so wrapped up in my own grief that I was neglecting my other child. That was the start of it, and things just... snowballed. And here we are." Jenny- an author of novels and memoirs, including Behind Closed Doors about the abuse she suffered as a child - says she's tried to reach out to Martine recently – calling, texting, sending cards – but claims she has received no response. Just a few weeks ago, following a moment of clarity, Jenny and Alan made the 90-minute journey to Martine's home in Surrey. "I was banging on the door shouting her name," she confesses. "But nobody answered. So I gave up, got in the car and drove home distraught. I turned to Alan and said, 'I don't think she'll ever speak to me again'. That's why I've done this interview as a plea for Martine to get in touch." Over the past couple of months, Jenny has started to feel more like herself and has begun penning a memoir about LJ. However, her guilt over Martine lingers. "I let Martine down. There's not a day goes by when I don't think of her. Losing Rafferty has felt like another death," she said. Her love for Rafferty has inspired Jenny to write children's books, which she hopes to dedicate to him. When Martine's 18-year relationship with musician Jack McManus ended last year, she and Jenny were not in contact. It's a topic Jenny is unwilling to discuss. "That's between Martine and Jack," she states. She adds: "I don't think I'll ever stop trying when it comes to my girl. If I could speak to Martine, I'd tell her how sorry I am. I've lost one child, I don't want to lose another." Next year, Jenny will turn 70. The best gift anyone could give her would be to share a cup of tea with her daughter, while her grandson plays in the garden. "I've seen what silence does to families," she declares. "I don't want that for us. I don't want to be another story of regret. I want us to love each other. To find our way back." Grief expert Tina Chummun, Person Centred Trauma Specialist Psychotherapist of Care2Counsel, says of Jenny's situation: "When a mother loses a child, especially in a traumatic or unexpected way, her nervous system can become overwhelmed - we often see intense grief manifest as numbness, withdrawal or cognitive collapse. "If you are grieving the loss of one child, and in that shattered fragile state, couldn't show up for the other. From the daughter's perspective, her mum may have seemed to disappear just when she needed her most, creating a rupture that now feels insurmountable." Tina adds: "For a mother, emerging from that fog years later and finding the door closed can feel like experiencing a second bereavement - the living grief of estrangement as though she's lost both children. Rebuilding trust starts with accountability, patience and time.. "Trauma doesn't always look like tears - sometimes, it looks like silence behind closed doors. The bridge back is built slowly, with humility and hope. Vulnerability can be the bridge that grief once burned." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Metro
32 minutes ago
- Metro
Mack's heartbreak in Emmerdale as he hides his feelings
Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) recently gave his wife Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) an ultimatum in Emmerdale. If she didn't give up her plan to be a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah (Katie Hill)'s baby, their marriage was over. And in coming episodes, as the plan moves ahead, their relationship is in the balance. When Sarah had to have life-saving surgery that included having a hysterectomy, she knew that her dream of being a mother had been shattered. Unable to cope with his granddaughter's sadness at a time when he was also grieving the death of his son Nate (Jurell Carter), it was Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) who first floated the idea of surrogacy as a way to help Sarah become a mum. It was soon clear that, because of Sarah's life-limiting condition of Fanconi anaemia, surrogacy agencies wouldn't consider helping her. Cain's one attempt at contacting a surrogate informally didn't work out either. So Charity came up with the idea of being the surrogate herself. 'Once she's set a decision in place she doesn't really back out of stuff,' Emma Atkins told us. 'She commits. She goes full pelt without thinking of any of the consequences.' So Charity went ahead and had the tests to see if she was suitable, reasoning that she could talk to her husband Mackenzie about it if she proved to be a suitable candidate. Unfortunately he got wind of the scheme before that could happen, courtesy of Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) who was concerned that his grandson Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) was making a mistake by getting involved as the sperm donor part of the scheme. Understandably, Mack was fuming. It wasn't that long ago that he and Charity lost a baby they were expecting when she had an ectopic pregnancy. In the wake of this he expressed a hope that they would try again, but Charity shut that down. Now Mack has been left trying – and failing – to understand why Charity would go through a pregnancy for Sarah, but not to have their child. Emma Atkins told us that Charity has some reservations, but prioritises Sarah: 'I think Charity just decides the best thing to do is back Sarah all the way. So you sort of see a lot of light and shade. One minute she's very for it, and the next minute, she's struggling with the obvious, with her health complications and her own as well being the age that she is so there's all of that.' More Trending For Mack, Charity's approach is incomprehensible. As she and Sarah get ready to go to the hospital for the procedure, he makes excuses and says he needs to work at Butlers. On his way there he bumps into Aaron (Danny Miller), who questions why he isn't at the hospital supporting Charity. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! He urges Mack to go and talk to his wife about his feelings, so Mack rushes to the fertility clinic, where Charity tells him the procedure went well. The family are in celebratory mood, but Mack has missed his chance to discuss his feelings. Later, Aaron again urges Mack to talk about how he's feeling to Charity, and when Charity is overwhelmed by too much TLC from Sarah and Jacob and sends them out, Mack grabs his chance to talk to her on her own. View More » Charity admits she does have some concerns about what's happening. Will Mack open up to her about how he feels? MORE: Emmerdale fans 'work out' who newcomer Kev is looking for MORE: All Emmerdale spoilers for next week as arrest is made MORE: Charity overwhelmed in Emmerdale surrogacy story as she makes big revelations to Mack
