User reviews

The Accident has come in for some really harsh criticism, some of those criticisms are fair, some are unjustified.

Over four parts it's quite well paced, it's certainly dramatic, with some good moments, aside from the accident itself it deals with poverty and domestic violence, relevant topics for 2019. The acting is very good, Lancashire despite her accent is very good, as is Joanna Scanlan.

One of the main irritations, the accents, I speak as a Welshman, and it's true some are terrible, and do irk somewhat, Lancashire didn't need to be made Welsh. I would agree the direction is a little clunky.

Stick with it, for the most part it's worth seeing. 6/10

I watched episode 1 of 'The Accident' last night, Jack Thorne's a brilliant writer and the cast is wonderful but it was so harrowing. The story is based around a small and poor village and its residents. A new building collapses on some youngsters who have broken in to graffiti the place. It's about the fall out as some kids are dead and some have life changing injuries. It's about who is to blame and about relationships crumbling. The most shocking bit for me was the brief but incredibly powerful scene of domestic violence played out brilliantly and convincingly by Sarah Lancashire and Mark Lewis, it came out of nowhere and I found it deeply distressing to witness. Not sure yet, about the rest of it, I might choose to watch something a tad more uplifting! #theaccident

Glyngolau, Wales is like any company town when the company leaves. It no longer can depend on the coal mine or the steel plant, because those jobs have moved overseas. The population is thrilled when a Japanese company begins to build a new factory that promises 1,000 new jobs. The joy turns to agony when the building collapses on a group of teenagers and the building site manager.

Sarah Lancashire anchors an ensemble cast as Polly, the woman whose daughter Leona is the sole survivor of the accident. Polly knows something isn't right about the accident but she isn't sure she wants to know what it is. Her husband Iwan is the head of the council who brought the business to Glyngolau.

So begins a story that is part mystery, part soap opera and part exposition on the way rabid greed takes advantage of financial desperation. It may be set in Wales, but it could be about Altoona or Gadsden or Cleveland,

The countryside of Wales is beautiful (and I wish we had seen more of it). The performances are sensitive and restrained, which may not please viewers who want scene chewing. The pacing may be too slow for some, but I liked the leisurely way the director "showed" rather than "told" us what was happening inside the characters.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In a small Welsh village, a group of delinquent children trespass into a construction site, only for a gas canister to explode, killing several of them, and severely injuring Leona (Jade Croot), the daughter of Polly (Sarah Lancashire.) As the town mourns the tragedy, attention shifts to who to blame, in the shape of the corporation who set up the site, represented by Harriett Paulsen (Sidse Babett Knudsen.) As Polly gets determined to fight for justice, spurred on by claims investigator Phillip (Adrian Scarborough), her world is tested to the limit, especially her marriage to husband Iwan (Mark Lewis Jones), who's involved with the company at the heart of the accident.

Writer Jack Thorne, the man behind the excellent The Virtues and National Treasure, said in a (promotional?) interview for The Accident that he was trying to shine a light on how the working class are trampled all over after a big accident, in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. That incident, however, is one of a number of instances (most notably, the Hillsborough tragedy) that are referenced in this four part production. However, it pales in comparison to TV and NT, examples of what the guy is capable of producing when he puts his mind to it.

The setup has potential, and it's reliably well acted by TV stalwart Lancashire, and Croot as her hormonal daughter, with strong support from Lewis as the husband/father figure. However, none of the unfortunate kids feel developed or fleshed out enough to really get under their skin, or care about them in the way that you're supposed to. There's just not enough of an emotional impact to it all, despite the heavy subject matter, and any connection to Grenfell fails to translate that much.

While Thorne hasn't made a complete hash of it (as many have said!), he has sold himself and his (evident!) talents quite short. ***

I was really surprised that there are so many terrible reviews of this show, it almost discouraged me from watching it. I decided to give it a go anyway and I'm glad I did!

What you should NOT expect is a mainstream TV that blows you away with it's special effects, filmography, explicit acting or a breathtaking script. It has its few flaws here and there and it's not the type of TV you would watch over and over again.

BUT, it's a valid story definitely worth watching. I would agree for 100 % with another reviewer here who wrote that there's "something intrinsically British about it's approach". It's a story of ordinary folk who just live day by day, struggling to make decent living. Lack of money, lack of jobs, dysfunctional relationships including domestic violence. On the other hand authorities failing to do the justice right after the community is devastated after the project that was supposed to bring them jobs and brighter future causes an unexpected tragedy. The overall impression you might get is that it's "plain", but it's not. Look under the surface and you will find a story that's relevant and touching. Story of people who are brave to carry on. And behind the subtle acting, you sense the inner conflicts and struggling to cope, facing the consequences each of them in their own way. And, to disagree with many of the reviewers, as a huge Sarah Lancashire fan, I must say she is as great as ever.

I find it strange that words like 'parody' and 'cliched' can be used to describe this human drama when endless predictable detective thrillers, girls captive in a cellar dramas etc seem to get such rave reviews here. I thought the unfolding relationships were compelling, the acting (in the main) good and the plot was making a good attempt to get under the skin of the emotional destructiveness of this kind of tragedy. Yes there were cliched moments - the confrontation between the owner of the building and Sarah Lancashire's character for example - but I certainly think it's worth watching further episodes. Nowhere near as good as the excellent 'Virtues' by the same writer - but nowhere near as bad as some reviewers are suggesting.

