The Accident

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.

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 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.

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

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