Channel 4 has released a first-look clip of the upcoming two-part drama I Am Helen, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) and Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders).
Clip reveals emotional confrontation
In the video, Coughlan’s character Helen holds Cole’s gaze before looking away shyly. A voiceover of Coughlan recalls her relationship: “I thought he liked that about me. I thought he liked that I was independent and knew what I wanted and didn’t need him. Now, I feel like he needs me to need him, and I am not- it’s not who I am.”
She then breaks down in tears while speaking to a friend, who comforts her. Helen asks, “Why is it so hard?” and her friend replies, “It’s real life, isn’t it?”
Anthology explores womanhood
The latest instalment of the BAFTA-winning anthology series explores the experience of womanhood in a world shaped by masculine power, aggression, and control. A description reads: “Told through a female lens, the story examines the pressures and expectations placed on women while confronting the realities of toxic masculinity and the damage it can create in modern relationships - this time, the story was developed by Savage with Nicola Coughlan.”
I Am Helen follows the success of three previous I Am series, which began in 2019 and became Channel 4’s most successful new 10pm drama in six years. Previous episodes starred Vicky McClure (I Am Nicola), Samantha Morton (I Am Kirsty), and Gemma Chan (I Am Hannah). Series two featured Suranne Jones (I Am Victoria), Letitia Wright (I Am Danielle), and Lesley Manville (I Am Maria). In 2023, Kate Winslet led the double BAFTA-winning I Am Ruth.
Channel 4 has confirmed I Am Helen will air later this year, though no official release date has been announced.
