‘Raw’ true crime doc Car Crash: Who’s Lying? shocks Netflix film chart: ‘Be warned’

A true crime documentary focusing on a deadly car crash has become the No 1 film on Netflix in the UK and Ireland.

Car Crash: Who’s Lying? was originally produced for the BBC back in 2018, but has been an unexpected hit since arriving on the streaming service this month.

The documentary has leapfrogged films such as the acclaimed crime-comedy Hit Man, and Jordan Peele’s western-influenced horror Nope, to claim the No 1 spot in the rankings, updated daily.

The official BBC synopsis for the programme describes it as a “a compelling single narrative documentary that tells the story of an unlikely group of friends in a close-knit community in Hampshire, who find themselves at the centre of an intense police investigation”.

“With access to never-before-seen police bodycam footage of the crash site, viewers are taken directly into the heart of the aftermath of a catastrophic collision between a car and a tree on a dark country road,” it reads.

The crash in question ocurred near Southwick, Hampshire in January 2016, and claimed the life of one passenger.

On social media, viewers have described the special as “raw”, with some one person writing: “Just watched Car Crash: Who’s Lying on @netflix. It’s a stark reminder of the trauma that bad decisions & dangerous driving can cause.

“It begins with an alarming stat from @Brakecharity: ‘Young people are 3 times more likely to die in a car crash than from guns, knives & alcohol’.”

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Another wrote: “Watch Car Crash: Who’s Lying? on Netflix. Be warned, it’s a bit raw.”

In a review of the special around the time of its original airing, The Independent’s Sean O’Grady praised the production.

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“Car Crash: Who’s Lying? is a gem, and I highly recommend you catch it on BBC iPlayer if you missed it,” he wrote. “It takes a single fatal road traffic accident and tells the story of how the police managed to determine who was responsible, and why. It’s a mundane, if tragic, tale, but given such a suspenseful and delicate treatment that you just have to watch.

“There will, I predict, be many more ‘true-life’ dramas like this one with the rich new harvest of police and CCTV footage. Car Crash: Who’s Lying? sets a high standard for the emerging genre.”

Car Crash: Who’s Lying? is available to stream now on Netflix in the UK and Ireland.