Scottish Sun
32 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
How Jenna Ortega became Gen Z's ultimate scream queen… from Johnny Depp rumours to ‘toxic' allegations & THAT sex scene
Scroll down for Jenna Ortega's seven most iconic roles, from a horror reboot to a role she played aged just 12 THE NEXT JEN How Jenna Ortega became Gen Z's ultimate scream queen… from Johnny Depp rumours to 'toxic' allegations & THAT sex scene Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHOWBIZ writer Ashleigh Rainbird reveals how Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has dealt with her meteoric rise to superstardom. Last year, Jenna Ortega said she was sick of the sight of her own face. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Ashleigh Rainbird reveals how Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has dealt with her meteoric rise to superstardom Credit: getty 11 Jenna as Wednesday Addams in Netflix hit Wednesday Credit: wednesday In 2024 alone, she starred in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, fronted campaigns for Dior Beauty and Neutrogena, and joined singer Sabrina Carpenter in her music video for summer's smash hit Taste. There was also that 'disturbing' viral sex scene alongside 53-year-old Martin Freeman in thriller Miller's Girl. 'I got sick of myself,' she told Variety magazine. 'My face was everywhere.' Now, however, Jenna is back, with the highly anticipated second series of Wednesday hitting Netflix on August 6 – and that face is set to become more ubiquitous than ever. A former child star, she was catapulted into the A list when Wednesday – viewed 252 million times and counting – launched in 2022. And by her own refreshingly candid admission, that rapid rise to the top was overwhelming. 'To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person,' she told Harper's Bazaar in May. 'After the pressure, the attention – as somebody who's quite introverted, that was so intense and so scary.' 'Having been on the wrong side of the rumour mill was eye-opening' The eight-month shoot in Romania had been challenging, with Jenna revealing: 'I was alone. Never had any hot water. The boilers in two of my apartments were broken, so I always took cold showers.' To make matters worse, her original request to have a producer credit was rejected, and she alluded to tensions behind the scenes, describing her own behaviour as 'almost unprofessional', changing scripts without telling the writers if she felt aspects 'did not make sense for her character at all.' Most controversial sex scenes after THAT Jenna Ortega & Martin Freeman romp… including stars who 'had real sex on film' The comments drew her first taste of controversy, coming at a delicate time in the industry when the US writers' strike was in full swing. The backlash was swift, with writers on social media slamming her behaviour as 'entitled' and 'toxic'. 'I feel like being a bully is very popular right now,' she said. 'Having been on the wrong side of the rumour mill was incredibly eye-opening.' Fortunately, Jenna, 22, is not one to put up with being bullied. Forthright and tenacious, she has always shown herself to be determined, from convincing her parents to allow her to become an actress, to her recent struggles with OCD that have seen her having to complete the same action many times and count things over and over in her head. Growing up in La Quinta, California, with her five siblings and parents of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, Jenna knew she wanted to become an actress at just six years old, after being inspired by Dakota Fanning in the 2004 Denzel Washington movie Man On Fire. Her mum Natalie, an ER nurse, has revealed that, only weeks earlier, Jenna had designs on becoming the first female US president, and before that had her sights set on going into space. So, initially, Natalie and Jenna's dad Edward, a sheriff, dismissed it as just another phase. Once they realised she was serious, it took three years to convince them that acting was a good idea. The kids grew up catching scorpions and even a rattlesnake to keep as pets. Yet her parents feared worse dangers lurked in Hollywood. 'Mom wasn't sure about putting me in this industry that she had heard such terrible things about,' Jenna said. But she pestered relentlessly. 11 Jenna with Sabrina Carpenter in the singer's Taste video Credit: instagram In 2010, Natalie posted a video recording of her then-seven-year-old daughter performing a monologue to Facebook 'as a joke', Jenna insists, and a casting agent got in touch. Reluctantly, Natalie relented because, as Jenna put it: 'She thought I might hold it against her for the rest of my life!' By the time she was nine, she had appeared in a Colgate advert, at 12 she had a recurring role as the young Jane in Netflix show Jane The Virgin and, aged 13, she had a main role in Disney comedy series Stuck In The Middle. Though it meant constantly travelling between her home and LA for castings and filming, she's said her mum 'watched over me like a hawk', and that: 'I see why my parents felt so hesitant about it, because you're putting a child in an adult workplace. Children aren't supposed to be working like that. They are supposed to be climbing trees and drawing and going to school.' 