Netflix’s latest British thriller The Accident has stormed to the top of global viewing charts just days after its December 18 release, proving once again that nothing terrifies audiences quite like ordinary life gone catastrophically wrong.

Created by The Tourist writer Jack and Harry Williams and starring Sarah Lancashire, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Joanna Scanlan and Mark Stanley, this six-part limited series transforms a sunny children’s birthday party into a devastating tragedy that tears apart a tight-knit community.

Set in the fictional Welsh coastal town of Glyngolau, the story begins with innocent summer fun: bouncy castles, face painting, and a garden full of laughing children. But when a freak explosion at a new housing development collapses onto the party, several children are killed and many more injured. What follows is not a simple accident investigation, but a slow-burning unraveling of secrets, blame, and buried guilt that makes everyone question everything they thought they knew about their neighbours, their friends, and even their own families.

Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) leads the ensemble as local detective Anne Henderson, a woman haunted by her own past who refuses to accept the official “tragic accident” verdict. Danish star Sidse Babett Knudsen plays Ingrid Jensen, the ambitious developer behind the doomed construction project, while Joanna Scanlan and Mark Stanley portray grieving parents whose marriage crumbles under the weight of loss and suspicion.

What sets The Accident apart from typical disaster dramas is its laser focus on the aftermath. Rather than lingering on the explosion itself, the series explores how ordinary people cope—or fail to cope—when tragedy exposes hidden truths. A mother discovers her husband’s secret financial troubles. A teenager learns her best friend had been bullying the victims. A politician realises her cost-cutting decisions may have contributed to the collapse. Every episode peels back another layer, turning suspicion into accusation and grief into rage.

Critics have hailed the series as “devastatingly brilliant” (The Guardian) and “a masterclass in slow-burn tension” (Variety). On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a near-perfect 96%, with audiences praising the powerhouse performances—especially Lancashire’s quietly shattering portrayal of a detective who sees too much—and the way it captures the suffocating intimacy of small-town life. Viewers report binge-watching all six episodes in one sitting, unable to look away even as the story grows darker.

At its core, The Accident asks uncomfortable questions: How well do we really know the people around us? When something terrible happens, who do we blame—and who do we protect? The answers are messy, painful, and profoundly human.

Filmed in Wales with stunning coastal backdrops that contrast sharply with the emotional devastation, the series also marks another triumph for the Williams brothers, whose previous hits The Missing and Liar redefined British thriller television.

Currently sitting at #1 in the UK and inside Netflix’s global Top 10, The Accident is the perfect post-Christmas watch for anyone who loves intelligent, character-driven drama that lingers long after the credits roll. Six episodes, no filler, all heartbreak—this is prestige television at its most gripping.

If you’ve ever wondered how quickly a perfect day can turn into a lifetime of regret, clear your schedule and press play. Just don’t expect to sleep easy afterwards.