Is The Accident based on Grenfell? Here’s the true story that inspired the new Channel 4 drama
NEW Channel 4 series The Accident tells the tale of a town shocked by a horrific explosion.
With echoes of real life tragedy Grenfell, we take you through how the story was inspired by the events of June 2017…
Is The Accident based on Grenfell?
While the storyline of The Accident is fictional, the real life tragedy of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people, inspired the story.
The four-part-series is about how an explosion in a Welsh village, followed by a catastrophic collapse, leaves many dead, children included, and the community devastated.
Writer Jack Thorne explains that the plan for The Accident “was always to look at class and restorative justice” but Grenfell shifted his focus.
He said: “I had an idea in my head and then Grenfell happened and the idea changed.
“And the concept of looking at corporate manslaughter and the way a corporate manslaughter trial might work came about.”
However, Jack reveals he felt unable to take on the Grenfell story itself.
“I was actually offered Grenfell three times by three different production companies… but I didn’t feel like there were the facts in place to look at it properly without hurting an awful lot of people, trampling over people’s lives.
“It’s not to say that there isn’t a beautiful drama to be made. I just didn’t feel capable of it myself.”
What happens on The Accident?
In a Welsh community that has been left behind, a large construction project offers hope for a better future.
But an explosion, followed by a catastrophic collapse, leaves many dead, children included, and the community devastated.
Polly (Sarah Lancashire) is the wife of the local politician (Mark Lewis Jones) who championed the project.
Their rebellious daughter, Leona (Jade Croot) broke on to the site on the day of the explosion, but now is left with a lifelong disability after the disaster.
As grief gives way to a torrent of anger and blame, the community finds itself torn apart.
It falls to Polly to hold the town together and face the challenging truths that emerge.
What happened at Grenfell?
A large fire broke out just after 1am on Wednesday, June 14, 2017, at Grenfell Tower in London.
The blaze was not brought under control until 1.14am on Thursday, June 15, some 24 hours after it started.
Police later confirmed 72 people died in the fire.
When is The Accident on TV?
The show kicked off on October 24, 2019.
The second episode is on TONIGHT at 9pm on Channel 4.
It is a four-part series and will continue every Thursday at the same time.
If you miss any you can watch them on .
Each episode runs for an hour.