He never misses, but here’s an ultimate ranking of Stephen Graham’s best performances

Acting icon Stephen Graham seems to never miss in any of his roles, and has an extensive acting history with lots of brilliant reviews of every performance.

If you’ve just discovered Stephen from Adolescence, then you’re in luck because he’s starred in tonnes of other gripping TV shows.

From dramas to thrillers, he really does it all. Here is a definitive list of his best acting performances, and definitely some ideas for what to add to your watch list.

8. Bodies

via Netflix

If you get confused easily like me, maybe start further down this list as Bodies follows four (yes four) time periods at once where detectives find themselves investigating the same murder. However, if you are watching it for the plot, the plot being Stephen Graham, then put that phone down so you can follow along.

Released in 2023, the thriller showcases a stellar performance from Stephen, but the best is yet to come, ranking it as eighth.

7. A Thousand Blows

via Disney+

With thankfully just one time period to follow, A Thousand Blows is based off a true story of a group fighting to survive in East London in the 1880s. Stephen plays veteran boxer Sugar Goodson in the 2025 drama.

Prior to an amazing performance on screen, Stephen had an impressive physical transformation to get ready for the role, where he worked with a personal trainer and ate a diet of chicken, rice, and broccoli. Talk about commitment.

6. Time

via BBC iPlayer

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This will make you cry. Can’t give all the credit to Stephen Graham here as Sean Bean is absolutely incredible too.

Stephen plays a prison officer in Time, and although good at his job is corrupted by inmates in order to keep his son safe, who is also in prison.

5. Line of Duty

via BBC iPlayer

If you are yet to watch Line of Duty then stop reading this and go and watch it immediately. Stephen plays John Corbett in the fifth series of Line of Duty, and is an undercover police officer in an organised crime group. I’m not going to spoil anymore of it for you, just add it to the priority watch list.

4. This is England

via Prime Video

This role is an easy top ranker because without This is England we wouldn’t have the line: “What’s wrong with your trousers? Look at the f*cking size of them!”

Arguably a cult classic, and yet again Stephen does not miss. However, Stephen said on his Desert Island Discs that this performance took quite a toll on him, and he would “cry my eyes out” from performing in scenes which brought up memories of the racial abuse he experienced growing up in Merseyside as a mixed race boy with a Jamaican grandfather.

3. Adolescence

via Netflix

One of the biggest talking points at the moment, and for all the right reasons. Adolescence is a miniseries with each episode shot in one take, with the theme centred around knife crime and violence towards women. The show follows Jamie Cooper in a why-he-did-it rather than whodunnit way, after he is arrested for the murder of his class mate.

Stephen plays Jamie’s father Eddie Miller, and he is just perfect throughout, particularly his moving performance at the end of episode four.

However, being a man of many talents, Stephen did not only act in Adolescence but also came up with the project alongside Jack Thorne.

2. Help

via Prime Video

What’s better than Stephen Graham? Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer. Help is a one off drama written by Jack Thorne starring both Stephen and Jodie, in a care home which is  hit by the Covid pandemic.

Jodie plays Sarah, a young carer, while Stephen plays Tony, a difficult patient struggling with early onset Alzheimer’s. Although a hard watch (get the tissues ready), the two perform perfectly together to portray the emotion and hardships faced by care homes during the pandemic.

1.Boiling Point

via BBC iPlayer

At number one is Boiling Point, and if you are a TV nerd like me and were amazed by the on e shot wonder Adolescence, Boiling Point should be on your weekend watchlist.

Boiling Point follows the pressure of a restaurant kitchen as the head chef leads his team on their busiest day of the year. Although this description makes it sound slightly dull, the pressure and stress of the story grips you in immediately. You will literally sweat.

And the best part? Once you’ve watched this, there is then the four part series to watch after! You can never have to much Stephen Graham.