Tuppence Middleton takes the lead in strange new ITV thriller Our House. The premise, based off Louise Candlish’s novel of the same name, seems quite simple on the face of it, but lies, scandal and pure drama lie at the heart of this unsuspecting hit.

Middleton plays Fiona (or Fi) who returns back to her very swish London house after a weekend away to find it’s completely empty and a couple are moving in. She has absolutely no recollection of even considering selling this outrageously beautiful period property, let alone signing a contract, but she’s faced with that very prospect in episode 1.

Fi is a woman who has everything – the house, the husband, the kids, the job – but she soon finds out just how fragile the life she loves is, and it’s perfectly portrayed by Middleton, who lets her mask slip tentatively as her world is torn apart. When we first meet Fi, her professionalism and elegance make her seem somewhat cold, but as we learn more and more about her, she undoubtedly warms, before eventually we’re rooting for her as her well-maintained composure slips inch by inch.

Middleton takes us on an unforgettable journey, pulling together a complete range of emotions in a single look. It’s a stunning turn for the actress who is really going from strength to strength in her craft.

The plot at first seems quite unusual and hard to relate to at times, but that becomes its strength. We can’t imagine having our lives ripped from us so brutally and quickly because we simply don’t want to. Our House puts our darkest fears in front of us and lets it play out through a frenzied timeline where we slip between the past and present as Fi attempts to work out just how she come to lose everything.

Throughout the pacy thriller, we constantly flip between two timelines as writer Simon Ashdown teases small details here and there. You come to learn that anything could become an important plot point so this is not a drama to watch lightly. Put your phone down because if you blink for one moment you’ll miss a key reveal.

Forget everything you think you know about ITV dramas. This one has HBO-levels of sophistication and ambition, never once undermining the audience. This drama demands you to work for it, with the pay-offs coming because you were paying attention.

Central to the drama are the supporting cast, with Martin Compston playing complex husband Bram – prepare to have your opinion of him change almost every scene. At once utterly charming and a complete accidental scoundrel, Compston balances Bram’s complexity while also managing to leave the viewer wanting – no, demanding – to know more. This is a far cry from good old reliable Steve Arnott.

Elsewhere in the talent-filled Our House cast, Weruche Opia takes the role of Merle, a woman at the centre of a family storm. She’s joined by Rupert Penry-Jones and Buket Komur as Toby and Wendy – but to say anything meaningful about their characters would do the plot an injustice. Trust me, you won’t be able to take your eyes off them.

Our House isn’t without its flaws. Its complexity can be at times inaccessible, and unless you really want to go on the journey, it would be easy to lose focus. At times, it can feel like we’re going on a distracting backstory, particularly when we meet Fi’s quite frankly terrible friends – do any of them really care about her?! – but with such a twisting and turning story, it’s hard to know what matters and what doesn’t.