Disney+ signs Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters’ company to release new series

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Disney+ has announced it has signed a deal with Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters’ production company to release new series on the streaming platform.

The two-year deal between Disney+ and the couple’s Matriarch Productions will see the streamer release original scripted and unscripted series made by the company.

The Adolescence stars said in a joint statement: “We are beyond thrilled to be working with Disney+ and through this creative partnership will strive to produce inspiring, entertaining and thought-provoking storytelling.”

Matriarch Productions, which is best known for producing Netflix hit Adolescence, and was also behind Hulu Original series A Thousand Blows – along with The Story Collective and Water And Power Productions, which has its second season available to stream on Disney+.

Angela Jain, head of content at Disney+ EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), added: “Stephen and Hannah have proven they know how to tell bold, impactful stories and our vision also aligns with them around providing a platform for underrepresented voices in the UK.

“Distinctive, local stories that entertain and resonate with audiences are what Disney+ are committed to championing, making Matriarch the perfect partners as we look to evolve our production slate in the UK.

“This is a dream, and we’re thrilled to continue working with them.”

Matriarch Productions saw its first feature film, Boiling Point, premiere at the London Film Festival (LFF) in 2021, earning four Bafta Film nominations, it was adapted into a six-part BBC television series of the same name in 2022.

The company’s best known work, Adolescence, features This Is England star Graham as Eddie Miller, the father of 13-year-old Jamie, played by Owen Cooper, when armed police burst into his home to arrest his son.

Eddie is then chosen as Jamie’s appropriate adult, accompanying him at the police interview and learning the extent of what his son is accused of doing.

The programme, co-written by Graham and Jack Thorne, has prompted a national conversation around online safety, examining so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, which has led to misogyny online and bullying using social media.

Last year, Graham and Thorne were invited to a parliamentary meeting on the subject by Labour MP Josh MacAlister, while prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has also praised the show, urging Parliament and schools to watch it, and saying he had watched the show with his own children.