Philip Barantini, director of the Netflix sensation Adolescence, always knew that the “one-shot” four-parter was special. But in the wake of headlines and social media generated by the show, he now knows just how special.
In the same year, Adolescence and Andor have showed that high art can have mass appeal, and that creative risk-taking isn’t just for niche, independent projects. If anything, it can give a show more reach. Keir Starmer invited the creators of Adolescence to 10 Downing Street. Meanwhile, Andor – Tony Gilroy’s take on Star Wars – manages to break new ground in a franchise that’s decades old. The Guardian called it “the best thing to happen to Star Wars since The Empire Strikes Back.”
Nicknamed Ten Pound Poms after the £10 processing fees, the first series saw them leave post-War Britain in search of a better job and quality of life, but soon learn of a much harsher reality.
The second series will re-join the Poms a year on in 1957, with Keegan's (Fool Me Once) nurse Kate Thorne and the Roberts family (led by Marsay, Game of Thrones, and Brown, Luther) still seeking the sun-soaked Australian dream they were promised.
