About us

Teen dramas explore the possibility of what lies ahead and the potential of who you are about to become.

These stories, and the way they are told, can have a huge impact on the person watching them. They find a way into the heart of the viewer and can stay there far beyond the teen years.

Shows that have previously done this range from the angst of Dawson’s Creek to the wit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. From the awkwardness of My So-Called-Life to the aspiration of The O.C. From the heartache of Party of Five to the scandal of Gossip Girl. From the action of Friday Night Lights to the suspense of Pretty Little Liars. These shows are unique, they couldn’t be more different from each other – but something they all have in common? They were made in America.

British teen dramas of the last ten years can be counted on one hand. Imagine the uproar if it was the same low number for adult drama, or children’s drama. Then there’s the fact that most teen dramas are an 18 certificate, creating a further barrier to a generation already starved of content that they can relate to. Parents complain that their children grow up too fast, but what do they expect when the landscape between The Dumping Ground and Peaky Blinders is so barren?

Adolescent Productions was founded by Holly Phillips. Holly repeatedly found herself asking the same questions – where are the British versions of these shows? How come British teenagers mean so little to British TV channels? Full of inspiration and ideas about how to connect with and captivate this audience, she soon started asking a different question; how can I change that?

Holly began working with Alison Davis and a small team of people who are deeply passionate about content for young audiences, to develop a slate of fresh and surprising projects that reflect the complexities of life today. Adolescent Productions aims to fill the gap between children’s and adult TV with truthful, exuberant, funny, sad and heartfelt TV dramas.

Adolescent Productions makes a commitment to...

Tell stories about Adolescents, for Adolescents. If adults watch – cool – but they are not our priority and their watching of our drama gives no extra kudos to us. This audience is at the heart of what we do, so we will always listen to teenagers; what they say matters, and their stories matter.

Diversity on and off screen. For our stories to reflect the diversity of the UK, our writers’ rooms must do the same and they will. We will be inclusive and supportive to the widest range of diverse talent as possible.

Develop the next generation of writing talent. Any series made by Adolescent Productions will operate a room to screen program. Meaning that we won’t just invite new voices into our writers’ room, we will give that talent an episode of the series to write.

Find and develop the most exciting female creatives in TV today. So many of the most-loved teen dramas have been created or adapted by male storytellers. We want to level the playing field a bit so our primary focus will be on working with as many female writers, directors, producers, and crew as we can.