A gritty British thriller that viewers said they were struggling to watch because of a ‘vile’ detail has stormed the Netflix charts.
The Gathering first aired on Channel 4 last year and was this week added to Netflix in the UK too.
The synopsis for the six-part series teased: ‘A violent attack on a teenager at an illegal beach rave sends shockwaves of suspicion through a Merseyside community. As secrets and lies are laid bare, will the truth emerge?’
Despite Netflix viewers now rushing to binge the series, which is currently the fifth most-watched show on the platform in the UK, viewers had a tougher time tuning in initially.
The main source of their difficulties was watching the character of Natalie, who was described as the ‘mother from hell’.
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Her daughter, Jessica, played by Sadie Soverall, is a talented teen gymnast whose friend Kelly (Eva Morgan) is the one attacked.
Desperate to please her mother and measure up to her strict and overbearing standards, Jessica struggles against Natalie’s demands.
Sherlock star Vinette Robinson played the character, who viewers said was ‘controlling’, ‘manipulative’, ‘vile’ and ‘toxic’.
‘It’s pretty dire so far. I doubt that I’ll bother watching the next episode,’ viewer Carole shared on X.
However, many others have since said they were hooked on the series after giving it a go.
‘Absolutely loved this superb six-part drama. A highlight was the outstanding performance of the young female actors,’ user ronnaylor posted on IMDB.
‘I was delighted to be gripped from start to finish. Firstly, the script was a knock-out, superbly written and created by Helen Walsh, copper fastened by very intelligent directing by Gareth Bryn. But it was the standard of the acting for me that truly astonished me: I was amazed at how so many new and young actors mastered their skill by delivering first-class and resoundingly authentic and believable performances. This drama pulls no punches and can be an eye-opener for parents of teenagers,’ InnerWisdom1000 posted.
‘I never thought I’d type this but: It’s better than Happy Valley,’ Steve even declared.
Although the series was described as being ‘quietly a massive hit’ for the broadcaster, Channel 4 later decided to shelve plans for a second season.
In October last year it was announced it had been cancelled.
‘The series performed very well for Channel 4 but there are new people in charge and new priorities, meaning The Gathering won’t be coming back,’ executive producer Simon Heath told The Sun.
While speaking at the Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London, Deadline had reported that Channel 4’s content boss Ian Katz said that The Gathering was ‘quietly a massive hit for us’ and was ‘absolutely huge on streaming’ but was ‘quite small’ when it came to linear TV viewing figures.
The Gathering was produced by the same team behind Line Of Duty, Save Me and Vigil, and was written by novelist Helen Walsh, who also wrote Brass and Once Upon A Time In England.
She previously said the idea for the show came from a ‘dark morality tale’.
‘I wanted to write a twisty, state-of-the-nation take on Philip Larkin’s notorious ‘they f*** you up’ observation about parents and kids,’ she said.
‘In an era where the micro-managing of children’s lives has become the new normal, The Gathering throws today’s surveillance parenting into sharp focus and asks who is really to blame when our kids f*** up.’
The Gathering is streaming on Channel 4 and Netflix.
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