There are two scenes in the opener of Channel 4's The Accident that took my breath away.
A superbly acted, written and beautifully shot four-parter, the Welsh-filmed drama sees the effect a disaster has on a small community, fictional Glyngolau, and the families who have lost children.
Starring Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley, Kiri) and Mark Lewis Jones (Keeping Faith, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), The Accident sees an explosion at a building site, in the middle of a regeneration project, causing the building to collapse in front of the eyes of the families who know that there are people trapped in there.
Once the explosion scene had happened I thought that was it, but the subsequent collapse onto the band of teens inside took me by surprise.
As did the grief-induced domestic abuse between Polly (Lancashire) and Iwan (Lewis Jones).
I was really taken aback by this act of shocking, yet strangely muted, violence and it felt like it was giving us a glimpse into why teenager Leona, one of those severely injured by the building collapse, hates her father so much.
Much of the premise of this series, about social injustices, loss and a community sent to breaking point by a devastating incident, is i, like the Grenfell fire and its ongoing inquiry.
Watch the trailer here:
Having a TV series written by a writer who's one of the country's most skilled at putting realities into stories makes an audience think about these injustices, brings them to the forefront of the news agenda. To me, that's no bad thing.
From the opening scene, on a gloomy high street, Hannah Street in Porth to be exact, to the uneasy family relationships embodied in Polly, Iwan and their rebellious daughter (Jade Croot), and the menacing shots of the beautiful but looming valley, you know there's something afoot.
I mean, it's a Jack Thorne drama, the writer behind National Treasure. And we've all seen the trailers, so, yeah, something bad is definitely going to happen.
It was uneasy to watch, and there was quite a contrast between the happy fun run through the green valley, with Iwan dressed as a banana, and the dramatic collapse of a regeneration project which is meant to inject life into Glyngolau, one of those 'left behind' communities trying to get back onto its feet.
Then there were the cold, alienated suits, isolated from the incident, trying to both instigate damage control and get ahead of a can of worms.
it all comes together to make you definitely want to watch the next four episodes. You're invested in these people now. And you want the questions answered. Who is Martin (Shaun Parkes) who pulled Leona out of the rubble? Did Iwan know it was potentially a shoddy job? How will the company try and wriggle out of responsibility and who will get dragged down with the tragedy?
It won't be an easy watch, but with cracking performances and an intrigue to suck you in, you'll be hooked.
The Accident airs at 9pm on Channel 4, Thursdays. (Catch-up on All4).
