If there are two actors that represent brilliant British TV, it's Sheridan Smith and Stephen Graham. The pair are prolific in their projects, appearing in various different shows over the years - including an anthology series that they actually worked on together, with many saying its them at their absolute best.
So if you haven't seen Accused yet, here's everything you need to know about the compelling series, from where to watch it, to who else stars. Consider this your weekend viewing sorted!
What is Accused?
The series originally came out in 2010 (over 16 years ago!) and features a series of 10 individual episodes spread across two series. It's a brilliant anthology series, meaning each episode tells a separate story, centred around the victims and accused in different crimes, each person awaiting a court verdict.
As the ITV description reads, "An anthology of crime stories wherein different types of criminal activities performed by various culprits are showcased and how the victims are given justice."
Who else is in the Accused cast?
As well as Sheridan Smith and Stephen Graham, the rest of the cast is absolutely brilliant, featuring a stellar cast of British and Irish actors. We're talking Olivia Colman, Peter Capaldi, John Bishop and more. Amazing!
- Christopher Eccleston as Willy Houlihan
- Andy Serkis as Liam Black
- Naomie Harris as Alison Wade
- Mackenzie Crook as Lance Corporal Alan Buckley
- Marc Warren as Kenny Armstrong
- Juliet Stevenson as Helen Ryland
- Peter Capaldi as Frank Ryland
- Sean Bean as Tracie Tremarco
- Anne-Marie Duff as Mo Murray
- Anna Maxwell Martin as Tina Dakin
- Olivia Colman as Sue Brown
- Stephen Graham as Tony Baines
- John Bishop as Peter Cartwright
- Robert Sheehan as Stephen Cartwright
- Sheridan Smith as Charlotte
Where can you watch Accused?
All 10 episodes of Accused are available to watch on ITVX. Each episode is roughly an hour long, but because they aren't connected to each other, there's no need to binge-watch.
What were reviews of Accused like?
The Guardian said at the time that Accused is "a compelling dissection of the fragility of ordinary lives, but you did long for just a little light and shade. People do crack jokes and the occasional smile during hard times – sometime never more so than when they are staring over the edge of the abyss – but rarely in a McGovern drama. It's wall-to-wall misery, and Fate-with-a-capital-F pressing in from every side."
Metro added, "Despite good reviews, a touch of controversy and International Emmy awards, Accused’s first six episodes didn’t notch up great ratings in 2010. A shame, as there is some tremendous acting on display and McGovern’s piercing, deliberately discomforting approach to character-based drama is always highly watchable."
