Adolescence makes ratings history – enormous viewing figures confirmed
The drama broke a huge UK TV record within its first week of release.
Drama series Adolescence continues to prove itself a ratings behemoth, as it has now been confirmed that it broke a huge UK record.
The four-part Netflix show became the first ever UK streaming show to top the weekly British ratings chart, according to ratings agency Barb, with almost 6.5 million viewers watching the first episode in its first week.
The show's closest rival was a new episode of The Apprentice, which was watched by 5.8 million viewers.
Adolescence's ratings were charted for the seven days following its release on 13th March. We are likely to see further astonishing ratings revealed in the coming days and weeks.
The show also set another record, beating the likes of Fool Me Once and Baby Reindeer to see the biggest audience for any streaming TV show in the UK.
When it comes to the other three episodes of Adolescence, the second was watched by almost 6 million during the period in the UK, the third was watched by 5.1 million and the fourth was watched by 4.6 million.
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Worldwide, the show was viewed 24.3 million times in its first week of release, with almost 100 million hours watched in total.
When the global figures were first released, Adolescence's writer and co-creator Jack Thorne warned that similar shows are at risk of not being produced in future, due to the ongoing funding crisis for UK scripted shows.
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Thorne, who also wrote Netflix's recent hit Toxic Town, said: "If Channel 4 and the BBC are denied the opportunity to make these shows, that’s devastating.
"The problem of international finance and what that’s done is incredibly current and leading to a lot of my friends and emerging writers being denied the opportunity to tell stories.
"If they are denied the opportunity to tell those stories, then the whole culture starts to crumble, and shows like Adolescence and Toxic Town are no longer possible. Netflix making these shows is exciting, but it’s not everything."
Adolescence is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
