The 15-year-old star of British drama Adolescence has been nominated for an Emmy.

Owen Cooper becomes the youngest actor ever to be nominated in his category.

His performance as a troubled schoolboy arrested for murder is a contender for the outstanding support actor award in a limited series.

Cooper was 14 when he filmed the Netflix drama as Jamie Miller and had never acted professionally before. The performance was all the more remarkable because each episode was shot in one continuous take and the scenes were semi-improvised.

His rivals in the category include the Oscar-winner Javier Bardem and Cooper’s Adolescence co-star, Ashley Walters. The drama has a total of 13 nominations, including best actor for Stephen Graham and outstanding limited series.

Written by Jack Thorne, the drama has been watched 142.6 million times, according to Netflix. It was made by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, which is in discussions about the possibility of a second series, which will feature different characters but “stay true to its DNA”.