One of the actors from Netflix’s new smash hit, Adolescence, is a Greater Manchester-born and bred talent and has now taken time to reflect on the “overwhelming” response the show has seen thus far.
You’ll recognise her from countless roles in British films and TV over the years, including multiple Shane Meadows projects, but Jo Hartley is one of several stars to have impressed audiences across the globe with her performance in the incredible new drama.
Topping the streaming giant’s charts after just four days, Adolescence is one of the biggest shows of the year and most streamed UK exports in some time, receiving rave reviews across the board, as well as serious plaudits for how it tackles some seriously tough subject matter.
With most having now made it through all four extremely heavy episodes, the local actor from Oldham hopped on social media not only to express her gratitude for having been part of the project, but also the incredible reaction it received and why so many feel it’s an important watch.
Overwhelmed by so many kind and generous messages about #Adolescence we are so grateful to you all! Thanks.
Sharing a lengthier response spotlighting episode two, when we first meet her character, on Instagram, Hartley wrote: “Overwhelmed by all the generous messages we are getting so far. Being part of such a groundbreaking project has given me deep joy.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Seeing people respond so abundantly is very moving and feels quite wonderful. These kids are epic! They smashed it. Cast and crew too. I loved our downtime, we’d all hang out and play games, chat and laugh, we became a family. What a team of talented artists and creators.”
Speaking more broadly in an earlier post, she said of the early reviews: “I’ve been so overwhelmed by such powerful messages over the last few days. THANK YOU. Thank YOU!!! It’s been wonderful to see this show make such an impact on the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Adolescence asks questions… It presents us with a fatal situation caused by one unconscious act of violence – actions have consequences. Over the four ‘one shot’ episodes we see how it devastates not only a family but a whole community. If Adolescence saves one life, it will have worked.”
Before the limited drama had even dropped, she described it as a “life-changing experience” as an actor and, from a viewer’s perspective, nothing short of a “heart-wrenching and powerful one-shot drama that’ll blow your mind and take your breath away.” We can only echo her words.
As well as Oldham‘s finest being celebrated for her extremely believable, accurate and nuanced performance as teacher Mrs Fenumore, audiences are hailing not only the impressive talent of Owen Cooper, who plays the lead role of Jamie Miller but also the sublime Stephen Graham as his father.
ADVERTISEMENT
Co-creator Graham, who also shared the screen with Hartley in This Is England, has been praised for numerous roles in recent years – including director Philip Barantini’s equally talked about Boiling Point (2023) – but many viewers are saying he has officially cemented himself as “one of Britain’s greatest-ever actors.”
If you’ve still not seen anything about it, we won’t dare spoil a morsel more but we will sincerely recommend that you join the millions of others in watching it – though we’ll warn you, Adolescence is by no means easy-going.
You can see the trailer down below:
The Greater Manchester actor is one of numerous show-stealers in Adolescence.
Release date set for Oasis reunion tour documentary by Peaky Blinders creator
Danny Jones
If you had any doubt that the upcoming Oasis reunion shows weren’t going to be heavily documented, you’re an absolute fool. However, we’ll admit we weren’t expecting to hear the creator of Peaky Blinders‘ name connected to the tourthat’s soon set to be relived in theatres.
Yeah, as in the Brummies with the flat caps on the telly – them ones.
That’s right, the same man who brought Tommy Shelby and Birmingham’s most infamous gang to our screens has been overseeing the major documentary project, which will chronicle the return of the Gallagher brothers and put the best bits on film.
Better still, now we have a full release date and know where it will be shown, including information about its cinematic and streaming rollout.
The great wait is over.
An epic new documentary film from BAFTA and Oscar-nominated writer, producer and director Steven Knight, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, will tell the story of the Oasis reunion the world was waiting for. Featuring unprecedented on stage and… pic.twitter.com/hgR2ERlz0n
That’s right, while there still isn’t a set title for the doc (we’re pretty sure it’s a very Ronseal kind of deal), we do know it’ll be coming not just to cinemas but even IMAX theatres.
Landing on 11 September 2026, just over a year on from when the boys got back on the road and gave us one of the greatest summers ever, it will launch on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.
With additional direction from Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, the Steven Knight-produced project is arguably set to be just as big a cultural event as the Live 25′ themselves.
Knight, who was confirmed as the co-creator, writer and producer of the Oasis ‘Live ’25’ world tour documentary movie back in March, recently teased that the initial rough edit was around four hours long.
While we doubt it’ll remain so significant in length, who knows how it will compare to the likes of Supersonic or the Knebworth documentaries?
The brain behind Peaky Blinders is creating the second Oasis doc after 2016’s Supersonic. (Credit: Taylor Rooke/BBC/IMDb)
It’s worth noting to begin with that, besides the BBC’s blockbuster gangster series, which is soon to be followed up with the franchise’s first feature film on Netflix, Knight does have some background in music-related media.
The 65-year-old created the six-part BBC drama, This Town, which revolves around the rise of ska and the ‘two-tone’ revival movement in the Midlands during the 1970s; he also wrote the script for the 2024 opera biopic, Maria, starring Angelina Jolie.
Southern and Lovelace are also two of the names behind the LCD Soundsystem film, Shut Up And Play The Hits, which covers frontman James Murphy’s final gig as part of the band at Madison Square Garden in New York.
You can watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 for ‘FREE’ across Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Did you know you can watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 for free across Greater Manchester just by taking a quick trip to the shops?
If you’re eager to watch Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and the Runway Magazine crew on the big screen once again, you can do so for ‘FREE’ – well, basically…
After making its cinema premiere earlier this month, 20 years since the first film, The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues the story with more iconic quotes and a whole host of celebrity cameos.
One of these is pop phenomenon Lady Gaga, who also appears on the soundtrack for this stylish sequel alongside artists like Miley Cyrus, Doechii, and Brit acts Raye and Olivia Dean.
Just like real life, the story follows the real-life fashion news outlet and media brand, Runway Mag, undergoing some major changes.
For instance, they’re wrestling with scrapping print editions of their beloved publication and swapping this for online short-form content.
The sequel to this fashion-focused film also sees role reprisals from Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, with new additions from Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh and Justin Theroux.
Now, enough of us talking at “a glacial pace”, let’s get all of you fashion fans those free cinema tickets before they go out of style.
An all-new promotion courtesy of not one, but three notable names: The Devil Wears Prada 2, Diet Coke and Sainsbury’s.
The UK Supermarket chain is currently running a promotion during the film’s big-screen run, where if you purchase a 30-pack of Diet Coke, you can get free tickets to The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Simply purchase one of the big crates of Diet Coke between Wednesday, 29 April and Tuesday, 19 May, before snapping a picture of your receipt and uploading it online.
So it really is that simple, all you have to do is buy a 30 pack of Diet Coke and get a free cinema ticket for doing so – did somebody say girl maths?
For more info and to upload your receipt, visit the promotional website HERE.
There’s even an exclusive The Devil Wears Prada 2 X Diet Coke pop-up in Manchester city centre TODAY (Friday, 8 May) at Exchange Square from 12-8pm.
And they’re not just handing out a few Cokes; there’s even limited edition merchandise and more to get your hands on.
Danny Jones -
19th March 2025 
