The psychological thriller Little Disasters concludes on Channel 5 tonight, with viewers finally learning who harmed baby Betsey. The six-part drama, starring Diane Kruger, Jo Joyner, Shelley Conn, and Patrick Baladi, has been hailed as "addictive" and "brilliant" by audiences.
Who Hurt Betsey?
In the penultimate episode, Jess Carrisford (Diane Kruger) was taken into police custody and interrogated after it was revealed she left her children, Frankie and Betsey, alone while she went to buy paracetamol for teething pain. However, the episode also disclosed that another person was present in the house on the day Betsey sustained her injuries.
It was Stephen Campbell Moore's character, Rob, who inadvertently harmed Betsey. Rob arrived at Jess's home while she was out, desperately seeking to persuade her husband Ed (JJ Field) to back his new business venture. After forcing his way in, Rob encountered Frankie, who asked for help lifting Betsey to change her nappy. Rob placed Betsey on a changing mat atop the kitchen island, but momentarily looked away to examine papers bearing Ed's signature. In that instant, Betsey tumbled from the worktop onto the hard floor.
Rob then blamed Frankie and pressured him to remain silent. Frankie's behavior became increasingly unstable as he suffered flashbacks of the incident. During an interview with a social worker, it emerged that Rob had told Frankie his mother would face imprisonment if he told the truth, explaining why Jess had been evasive about leaving the children unsupervised. The episode concluded with the case against Jess being dropped, and the group—except Rob—gathered for a picnic to mark Betsey's birthday.
How Did the Book Differ?
The television adaptation differs considerably from Sarah Vaughan's bestselling 2020 novel. In the original story, the person responsible for Betsey's injury is Jess's close friend Charlotte (played by Shelley Conn in the series). In the book, Charlotte visits the family home while Jess is out and attempts to assist Frankie with Betsey. Frankie unexpectedly shoves her, causing Charlotte to accidentally drop the baby before panicking rather than seeking immediate help.
Discussing the change with TIME Magazine, Vaughan said: "The reason RoughCut didn't want Charlotte to be responsible was they felt it was unrealistic. I think there's an interesting double standard about men and women in this, but they found it hard to believe that a woman would leave a baby that had been harmed."
Little Disasters concludes tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
