EXCLUSIVE: The plot of Nicola Coughlan’s new Channel 4 show has been kept tightly under wraps until now, but today we have more info.
Deadline can reveal that the latest instalment of the critically-acclaimed anthology series I Am, which is titled I Am Helen and stars Coughlan as the titular lead, will tackle the hot button topic of the manosphere. The topic has been in the conversation this week after the release of a Louis Theroux Netflix doc on the subject.
We are told the Bridgerton star’s show, in which she leads opposite Peaky Blinders actor Joe Cole, will explore the manosphere from a female perspective. Helen’s love interest, played by Cole, will fall deeper into the manosphere and the show will explore how the toxicity can infect modern relationships.
Channel 4 is not commenting on the plot for now and hasn’t confirmed premiere date. The show was filmed last year, we understand.
Platforming prominent names like Andrew Tate, the manosphere and its promotion on social media are being debated in all corners of society at present. The topic came to the fore after last year’s Netflix hit Adolescence and has been in the news again this week following Theroux’s doc, which has in some corners been criticized for failing to take an in-depth look at the manosphere through the eyes of women. The Guardian’s review questioned “Why doesn’t he focus more on the impact on women?” in its headline.
Channel 4’s show will very much do this and has been developed with Coughlan. I Am Helen feels like Channel 4’s attempt to tackle the manosphere in its own style. At last year’s Edinburgh TV Fest, one of the network’s most senior executives accused Netflix of behaving like “TV tourists” over Adolescence by swooping in for talent nurtured by Channel 4 for years like Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne. Netflix hit back hard at this accusation.
Coughlan’s stock has been soaring since she was the love interest in the third season of Bridgerton and a meaty role like this has been on the horizon. She is well known to Channel 4 audiences, having broken out in hit comedy Derry Girls and played the lead in another comedy, Big Mood, which is made with Tubi.
Coughlan developed I Am Helen with Dominic Savage, the creator of the anthology series. Featuring the likes of Kate Winslet, Letitia Wright and Gemma Chan, the strand from Me+You Productions has been a triumph for Channel 4. Each contained story is developed in partnership with the female lead, uses improvised dialog and tackles themes impacting women in the modern day. The latest, I Am Ruth, featured Winslet and her daughter Mia Threapleton exploring poor mental health and social media addiction in teenagers. Winslet won a BAFTA and used her acceptance speech to call upon those in power to criminalize and eradicate harmful content on social media.
