Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.radiotimes.com
Channel 4 has confirmed that I Am Helen, the latest instalment from BAFTA-winning filmmaker Dominic Savage’s I Am anthology, will premiere later this month.
It’s now been announced that the two-parter will premiere on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday 16 November, with its second and final episode following the day after at 9:15pm on Tuesday 17 November. Both episodes will be available to stream on Channel 4 once the first has aired.
The two-part drama sees Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan and Peaky Blinders actor Joe Cole take centre stage as a couple who have been together for five years but are navigating a rough patch that is only exacerbated by toxic behaviour.
Produced by Me+You Productions, the drama is set to “explore the experience of womanhood in a world shaped by masculine power, aggression and control”.
Told through a female lens and developed by both Savage and Coughlan, it “examines the pressures and expectations placed on women while confronting the realities of toxic masculinity and the damage it can cause in modern relationships”.
Coughlan, best known as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton and Clare Devlin in Derry Girls, takes on the title role, while Cole, who played John Shelby in Peaky Blinders, stars opposite her as boyfriend Steve.
Alongside the news of the release date, Channel 4 have also released a couple more first-look images, which do a good job at demonstrating some of the tension to come with this pairing.
In one image, we can see the couple on the sofa with Coughlan’s Helen seemingly trying to get the attention of a blank Steve, while the other picture shows Helen looking stressed as she stands in the middle of an empty car park.
The recently released trailer gave us a better glimpse of the drama, with it showing how Steve continuously shuts down Helen as she tries to repair their relationship. But as she tries to open up about the emotional toll of it all, Steve starts getting more aggressive in both his actions and outlook on the way that men are treated by women.
The I Am… series first launched in 2019 and has become known for its distinctive, improvisational approach, shining a light on the complexities of women’s lives, relationships and identities.
Each instalment platforms powerful, single-character studies developed collaboratively with their leads. Earlier films include I Am Nicola with Vicky McClure, I Am Kirsty with Samantha Morton and I Am Hannah with Gemma Chan, followed by I Am Victoria with Suranne Jones, I Am Danielle with Letitia Wright and I Am Maria with Lesley Manville.
Kate Winslet actually won a BAFTA for her performance in the 2022 special I Am Ruth, which co-starred her daughter Mia Threapleton. So, all eyes will be on this upcoming instalment to see just how Coughlan and Cole embody such a topical storyline.
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I Am Helen is on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday 16 November.
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