'Former child stars have a jaded way about us' Only allowed to take roles if she achieved straight-A grades, got plenty of sleep and socialised with school friends, Jenna remained in school to maintain a sense of normality. She was still just 17 when she filmed Netflix's serial killer drama You opposite Penn Badgley. But it was winning the role of Tara Carpenter in 2022's Scream that would set her on course to become Gen Z's scream queen, with roles in slasher film X and comedy horror American Carnage. Her horror credentials appealed to gothic film director Tim Burton, who was casting a new spin-off of The Addams Family. She jumped on a Zoom call with him while filming X in New Zealand, still drenched in stage blood and with a prosthetic bullet hole in her head, fittingly. Tim was blown away, and cast her as his title character Wednesday within five minutes, saying she had the character 'in her soul'. After wrapping that tough first season, Jenna intended to take time off and signed up to spend a summer working on a farm in Iceland. But when Tim presented her with the script for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, released last year, she shelved her plans. While filming the 2024 movie, she grew close to co-star and former fellow child star Winona Ryder. Likewise, she is also friends with Natalie Portman, after they met while filming The Gallerist. She likens their unique shared experiences to having a 'secret little language' together, and says she and Winona can almost 'read each other's minds'. Jenna credits the pair as having helped her navigate the perils of fame. She told Harper's Bazaar: 'They've seen it all, and, honestly, during a much darker time in Hollywood. 'We've all got this jaded way about us that I don't think we'd have if we hadn't started so young and had so many brutal realisations and experiences. But they turned out all right.' They surely had plenty of advice when gossip swirled that she was secretly dating 62-year-old actor Johnny Depp (Winona's ex-boyfriend from the '90s). The pair have actually never met, but even her castmates on her recent film Death Of A Unicorn grilled her about it. 'I was on set with Richard E Grant and he came up to me and said: 'Oh, so you and Johnny?'' she told Buzzfeed. 'I laughed, because I don't know that person.' Johnny, too, released a statement saying he had 'no personal or professional relationship with Ms Ortega whatsoever', and called the claims 'malicious'. 'I don't plan on speaking about my love life publicly, because that's mine' Last year, Jenna told Vanity Fair that she would always seek to keep her private life private. 'I don't plan on speaking about my love life publicly, because that's mine,' she said. 'When you know too much about someone's personal life, then you watch films and you can only see them – there's nothing worse.' In 2018, she was linked to fellow Disney star Asher Angel, after the pair dressed as another famous couple, Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, for Halloween. She never confirmed their relationship, but in 2023, Jenna told Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast: 'I was in a relationship for a couple of years, but I stopped it when things got too hectic. 11 With her parents Edward and Natalie Credit: Instagram 'And it had nothing to do with them. . . I just couldn't manage all the things.' Her career is going from strength to strength, and there is certainly plenty to manage. She plans to remake Single White Female with actress Taylor Russell, who previously dated Harry Styles. The fact that neither of them are 'white' has already drawn 'stupid comments', prompting Jenna to quip the pair might 'just call it Single Female'. The actress is proud of her heritage, and is intent on using her platform for good, as per her mum's insistence. She's spoken out against LA's immigration raids, and wants to be a positive role model for young Puerto Rican girls, which undoubtedly she already is. She has spent a decade working on her own movie script, has designs on being a recording artist, too, and is likely to break more Netflix streaming records when the second series of Wednesday is released in just over a week. Jenna really will have to just get used to seeing her face everywhere for the forseeable future. Jenna Ortega's seven most iconic roles 11 Jenna played eight-year-old Jane Villanueva in Netflix comedy series Jane the Virgin Jane The Virgin (2014) Jenna played the eight-year-old Jane Villanueva in the Netflix comedy series, appearing in 30 episodes from the age of 12. The role obviously struck a nerve with the actress, who later said: 'I really miss Jane!' 11 Jenna played Harley, the fourth of seven siblings in Disney series Stuck In The Middle Credit: getty Stuck In The Middle (2016) Though she has five siblings of her own, in TV land Jenna played Harley, the fourth of seven siblings in this Disney series. She said: 'I love the cast, the crew was amazing – everyone is so talented.' 11 Ortega in creepy Netflix thriller You Credit: you You (2019) In the second season of this creepy Netflix thriller, Jenna played 15-year-old Ellie, Joe Goldberg's new neighbour with a troubled background. She didn't return for any subsequent seasons, sadly. 11 Jenna as Tara Carpenter in Scream Scream (2022) A legacy sequel to the original film, released 25 years later, starred Jenna as high-schooler Tara Carpenter, who somehow manages to survive the ghostface killer – and the subsequent franchise films. 11 Wednesday is perhaps Jenna's most iconic role to date Credit: wednesday Wednesday (2022) With her gothy outfits, jet-black fringe and perfected glower, it feels like Jenna was born to play this role. Season one saw her break the internet with her macabre dancing, now known as the 'Wednesday dance'. 11 Jenna as Astrid and Winona Ryder as Lydia in Beatlejuice Beatlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) The much-longed-for sequel gave Jenna the chance to play Astrid, the daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder). She later admitted she was scared of the original, but working on the new one was 'unbelievable'. 11 Jenna starred in dark comedy Death Of A Unicorn, alongside Paul Rudd and Will Poulter Death Of A Unicorn (2025) 'There's a good chance I won't get to work with unicorns again, so when you get the opportunity you do have to take it!' said Jenna of her role in this dark comedy, also starring Paul Rudd, Richard E Grant and Will Poulter.
