Stephen Graham, the Emmy-winning actor best known for Netflix hit Adolescence, has launched a new project asking fathers to write letters to their sons about what it means to be a man, to form a book about masculinity.
The project invites fathers around the world to write personal letters to their sons, reflecting on their experiences of fatherhood. Graham will work with psychology lecturer Orly Klein to compile Letters to Our Sons, a book due to be published by Bloomsbury next October.
“There is arguably an even bigger disconnect between fathers and sons than ever before,” Graham said. “We want to hear from men of all ages, first-time fathers, absent fathers, fathers who’ve been there but never truly been there, fathers who’ve lost and fathers who just want to find a way to say I love you, to tell their sons what they mean to them and to talk openly about what it means to be a man.”
Fathers can submit their letters from Wednesday 15 October until 12 January 2026, via the project’s website. Selected letters will appear alongside contributions from Graham and other well-known figures.
The project follows the success of Adolescence, a limited TV series co-created by Graham. The show, which became Netflix’s second most-watched English-language programme globally, examined modern masculinity and the pressures facing teenage boys in a digital world.
“After Adolescence, I realised how little space there often is for fathers and sons to talk openly about what it means to be a man today,” Graham said.
The series sparked widespread debate in the UK and beyond about the role of fathers, male role models and toxic online influences. MP Anneliese Midgley urged for it to be shown in parliament and in schools, arguing that it could help address violence against women and girls. Prime minister Keir Starmer supported the proposal, saying that watching the show with his teenage children “hit home hard”. On 31 March, it was announced that the series would be made available for free to UK secondary schools.
The idea for the book also grew out of Klein’s own experiment: when her son turned 13, she asked her male friends to write him letters offering advice about growing into adulthood. She talked about this with a mutual friend of Graham’s, who then put them in touch, knowing “there was an idea for a book there somewhere”.
Klein, whose academic work focuses on marginalisation, identity and youth culture, has previously worked on projects such as Room to Rant, which uses rap as a therapeutic tool for young men.
Campaigners and educators have warned of the growing influence of “manosphere” figures and extremist ideologies targeting vulnerable young men. Earlier this year, a study found that 69% of boys aged 11-14 had encountered posts promoting misogyny. Meanwhile, research from the NSPCC found that 42% of parents reported hearing their sons make inappropriate comments – including sexual, violent or degrading remarks – about women and girls, because of what they had seen online.
The book’s publisher, Bloomsbury, described it as a project with the potential to spark a “genuine social and cultural movement”.
Graham and Klein will be making a donation for every letter published to the charity MANUP? and social enterprise Dad La Soul, two organisations helping young men struggling with mental health.
To submit a letter, visit letterstooursons.co.uk
