Chizzy Akudolu, best known for her roles in BBC's Beyond Paradise and Holby City, stars as social worker Lucy Harding in Channel 5's new gripping crime thriller Little Disasters. The series, which premiered in June 2026, has already garnered high praise from viewers.
Star-Studded Cast and Plot
The show features a stellar ensemble including EastEnders actress Jo Joyner, Bridgerton's Shelley Conn, and The Office's Patrick Baladi. Adapted from Sarah Vaughan's bestselling novel of the same name, Little Disasters follows the intertwined lives of four friends whose decade-long bond is shattered when one of them brings her baby to the hospital with an unexplained head injury. When her friend and A&E doctor, Liz (played by Jo Joyner), is forced to call social services, the situation escalates dramatically.
Chizzy Akudolu's Character and Career
Akudolu's character, Lucy Harding, is the social worker assigned to investigate the case. Viewers may recognize the actress from her long-running role as consultant surgeon Mo Effanga in Holby City, which she played from 2012 to 2017, with a brief return in 2018 and a reprisal for the show's final episode in 2022. She also appeared as Reverend Kate Beccles in the 2024 Christmas special of Beyond Paradise and later as a guest cast member in the third series. Her first foray into the Paradise universe was in 2019, when she played Butterfly Brown in the original Death in Paradise.
Viewer Reception
Since its release, Little Disasters has been highly praised by fans. One viewer commented: "I remember watching this ages ago - it was very good." Another shared: "Just finished binge watching this last night. Absolutely brilliant cast! Grabbed your attention from the very 1st episode + you were gripped!" A third added: "Watching now it's so good."
The series is available to stream on My5.
