However, executive producer Hannah Walters ruled out one path forward.

Stephen Graham has revealed that Netflix’s smash-hit drama Adolescence could return for a second season.

The series, which has attracted huge viewership and stellar reviews in its first two weeks of release, depicts the fallout when a 13-year-old boy is accused of murdering a classmate.

Written by Graham and Jack Thorne, the hard-hitting story addresses timely themes of toxic online forces with great influence over boys and young men, linking it to the perpetual crisis of violence towards women and girls.

In an interview with Variety, Graham and executive producer Hannah Walters, who are married in real life, discussed the potential future for the series as more and more viewers discover it on Netflix.

A Thousand Blows star Graham said “let’s see how the figures are” – a knowing reference to the show’s astronomical success so far – before adding that “there’s the possibility of developing another story”.

Walters commented that it would be “hard” to craft a worthy successor to Adolescence, considering the enormous impact that the show has already had, but that she’s keen to continue her partnership with Netflix.

However, there was one option that she decisively ruled out.

“A prequel to Adolescence, that’s certainly not going to happen,” she stated. “But there’s so much mileage in the one-shot and so much mileage in investing into human nature again and looking at something else.

“Yeah, everything’s looking good,” Walters added, speaking of the show’s fortunes. “Everyone’s happy, shall we say?”

Adolescence is directed by Philip Barantini, who previously worked with Graham on Boiling Point; a feature-length one-shot story that took place inside the stressful environment of a restaurant kitchen.

Other actors in the Adolescence cast include Ashley Walters as DI Luke Bascombe, Faye Marsay as DS Misha Frank, Christine Tremarco as Manda Miller, and newcomer Owen Cooper as her accused son, Jamie.