This ensemble drama series examines the lives of several people connected by a single, catastrophic road accident.
A major road collision on a wet morning brings together the lives of a disparate group of travellers. Among those caught up in the crash are stockbroker Andrew Buchan (Bernard Kay) and his chauffeur Ian Shaw (Michael Byrne); an expectant couple, Dilys (Patricia Garwood) and Frank Martin (Peter Geddis); a group of students including Simon Lovell (Anthony Head) and Terri (Michelle Newell); and two prison guards escorting their charge. The serial reconstructs the events leading up to the crash and its immediate aftermath, using a non-linear narrative to piece together the stories of the individuals involved.
An ambitious but now largely forgotten piece of event television, Accident was constructed as a multi-stranded narrative puzzle. The serial rejected a straightforward chronological approach, instead using a fractured timeline of flashbacks and flash-forwards to piece together the moments before and after the collision.
This structure allowed the teleplays by Derek Ingrey and Ray Jenkins to examine the accident not as a single incident, but as the violent intersection of numerous private histories and future possibilities. The format demanded a strong ensemble cast, and the production assembled a formidable company of established character actors and rising talent to give each of the interlocking stories its own dramatic integrity.
Broadcast: BBC Two, 8 Episodes, Thursdays, 2 November 1978 – 18 January 1979
Written by: Derek Ingrey, Ray Jenkins
Producer: Joe Waters
Music: Anthony Isaac
Main Cast: Michael Byrne (Ian Shaw), Anthony Head (Simon Lovell), Patricia Garwood (Dilys Martin), Michelle Newell (Terri), Bernard Kay (Andrew Buchan), Davyd Harries (Jack Dutton), Daniel Hill (Tom Baxter), Peter Geddis (Frank Martin)
