Prime Video adds Martin Compston thriller — and I couldn't take my eyes off it

Fear key art featuring Martin Compston Anjli Mohindra and Solly McLeod

Fear stars Martin Compston, Anjli Mohindra and Solly McLeod. (Image credit: Prime Video)

Prime Video has just added an unsettling new psychological thriller that will have you hooked from the start.

Fear, which landed on Tuesday 4 March and is one of the best TV shows streaming this week, is a thought-provoking three-part drama centred on a family pushed to their limit when their menacing neighbour accuses them of child abuse.

It stars Scottish actor and Line of Duty favourite Martin Compston and The Lazarus Project's Anjli Mohindra, as married couple Martyn and Rebecca Berwick, who relocate from London to a beautiful new house in Glasgow with their two young children.

Life in their dream home soon turns into a nightmare, however, as their basement-dwelling neighbour Jan (Tom Jones' Solly McLeod) starts making unnerving remarks towards Rebecca, initiating a campaign of intimidation against the couple, which culminates in him accusing them of physically, mentally and sexually abusing their children.

Fear's Martyn and Rebecca Berwick walking in a park talking — Martin Compston and Anjli Mohindra as accused parents Martyn and Rebecca in Fear. (Image credit: Prime Video)

While the subject matter is obviously distressing, this three-parter is a compelling exploration of how parents would cope if faced with this situation — the fear the Berwicks feel about being accused of harming their beloved children is palpable thanks to the solid performances from its two leads Compston and Mohindra.

Special mention must also go to McLeod, who perfectly straddles the line between sympathetic and sinister as the deeply troubled Jan. A great example of this is how we discover Jan's not quite the caring neighbor he first appears when, having welcomed the family with "homemade" pizza and soup, he returns to his dingy kitchen where he quietly surveys an empty takeaway pizza box and shop-bought soup carton.

Jan watching the Berwicks on several computer screens — Jan is watching the Berwicks every move from his flat in the basement. (Image credit: Prime Video)

Game of Thrones’ James Cosmo also gives a sterling performance as Martyn’s estranged father, whose actions answer the age-old question: how far would you go to protect your child? The drama also gets serious about the impact of modern technology on our lives and in our homes.