Set during the coronavirus pandemic, we see how COVID throws everything Sarah has achieved with Tony and others in her care in into disarray, and she and her colleagues fight to protect them.<\/p>\n
A first-look Help trailer<\/a> was previously released\u00a0exclusively on RadioTimes.com<\/a>, in which we see Sarah struggle to care for her isolated patients.<\/p>\n Read on for everything else you need to know about Help.<\/p>\n Confirmed: Help will air on Channel 4 on Thursday 16th September at 9pm<\/strong>.<\/p> The series is based in a Liverpool care home and follows the relationship between a young worker, Sarah, and a patient, Tony, specifically detailing the effect that the coronavirus pandemic has had on them.<\/p>\n The official synopsis reads: \u201cSarah is smart, but she\u2019s never fitted in, not in education and not in work. Her family told her she\u2019d never amount to anything but she unexpectedly finds her calling as a carer at Sunshine Homes. Sarah has a special talent for connecting with the residents, including one in particular, 47-year-old Tony. Tony\u2019s Young Onset Alzheimer\u2019s has left him living out his days in care as his mind slowly deteriorates.<\/p>\n \u201cHis illness causes periods of confusion and violent outbursts, which the other members of staff can\u2019t handle, but with Sarah he begins to build a real bond. Sarah\u2019s success at managing Tony and the other patients helps build her confidence and restore her self-belief.<\/p>\n \u201cThen March 2020 hits and everything Sarah has achieved is thrown into doubt with the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic. She and her colleagues tirelessly fight tooth and nail, ill-equipped, poorly prepared, and seemingly left helpless by the powers that be.<\/p>\n \u201cA determined Sarah goes to extraordinary lengths to protect those in her care, whose conditions make their suffering and isolation all the more traumatic. But the staff\u2019s unwavering commitment, compassion and heroic efforts can only do so much, and Sarah is pushed into a dark corner and desperately looks for a way out.\u201d<\/p>\n Writer Jack Thorne has explained how he had been hoping to write something for Comer and Graham for a while but had been struggling for inspiration with the project until recently.<\/p>\n \u201cAbout two years ago Stephen Graham came to me with an idea to write something for him and Jodie Comer,\u201d he said. \u201cI tried to think of something and got nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cThen this crisis happened, and we saw care homes getting squashed and battered by the government. It\u2019s been both a long process and a short one, trying to find a way to tell this story, the amazing thing has been sharing in working out the story with Stephen, Jodie, the amazing Marc Munden, Beth Willis and everyone at the Forge and Channel 4.<\/p>\n \u201c30,000 people have died unnecessarily in these care homes because of the indifference and incompetence of our government. Hearing the stories of those at the frontline, having people break down in tears on zoom in front of us has been incredibly moving and galling.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting the story right will be incredibly important, we are aware of the pressure upon us, this has to be written and made with anger and precision. We hope we do it justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Comer has also explained how the project came to be, telling press in a Q&A ahead of the June 2021 BAFTA TV Awards: \u201cI very embarrassingly slid into Jack Thorne\u2019s DMs, when I was on Twitter, and I told him that I wanted to work with him \u2013 like, just straight up. He\u2019s great, isn\u2019t he? He\u2019s incredible. So I did that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then simultaneously, without me even knowing \u2013 it must have been around that time \u2013 Stephen had got in touch with Jack and was like, \u2018Jack will you write something for me and Jodie?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then it just became this thing, and we got together, and we did a couple of workshops about what this piece could be, and then we found a director in Mark Munden, and we filmed it earlier this year in Liverpool.\u201d<\/p> The two lead roles are played by Killing Eve star Jodie Comer and prolific film and TV actor Stephen Graham, who has previously worked with Thorne on This is England and The Virtues.<\/p>\n On the announcement of the series, Comer said, \u201cI am, of course, thrilled to finally be working alongside Stephen and the supremely talented Jack, Marc and those at Channel 4.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us to be able to explore such a relevant and emotive story through the eyes of such beautifully real characters, and in our home city of Liverpool, is a real honour.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re determined to do justice to so many of the untold stories and heroes that have been affected as a result of this crisis and to handle them with care.\u201d<\/p>\n And Graham added: \u201cJack is one of the greatest and most truthful writers of our generation and in Help he has crafted a profoundly important piece of social realism. I\u2019ve wanted to work with Jodie for ages, and together we\u2019re hugely passionate about shining a light on one of the biggest tragedies of our time and the people at the heart of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, you can watch the trailer for Help here.<\/p>\n\nHelp release date<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Help plot<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Jack\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2019\/05\/GettyImages-667559078-ebc22af.jpg?quality=90&crop=10px%2C0px%2C2979px%2C1984px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Jack\\"")
<\/div>Help cast<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Help\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/help-channel-4-73f9814.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C349"\" "\\"\"help-channel-4\"\\"")
<\/div> Help trailer<\/strong><\/h2>\n