When it comes to dramas that stay with you long after the credits roll, Stephen Graham knows how to deliver – and if you want proof, you’ll find it in Help. The heartbreaking one-off film, which is available to watch on Channel 4 tonight, stars the 53-year-old actor as a resident in a care home just as Covid rears its ugly head. And we’d argue it’s Stephen’s best performance yet.
The real genius of the series lies in the relationship between Tony (played by Stephen) and care home assistant Sarah (Jodie Comer) who goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her patients. When Covid arrives, it quickly becomes clear that the home is completely unprepared and no help is coming – meaning it’s up to Sarah to protect those in her care, including Tony, largely alone.
With Help now available to stream, here’s everything you need to know about the drama before you watch it, including the full plot, cast and how to tune in.
What is Help about?
The 60-minute drama, which first aired on Channel 4 in 2021 and comes from BAFTA-winning Adolescence writer Jack Thorne, takes us to 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 47-year-old patient, Tony (Stephen Graham), the latter of whom has Young Onset Alzheimer’s.
While Sarah has always struggled to fit in - both at school and in work - and her family have often told her she’d never amount to anything, she unexpectedly finds her calling as a carer at Sunshine Homes. There, she discovers a unique talent for connecting with the residents, one of whom is Tony, who’s living out his days in care as his mind slowly deteriorates.
Tony’s illness causes confusion and, sometimes, violent outbursts and many of the staff at Sunshine Homes struggle to handle it - but not Sarah. Just as she begins to build a real bond with him, however, in March 2020, everything Sarah has achieved with her patients is thrown into doubt with the arrival of the Covid pandemic.
She and her colleagues tirelessly fight tooth and nail, but are ill-equipped, poorly prepared, and seemingly left helpless by the powers that be. 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.
Stephen, who plays Tony, explained in an interview with Channel 4: "To me, this is a story about finding the hero deep inside ourselves. It’s about what people in the care industry deal with on a daily basis – it’s superhuman. For me, this story is about a normal woman who is a bit lost in her life and finds out what her purpose is. She meets this resident and they develop this amazing friendship. They need each other at this difficult time. It really shows what it’s like to become somebody’s carer, and what it’s like to look after someone. She goes above and beyond to try and make sure he’s safe.”
Sharing some insight into his character, he added: “Tony is a beautiful character to play. I did quite a lot of research at the beginning with Jack [Thorne]. It was a gift really. But then I had to isolate in a hotel room for 10 days on my own because my wife and child had COVID. It flew by, because I spent a lot of time talking to people who suffered from early onset dementia and getting a wide and varied opinion for what it was like for them.
“I really began to get an understanding of what their frustrations were and what it was like for them to suffer from this disease. It took so much from me, and I was grateful for everyone to be able to provide that platform for me. I was even invited to their regular group meetings on zoom.
“Tony is just a normal, lovely fella who happens to suffer from this disease. He’s considered not able to take care of himself, so he’s taken from his mum’s old house, and put into the care system.”
Who’s in the cast of Help?
The cast of Help includes:
- Stephen Graham (Taboo) as Tony
- Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) as Sarah
- Ian Hart (God’s Own Country) as Steve
- Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) as Gloria
- Cathy Tyson (Boiling Point) as Polly
- Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey) as Gaynor
- Angela Griffin (Waterloo Road) as Tori
- Andrew Schofield (Scully) as Bob
- Arthur Hughes (The Jetty) as Tim
- David Hayman (Finding Your Feet) as Hercules
- Steve Garti (Brassic) as Kenny
- 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.
Is Help any good?
Yes – it’s better than good. While the drama does, of course, transport us back to a time that many would rather forget, it’s a deeply moving and incredibly sensitive portrayal of what many people in care – and their loved ones – went through during that time. Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer are an acting match made in heaven and if anyone can make a drama about Covid genuinely watchable, it’s them.
How can I watch Help?
Help is available to stream now on Channel 4.
What other Stephen Graham dramas can I watch now?
For a clever, emotional and, at times, slightly uncomfortable, watch, we’d recommend Save Me. The series takes us along on Nelson “Nelly” Rowe’s (Lenny James) quest to find his estranged daughter and prove he’s not responsible for her disappearance - an endeavour that his best friend, Melon (played by Stephen), is crucial to. You can watch Save Me on Sky and NOW. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, we’d suggest A Patch of Fog. Stephen plays mentally unstable loner Robert Green, who develops a strange infatuation with a TV personality he catches shoplifting. A Patch of Fog is available to watch on Disney+.
