Sam Fender Enlists ‘Adolescence’ Star & Director for ‘Little Bit Closer’ Music Video

Sam Fender has teamed up with Adolescence director Phillip Barantini on a video for new single “Little Bit Closer.”

The clip, which was shot in the Lake District in the north west of England, follows Owen Cooper — who played Jamie Miller in the Netflix drama — and a group of friends on a trip to the Lakes, where Cooper’s character contemplates questions of faith.

Lifted from February’s People Watching LP, the track itself sees Fender dive deep into his relationship with religion, depicting the emotional complexities of growing up in the Christian faith.

Fender previously collaborated with Barantini back in 2021, working alongside him and fellow Adolescence star and co-writer Stephen Graham for the video to stirring single “Spit of You.” In a press release, he said, “It’s so great to be working with Phil [Barantini] again, I had no doubt he was the right director for this piece, his video for ‘Spit of You’ was my favorite. 

“Phil called to say he’d asked Owen if he’d like to be in the video, and that Owen was keen,” he continued. “I was elated that he could do it after seeing his incredible performance in Adolescence. Alongside Semera Khan [Creative Director] and the rest of the cast and team, they have created something beautiful.”

Barantini added: “To have the opportunity to direct another video for Sam was an immediate yes — an absolute no-brainer for me! Not only is Sam an incredible artist but he’s a beautiful human and a great friend! Also, the opportunity to direct Owen again so soon after Adolescence was an absolute joy!”

Adolescence took the U.K. by storm when it hit screens earlier this year; upon release in March, episode one pulled the largest ever audience for any streaming TV show in the country in a single week. The four-part series, which explores complex issues such as toxic masculinity and the dangers of online radicalization, is set to be made freely accessible to secondary school pupils through a partnership between Netflix and the Into Film+ streaming service. 

Speaking to Billboard U.K. in April, Barantini discussed the show’s ongoing impact and the vital discussions it has encouraged in recent months. “I always wanted [Adolescence] to be a conversation starter, or certainly for people to take different things away from it and have their own experience with it,” he said.

“There was definitely that feeling when we were on set,” he continued. “When we screened it to people, the audience were having the same reaction, but I did not think for one second it would be doing what it’s doing and still continues to do.”

Fender, meanwhile, has had a banner year so far. People Watching took the No. 1 spot on the Official Albums Chart upon release with 107,000 units sold across physicals and streaming. He becomes the first British solo artist to surpass 100,000 sales in an opening week since Harry Styles’ Harry’s House in 2022. He then scooped the alternative/rock act going at the BRIT Awards in March, and is now gearing up for a run of U.K. headline stadium shows this summer with dates in London and Newcastle.