Aged 16, all anyone wants to do is blend in. Seven years later, I thought I had blocked out the memory of a toe-curlingly awkward encounter over lunch in the first term at my new sixth form, but it came flooding back to me in mortifying full colour when watching a particular scene (I won’t reveal which) from Tell Me Everything, a new ITV teen drama to be released on the broadcaster’s streaming channel ITVX.
The six-part series follows the lives of 16-year-old Jonny Murphy (newcomer Eden H Davies) and his childhood best friends Neve (Lauryn Ajufo) and Louis (Spike Fearn) in the Hertfordshire commuter town of Welwyn Garden City (home of the show’s writer Mark O’Sullivan) as they navigate the messy and confusing world of adolescence. On the surface, Jonny is carefree. He is the life and soul of the party, but it quickly becomes clear that he, like many of the show’s characters, is struggling behind closed doors, and a tragedy that strikes in the first episode forces him to confront the barely-contained angst threatening to tip him over the edge.
There were many moments while watching that I had similarly visceral flashbacks to forgotten Year 12 trauma. Not since the Channel 4 heyday of British teen grunge TV – Skins, The Inbetweeners, Fresh Meat – has a show sent the blood rushing to my cheeks with such intense second-hand cringe. Produced by Robert Wulff-Cochrane and Camilla Campbell, whose credits include Skins, Misfits, Fresh Meat and Top Boy, the similarities in tone are unsurprising. When Jonny is caught, trousers at the ankles, having sex with his second cousin at his dad’s funeral (a moment inspired by events in O’Sullivan’s own life), I actually had to pause for a breather.
Despite its echoes of Noughties indie sleaze, Tell Me Everything tackles the nuances of late teenagehood with far more sensitivity than the often slightly crass approach of a decade ago. The show still dabbles in drugs and alcohol – “If you can’t bring the fun, then buy it” – but also has a distinctly contemporary feel, exploring the uniquely devastating nuances of teenage depression in the social media age. It also manages to retain the charm of these British teen classics while leaving behind the casual sexism and homophobia that make some of them an uncomfortable watch today, incorporating in their place same sex relationships and a diverse cast in a refreshing and natural way.
Davies delivers a masterclass in his debut performance as Jonny, expertly flitting between grief, angst and ecstasy with the skill and honesty of seasoned professional. Pitch perfect casting and a stellar script generates an organic chemistry between Jonny, the quietly rebellious Neve and socially anxious Louis. Fearn is sure to be an audience favourite, providing light relief from the show’s more intense moments with impeccable comedic finesse.
While there are a few clumsy moments, Tell Me Everything does an excellent job of tapping into the truisms and sometimes mundanity of the teenage psyche, while also hinging around a genuinely captivating plot. Beautifully shot and perfectly paced, it is a glorious tribute to smalltown British adolescence.
