“Better than Killing Eve”: Her Big Chance is Jodie Comer’s “underappreciated” drama to watch tonight

What comes to mind when you think of Jodie Comer’s best performances? Killing Eve? Thirteen (pictured above)? What about Her Big Chance? While most people might not be familiar with the latter, the somewhat “underappreciated” drama about an actress who’s misled about the true nature of a role she takes on is, in our view, even better than Killing Eve – and the good news is, you can watch it tonight.

The drama is part of the BBC’s revamped Talking Heads series from the brilliant Alan Bennett and sees Jodie pull off the performance of her life. Over the course of the episode, which is dedicated entirely to her, she confides in the audience, telling us about the film she’s just been involved with – one that required her to wear a bikini throughout and behave in a way that leaves her confused, to say the least. Essentially, she’s taken advantage of and preyed upon.

Intrigued? Before you tune in, here’s everything you need to know about Her Big Chance, including the cast, plot and how to watch it.

What is Her Big Chance about?

As we mentioned, the drama forms part of the BBC’s revived Talked Heads series; the collection of dramatic monologues by Alan Bennett were first broadcast on the BBC in 1988, but in 2020, the BBC released a new series, which included remakes of 10 of the original monologues and 2 brand-new episodes. The new cast featured the likes of Sarah Lancashire, Lesley Manville and Martin Freeman.

In Jodie Comer’s episode, the Killing Eve star plays actress Lesley, who prides herself on her professionalism. She’s thrilled when she lands a new role as Travis, a career girl with a zest for life - this could be the role that sees her career take off. But things are not all as they seem – and she spends a remarkable amount of filming time topless.

Over the course of the episode, Lesley slowly shares the story of shooting the film and it becomes clear that she was unwittingly involved in an adult film, despite remaining oblivious to the fact herself. As a viewer, we become her confidante as she tells a series of events that make us realise she’s been taken advantage of, having not realised the director’s true intentions.

Who’s in the cast of Her Big Chance?

Jodie Comer is the only cast member in Her Big Chance; she performs a single monologue as Lesley, which makes up the entirety of the episode. If you enjoy the episode (we’re confident you will), there are nine more episodes in the series starring the likes of Kristin Scott-Thomas, Sarah Lancashire and Maxine Peake, to watch next.

Is Her Big Chance any good?

Yes – Jodie Comer is, as you might expect, absolutely exceptional as Lesley. Remarkably, she appears on screen in all 42 minutes of the drama and she somehow manages to hold our attention throughout. If you fancy watching something that will genuinely leave you in awe, Her Big Chance will do exactly that.

How can I watch Her Big Chance?

You can watch Jodie Comer’s episode of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, Her Big Chance, now on Prime Video. The full series is also available to watch on Apple TV.

What other Jodie Comer dramas can I watch now?

For one of Jodie’s most moving performances, we’d recommend The End We Start From. Based on Megan Hunter’s 2017 debut novel, the story revolves around new mother (she remains unnamed throughout) played by Jodie, who fights for survival as London is submerged by flood waters. You can watch The End We Start From now on BBC iPlayer. If you’re also a Stephen Graham fan, we’d suggest Help. Jodie plays a young care worker named Sarah who goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her patients, including Tony (played by Stephen) when the pandemic hits. Help is available to watch now on Channel 4.