Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 8 hrs ago
Nicola Coughlan says filming I Am Helen included terrifying moments
Nicola Coughlan says filming I Am Helen included moments she found terrifying.
She plays Helen in the two-part Channel 4 drama, alongside Joe Cole as her husband, Steve.
The story follows a relationship where Steve becomes controlling, aggressive and manipulative.
Coughlan described filming a 175-minute take as intense, with the cast sometimes in tears and sometimes finding ways to laugh together.
The drama examines how toxic masculinity and online communities can affect relationships.
Coughlan hopes the story will start conversations and help people in difficult relationships see that they have options.
I Am Helen is due to premiere on Channel 4 at 9pm on 16 November.
Nicola Coughlan said filming a long scene for the Channel 4 drama I Am Helen included moments that were “absolutely terrifying.”
Coughlan described a 175-minute take as intense and said she would not forget it.
The two-part drama follows Helen, played by Coughlan, and her husband Steve, played by Joe Cole, as he begins to display controlling, aggressive and manipulative behaviour.
Coughlan said the show’s heavy subject matter made filming challenging, but that she had strong support.
She hopes the drama will start conversations and help people in difficult relationships see that there is a way out.
I Am Helen is scheduled to premiere on Channel 4 at 9pm on 16 November.
- Who
- Nicola Coughlan, who plays Helen in I Am Helen.
- What
- She said filming the drama included terrifying moments, particularly during a long scene.
- When
- The article was published on 10 November 2026. The drama is scheduled to premiere on 16 November.
- Where
- Channel 4 is set to air the drama. The filming location is not stated.
- Why
- The scenes dealt with the drama’s heavy subject matter, including controlling and manipulative behaviour in a relationship.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Coughlan filmed a 175-minute take that she described as intense and terrifying.
Digital Spy published its report about Coughlan’s comments.
I Am Helen is scheduled to premiere at 9pm on Channel 4.
- Drama
- I Am Helen
- Format
- Two-part drama
- Long take
- 175 minutes
- Helen
- Played by Nicola Coughlan
- Steve
- Played by Joe Cole
- Premiere
- 9pm on 16 November on Channel 4
What people are saying
There were so many like that 175 minute take. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that in my whole life,
It was just so intense, and there's moments that were absolutely terrifying and then you’d be in tears but you’d find ways to laugh together and you would leave at the end of the day and go 'My God, what the hell happened?'
I hope it starts conversations because I think it would be very easy to paint Steve as this all-out bad guy and he’s really not,
I hope people that are in difficult situations and relationships themselves will see it and see that there’s not just one option. That there is a way out.