You can tell from the first five minutes that this isn't going to be good. They didn't even attempt to film a credible accident scene. Leaving me to watch some parody in how the emergency services would respond. Closely followed by a woeful 9/11 rip off and then a really edited hospital scene. This is where we were introduced to Martin who saved someone. The scene screams of predictability on how Martins character will play out.

The script is wooden and the lines delivered poorly. The scenes make no sense and the continuity rattling. All in all a drama created on cliche and lazy story writing. Zero attempt to recreate reality. Not recommended. This isn't going to get better...

I really thought this was good! I had a bit of trouble understanding and had to turn on the subtitles, but I watched it straight through. Sorry to see such low ratings.

I...really can't wrap my head around the bad reviews. Sure it's not anything groundbreaking, but I've seen some bad movies and shows, and this miniseries definitely comes out on the more positive side. I can't speak for the accents considering I'm from a completely different hemisphere, but I found the acting good enough. My favorite character was probably Angela. Anyway, it's 4 episodes, just see for yourself.

Having Sarah Lancashire is usually a guarantee of something good. Not this time. Cliched, poor acting by all, weak storyline. Everything you shouldn't expect. Do something more constructive with your time like paint a wall and watch it dry.

Why not use Welsh actors and at least get the accents authentic. If you're a Welsh person watching it the whole programme is spoilt when Joanna Scanlon and Sarah Lancashire speak as it sounds like they're in a Two Ronnies comedy sketch. If you can ignore that aspect, then you'll probably appreciate the production as it is well made albeit with a very bleak storyline.

It could have been a brilliant story in which the complexity of guild, blame, shame, responsibilities, good, bad, truth, loyalty and so on and so forth was explored in various aspects.

It turned out to be a superficial story with pale characters. An sexy rich lady with a toy boy, an oversexed teenager with daddy issues and an ordinary, but honest, hairdresser who stood and stayed by her husband despite.... Who knows, it wasn't explored.

What remains is a caricature of rich against poor, have against have-nots of have-less. All blown up, literally, against a massive and over the top accident. Pity.

English drama with top actors can never fall completely flat, can it? I only found this series now (2024), and read that it was partly poorly received when it came out. Nevertheless, I can reassure you that it is not bad. Nor is it among the best, far from it. But with actors like Sarah Lancashire and Mark Lewis Jones, this series lasts through 4 episodes. Without them, and the rest of the other good actors, I think this could have gone badly.

They prove here that even with that uninteresting plot, somewhat stereotypical character, they manage to keep the series alive. Compared to a lot that is produced today, this one is certainly good enough.

The series creators should also be praised for sticking to 4 episodes, and not dragging this out unnecessarily. Give it a chance, not everything that is made for us viewers can score all possible points.

I enjoyed this. The acting is really good and the characters are relatable. I found the Welsh dialect easy to understand. Slow moving. No special affects.

I read a number of the bad reviews but watched this in spite of them and glad I did. This is a terrific piece of British television. I say British because there is something intrinsically British about it's approach. It is beautifully written and beautifully acted in a simple, truthful and understated way. It's message of one woman's inherent goodness in the face of loss, hurt and corporate greed is told without show or sensationalism. Wonderful

A difficult subject, about a dying village's last hope a new factory, which collapses and kills a lot of the village youngsters. And we are told about some of the factors that led to the catastrophe.

Very well told, very realistic, using excellent actors, good special effects, but very few surprises along the way, thus a bit depressing from start to finish, so not one bit of fun.

I found it hard to believe that actors like the incredible Sidse Babett Knudsen (uniquely talented star of the Danish series, "Borgen"); Sarah Lancashire (brilliant in "Last Tango in Halifax" and "Happy Valley"); Joanna Scanlan, who totally carried "No Offence"; and Eiry Thomas, impressive in her role in "Keeping Faith") could actually be part of such a bad production. The writing is ATROCIOUS; the plot so thin, the supporting cast just ... well ... "unglued" is the only thing I can think of.

This is, all round, an absolute fail. I still can't get over these four brilliant women being part of something so bad; they're SO good, but even they couldn't carry this incredibly limp and scattered script. It SHOULD have been good, but it fails. I'm really, really disappointed. What a waste of incredible talent....

I really don't understand the bad reviews, so that's why I post one.

Very, very good! I'm glad that I've watched this, despite the bad ratings.

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Lancashire and I knew it would be a quality production. I was puzzled by when I first saw Rotten Tomatoes critics rated it really high, but viewers were not so kind. I'm glad I went ahead and watched. I wasn't disappointed at all. Definitely worth seeing.

The only thing I have an issue with was the unnecessary sexual humiliation. Very slight, and a plot device for sure. I think it could have been conveyed in another way.

I think nothing encapsulates the reason why I cut the cord on terrestrial TV more than this. What a terrible attempt at entertainment.

I've not posted on here before, but seeing the bad reviews made me want to post.

I think it's great. It's a great plot, good acting and I'm on the edge of my seat.

Please give it a chance, I'm writing this after one episode too.