“Impossible to stop watching”: Help is Jodie Comer’s “beyond brilliant” drama to binge tonight

There are some dramas that simply stay with you – for months, years even, after you’ve watched them - and a prime example is Help. The beyond brilliant drama, which is available to binge on Channel 4 tonight, stars Jodie Comer as a care home assistant who goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her patients when the pandemic hits. It’s a painfully honest story that’s almost impossible to stop watching once you start it - and one that, rightly so, has earned 5-star reviews across the board.

The brilliance of the series comes not only from Jodie’s superb performance, but also from the fact that the patient her character forms a particular bond with, Tony, is played by the equally terrific Stephen Graham. When Covid rears its ugly head, the care home is completely unprepared and it quickly becomes clear that no help is coming – meaning Sarah is left fighting to protect those in her care, including Tony, largely alone.

With the drama now available to stream, here’s everything you need to know about Help before you watch it, including the full plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Help about?

The one-off drama, which first aired on Channel 4 in 2021, comes from BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and is set in a fictional Liverpool care home during the Covid pandemic. At the centre of it is young care home worker, Sarah (played by Jodie Comer) and her patient, Tony (Stephen Graham), whose lives are changed forever by the arrival of the pandemic.

Sarah has never quite fitted in, not at school or in work, and her family told her she’d never amount to anything. But she unexpectedly finds her calling as a carer at Sunshine Homes, however, where she discovers a special talent for connecting with the residents, one of whom is 47-year-old Tony.

Tony has Young Onset Alzheimer’s, which has left him living out his days in care as his mind slowly deteriorates. His illness causes confusion and violent outbursts and many members of staff struggle to handle it, but with Sarah he begins to build a real bond. Then, in March 2020, everything Sarah has achieved with her patients is thrown into doubt with the arrival of the Covid.

Despite tirelessly fighting tooth and nail with her colleagues, the team is ill-equipped, poorly prepared, and seemingly left helpless by the powers that be. Determined as she is, Sarah goes to extraordinary lengths to protect those in her care, but the staff’s unwavering commitment, compassion and heroic efforts can only do so much, as she’ll soon discover.

Jodie explained in an interview with Channel 4: “It’s an exploration of how people on the frontline had to adjust and adapt to the severity of the situation around them at the outbreak of the pandemic and what they were left to deal with. Within that, there are these gorgeous relationships between the residents and care workers, one of the residents being Stephen’s character, Tony.

“It feels like a very human story, and it’s something that I think a lot of people can relate to right now. I hope that this film goes some way in telling the unseen and unheard stories of our country’s carers and the horrendous position they found themselves in.”

Her co-star Stephen added: “Hopefully we can inspire appreciation for what these people have experienced, and mindfulness about what they might be going through. Let’s hope that society learns from the mistakes that were made during this period and make sure that they never happen again. Let’s hope we never face anything like this again.”

Who’s in the cast of Help?

The cast of Help includes:

• Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Doctor Foster) as Sarah
• Stephen Graham (Adolescence, A Thousand Blows) as Tony
• Ian Hart (God’s Own Country) as Steve
• Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) as Gloria
• Cathy Tyson (Boiling Point) as Polly
• Angela Griffin (Waterloo Road) as Tori
• Lesley Sharp (Before We Die) as Gaynor
• Andrew Schofield (Scully) as Bob
• Arthur Hughes (The Jetty) as Tim
• Steve Garti (Brassic) as Kenny
• David Hayman (Finding Your Feet) as Hercules
• Ellis Howard (What It Feels Like for a Girl) as Robbie

Is there a trailer for Help?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for Help below:

View full post on YouTube

Is Help any good?

Yes – it’s a harrowing but important drama featuring impeccable performances from both Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham. It portrays the painful reality for those in care homes, their loved ones and the nurses caring for them, which means it’s not the easiest watch, but it’s handled incredibly sensitively and you can really feel the humanity throughout it. If you’re looking for a drama that’s impossible to stop watching, Help is it.

How can I watch Help?

Help is available to watch now on Channel 4.

What other Jodie Comer dramas can I watch now?

For another moving drama, we’d highly recommend Thirteen. The series features a fantastic central performance from Jodie as a 26-year-old Ivy Moxam, who escapes her kidnapper after 13 years in a cellar – and it’s a brutally honest look at life after captivity. You can watch Thirteen on BBC iPlayer now. For something even more chilling, try Rillington Place. Jodie gives a bone-chilling performance as one of real-life serial killer John Christie’s victims. All three episodes of Rillington Place are available to watch on BBC iPlayer. For more great performances from Jodie, check out our pick of her best performances here.