Netflix’s “Adolescence” has emerged as one of the year’s most talked-about television events—a bold, unsparing portrait of youth, violence, and institutional failure that caught audiences by surprise. Quietly released without a major promotional push, the four-part British series quickly rose to the top of Netflix’s global charts, drawing praise for its unrelenting tension and emotionally devastating storytelling. At the center of its success is a daring creative decision: each episode is filmed in a single continuous take.
That choice alone would make “Adolescence” a technical feat, but what elevates the series beyond novelty is its seamless integration of design and storytelling. Production designer Adam Tomlinson and his team were tasked with crafting entire environments such as homes, police stations, juvenile facilities that not only felt authentic but also functioned as live stages. With nowhere to hide behind traditional edits, every wall, hallway, and prop had to serve multiple purposes: world-building, performance support, and camera choreography.
“We had to design everything with movement in mind,” Tomlinson explains. “You can’t just cut to the interview room. Every step, whether it’s from the custody desk to the charge cells or a walk down a corridor, has to be covered in real time. That meant the geography of the set became part of the storytelling.” To achieve that, Tomlinson and his department built a fully functioning police station inside a studio in Wakefield, while coordinating with the location team to find a family home within three minutes’ drive—precisely the length of dialogue needed for a real-time transition.
The result is nothing short of remarkable. From the claustrophobic police cells to the sterile medical bays and chaotic youth holding centers, the physical spaces in “Adolescence” become emotional mirrors—distorting, containing, and exposing its characters. “Jamie’s house had to feel totally normal, even comforting,” says Tomlinson. “That’s what makes his story so hard to watch. And then we built the police station to feel intimidating, cold, and disorienting—like a different planet.”
Tomlinson’s work also demanded deep collaboration with other departments, including cinematography, costume, makeup, and lighting, to ensure visual continuity and spatial logic across uninterrupted 60-minute takes. “Our art department was right next to the stage, so we could adapt in real time,” he shares. “The level of trust and communication across teams was extraordinary. Everyone knew how special this project was—we all had to be completely in sync.”
In a year crowded with prestige television, “Adolescence” stands apart for its formal ambition and gut-punch realism. As the awards season gathers steam, it’s likely to be remembered not just for its performances and direction, but for the remarkable behind-the-scenes work that made its illusion of simplicity possible. Tomlinson spoke with Awards Focus about designing for the oner format, navigating technical hurdles, and why sometimes the best production design is the kind you don’t notice until it hits you in the gut.
Awards Focus: As you know, “Adolescence” has swept up viewers and it came out of nowhere. Nobody was really previewing it or talking about it, and then it hit Netflix and became the number one show. I watched the whole thing in one night, and as I’m sure you’ve heard many times, it was intense. Maybe not easy to watch, but really powerful.
Adam Tomlinson: Yeah. It’s amazing. It sort of grips you and pulls you in, but it’s not the easiest watch. A brilliant one, though.
AF: More than most shows, even people outside the industry are talking about the production (the look and feel) which is rare. Typically, people focus on characters and story. Real credit to the production team and yourself. I’d love to start from the beginning. How did you get involved with the project, and at what point was it known that these were all going to be single-take oners?
Tomlinson: I’d worked with Phil Barantini, the director, on a couple of previous jobs. I met Phil on a series called “Malpractice,” which was a medical drama. We got on really well, and that created a solid creative team.
Phil had already done the one-shot feature film “Boiling Point” before I joined, but when we did the “Boiling Point” series, it wasn’t a one-shot show. We had some long takes, though. We built the restaurant and kitchen sets in a Manchester studio, and that’s how I became part of that world.
When “Adolescence” came along, I was grateful to be asked. From the start, we knew it was going to be one-shot. That was always part of Phil’s vision, something he’d had on the cards for quite a while. Once it got greenlit, we were off and running just after Christmas of last year.
AF: Are any of these spaces sets? The police station, the house, the juvenile center? On screen, it all looks and feels like it has to be in real locations.
Tomlinson: The house is a real location, but the police station was a full studio build. The one-shot format made it impossible to just cut between rooms, so we needed complete control over geography and flow. We had to be able to follow characters in real time as they walked from the custody desk to the cells to interview rooms, without breaking.
We found our studio base at Production Park in Wakefield, and the location team had to find a house within three minutes of that, to match the amount of dialogue we needed for the drive between locations. We also built the van dock where Jamie arrives in custody, as well as the corridor leading into the station, everything designed to convince the viewer it’s one seamless space.
AF: It’s so seamless. It’s amazing you don’t notice those transitions. As a production designer, how often are you typically on set while filming? And with oners, I imagine you have to be present for real-time adjustments?
Tomlinson: Absolutely. We went through the same design process as any other job. I still like to build physical models, even though my art department is great with computers. I’ll read the script, sketch out a floor plan by hand, build models, and then review those with the team.
