In a game of north vs south, Stephen Graham and Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters decide which region is superior
17:22, 05 May 2025Updated 17:22, 05 May 2025
Stephen Graham(Image: Getty Images)
Stephen Graham has insisted on taking his Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters to Liverpool to try a Chinese chippy. In a recent interview with JOE, the pair were asked whether the north or south of England had better food, music, and football.
When quizzed about which region is superior for food, Ashley admitted he thought the north was better; however, when Stephen said that northern chippies are ‘well better’ than down south, he replied: “Nah! Let’s not go there.”
Stephen, from Liverpool, continued: “I’m going to have to take you to a chippy in Liverpool. We have Chinese chippies.
“So, you can have chips and fish and all that, but you can also get special fried rice, chop suey, chips and curry sauce, salt and pepper ribs, salt and pepper chips, salt and pepper chicken – oh man, barbecued spare ribs – I’m starving, we’ve had no dinner.
“But you can get half chips, half rice, with barbecue ribs and sauce. It’s gorgeous!”
The actors were then asked about which region had the better music, to which they agreed they’re equally good. Stephen said: “You can’t call that one,” while Ashley added: “You’ve got some real big hitters that came from up north that are still huge today, but also, London has become a hub for new artists and new music, so I’d say it’s equal.”
The pair were also asked whether the north or south had the better football teams, a smirk immediately appearing on Stephen‘s face: “You just have to look at your Champions Leagues.
“We’ve probably won the most leagues, up north… if you combine Liverpool and Man United… and city.”
Ashley joked: “You’re trying to kill me out here. This is a biased interview.”
Adolescence, which was created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne – and stars Graham and Ashley Walters, was released in March. It received rave reviews from across the political spectrum for how it touches on what it means to be a man and the damage being done to Britain’s boys by social media.
So huge have been the shockwaves from the show that even the show’s producers can’t quite believe what they’re witnessing. Hannah Walters, who like her husband Stephen, produced the show, told the BBC she knew the series was needed but hadn’t realised just how much until now.
She told BBC Radio Leicester: “Stephen and I, we knew it was going to be impactful; we knew it was needed. But I did not, hand on heart, realise the profound effects it was going to have on people.
“Parents are sending me lots of messages of thanks, lots of messages of gratitude, because they’re opening those bedroom doors and talking to their children in ways that they hadn’t talked to them before.
“And I think that’s all we needed to do – give everybody a little shake and say, come on, it’s our duty now to make sure that this generation don’t get lost, because it’s so easy to lose them.”
Beyond getting people thinking, Adolescence has also had an impact on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after he supported a campaign for the show to be shown in the Houses of Parliament and schools across the country.
Sir Keir told MPs: “At home we are watching Adolescence. I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and it’s a very good drama to watch.
“This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem. It’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.”