Art / television
Golden Globes shine a light on Bristol’s creative roots
As the Golden Globes returned to Beverly Hills for their 83rd installment, the spotlight fell firmly on the British-made Netflix series Adolescence, which took home an impressive four awards.
Lauded, lampooned but never ignored, Adolescence was arguably the defining cultural talking point of 2025.
It was debated in the House of Commons and discussed in classrooms and boardrooms alike.
Radio presenter James O’Brien called it “epochal”, while prime minister Keir Starmer described how difficult it was to watch with his two teenage children, citing the show’s razor-sharp analysis of toxic masculinity, bullying and rampant misogyny.
Two of the Golden Globe winners began their creative journeys in Bristol.
Actress Erin Doherty, who starred in the Netflix drama, and the show’s co-writer and co-creator Jack Thorne both have deep roots in the region.
The series won Best Limited Television Series, with Thorne accepting the award on behalf of the team, alongside wins for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
Success at the Golden Globes was preceded by a string of Primetime Emmy Awards, where Thorne bagged a gong for Best Writing.
Doherty played Briony Ariston, a clinical psychologist in the series, where she helps a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate.
Doherty picked up Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, delivering an impromptu, sweary acceptance speech that reduced the room to laughter, where she dedicated her award to therapists around the world.
Doherty’s rise has been closely watched by those who worked with her early on.
Known for both her talent and formidable work ethic, she honed her craft at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 2015. Professional success followed swiftly, with Doherty cast in Owen Sheers’ Pink Mist on the Bristol Old Vic’s main stage immediately after graduating.
Just two years later, she appeared in Junkyard, written by Jack Thorne, a collaboration that now feels almost prophetic.
Thorne boasts a formidable CV in writing, spanning stage and screen, from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to This Is England, with credits also including Enola Holmes and a BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.
Thorne was one of the writers behind the generation-defining Channel 4 series Skins, which was filmed in Bristol and still inspires impromptu pilgrimages to its locations.
Prime minister Keir Starmer hosted a roundtable discussion with Jack Thorne and other creators of the Netflix series at 10 Downing Street in March 2025 – photo: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Born and raised in Bristol, Thorne has long spoken about the city’s influence on his work, shaped by its politics, creativity and strong sense of social purpose.
He grew up in a politically active household, with parents deeply involved in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). His mother was jailed for her activism, while his father took part in direct action, experiences that Thorne claims instilled a belief in collective action that continues to inform his writing.
Erin Doherty starred in the 2017 Bristol Old Vic production of Junkyard, written by Jack Thorne of his own experience of a adventure playground in Lockleaze – photo: Bristol Old Vic
His father’s work as a council town planner, involved in developing an adventure playground in 1970s Lockleaze, which later inspired Thorne’s 2017 play Junkyard, a standout success at the Bristol Old Vic.
As accolades continue to roll in on the international stage, Bristol can rightly claim a share of the star dust.
Main photo: Bristol Old Vic/ Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street
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