Because we were building on-site, our art department was right next to the studio. That let us make real-time changes—like cutting holes for lights behind posters or adjusting sightlines. With oners, you can’t just float a wall or stop and reset. So we made certain corridors and rooms slightly bigger to accommodate the camera without relying on moveable pieces, which could be a safety or performance issue.
AF: So no floating walls or hidden transitions? It was a truly static, continuous set?
Tomlinson: Yeah, 100%. The way it was filmed, each episode took 15 days. Days 1 to 5 were for the director, DP, and cast to rehearse in the space. Days 6 to 10 introduced crew, and then Days 11 to 15 were for filming, ideally two takes a day.
We were just outside the studio, so we got constant requests. For example, they’d ask if we could cut a hole in a wall to place a light behind a picture frame. Having ten days to play and refine things was essential. Nothing major changed, but we could adapt as needed.
AF: Despite the technical complexity, “Adolescence” is deeply emotional. How did your design choices reflect character psychology—particularly Jamie’s arc from Episode 1 to 4?
Tomlinson: Jamie’s house needed to feel like a normal family home: no alcoholism, no abuse, just a regular household. That contrast makes his story more heartbreaking. His bedroom was designed to feel like a kid’s room that hadn’t been updated—wallpaper from when he was eight, gaming stuff layered on top. We wanted to reflect that teenage limbo.
The police station, by contrast, had to feel alien and intimidating. Claustrophobic cells, stark interview rooms, sterile medical spaces—all designed to overwhelm Jamie. The contrast between his home and the station visually represents his descent into an unfamiliar, frightening world.
In Episode 3, the juvenile center, we tried to make the front of house feel welcoming, but once you enter deeper areas like Victor’s CCTV office, the design becomes more oppressive. The layout was also meant to make Jamie feel small—isolated within a bigger, colder system.
AF: That’s fascinating. You mentioned Episode 1, and I assumed the police station would be your most difficult design. Was that the case?
Tomlinson: Definitely. The station required a lot of thought about flow and how characters would move through space without making it feel overly convenient or static. We added a staircase to introduce more scale and separation. The corridor to the cells was deliberately long, so it felt intimidating. And the geography had to allow the camera to stay dynamic across long takes.
We also had to build Episode 3’s set next to it, and both needed to be ready from Day 1. We couldn’t build while rehearsals were happening.
AF: Episode 3’s central room is where Jamie is questioned. It’s one of the most memorable scenes. Forty pages of dialogue, if I’m not mistaken. That’s an incredible challenge.
Tomlinson: Yes, we wanted that space to feel a bit older, like they’d moved up a few floors to a less polished part of the building. The room had to be big enough for the camera to move around, but designed to make Jamie feel small. The artists, Erin [Doherty] and Owen [Cooper], really held that scene, but the environment subtly reinforces their power dynamic.
AF: You said the oner approach was always the plan, but I’d love to hear why? What did it allow you to do that conventional editing wouldn’t?
Tomlinson: That’s more a question for Phil, but from my perspective, it allows you to linger on moments and make the viewer feel uncomfortable in a productive way. Like in the medical room. You’re just on Stephen’s face for a long time, and it’s gut-wrenching. In a conventional edit, you’d probably cut away quickly. Here, we stay in the discomfort. It’s emotionally powerful and technically ambitious.
AF: What part of your work are you proudest of—whether it’s a specific scene or the broader response from audiences?
Tomlinson: The police station, for sure. There was a lot of collaboration with the DP, director, costume, and makeup teams to get the tone right. And I’m also proud of the Episode 4 set, the Wainwright store. That was a cardboard factory we dressed completely from scratch, with racks, flat-pack boxes, and more. A real company loaned us materials, and even friends of mine were shocked to learn it wasn’t a real store.
We filmed twice a day, so we had to reset between takes while not disrupting the business. That was a massive logistical and creative challenge, and I think it really paid off.
AF: You were filming two full takes per day?
Tomlinson: That was the aim. Some days they went over because of technical issues, but only Phil had the authority to call “cut.” The first AD could step in if it was unsafe, but otherwise, they carried on. I think the police station sequence had up to eleven takes. They’d aim for one before lunch and one in the afternoon.
AF: After a project this technically ambitious, is there a specific type of challenge or project you’re excited to tackle next?
Tomlinson: I’ve been doing this for about 25 years, and this was the first one-shot project I’ve done. It was a completely new way of working for everyone involved. I’d love to do another one, honestly. It’s been so creatively rewarding.
AF: And it really pays off—it never feels like a gimmick. In this case, it elevated the storytelling in a profound way.
Tomlinson: We’ve had so many questions from industry people. I’ve done dozens of shows over the years, but this is the one that’s prompted friends, family, even people I haven’t spoken to in years, to reach out asking, “How did they do that?” It’s really resonated.
AF: Well, I really appreciate your time, and congratulations on a remarkable show. Best of luck through awards season.
Tomlinson: Thank you so much. Cheers.