Ashley Walters has lived many lives. From his early days as a member of So Solid Crew to his breakout role in Bullet Boy and his iconic turn as Dushane in Top Boy , the Peckham-born actor and rapper has become one of Britain’s most compelling storytellers. But it’s his latest role in Netflix ’s gripping drama Adolescence that has struck a deeply personal chord.
As a father of eight, Walters, 42, found himself confronting his own fears and struggles through the lens of the show – a harrowing exploration of parenting, crime, and redemption. Adolescence, co-created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, is a four-part series filmed in one continuous take per episode, a technical feat that amplifies its emotional intensity. Walters plays DI Luke Bascombe, a detective investigating the murder of a teenage girl by a 14-year-old boy.
But for Walters, the role wasn’t just about police procedure – it was about fatherhood. “I did loads of research into police procedures, but in the end, that meant nothing,” Walters tells The Standard in our cover interview. “What I really had to get down to was why this man was so invested in the case – and it was because he was a dad.
That’s why this show is hitting people so hard. Everyone is going to find a bit of themselves here.” The series opens with a police raid on the home of Jamie, the teenage suspect, and unfolds as a devastating exploration of how a child ends up in such a situation.
For Walters, who has eight children r.
