Help | Preview (Channel 4)

Moving drama from BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne and BAFTA-winning director Marc Munden, starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham.

Set in a fictional Liverpool care home, Help tells the story of the relationship between a young care worker and a patient, whose lives are changed forever by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020.

Sarah (Comer) is smart, but she's never fitted in - not in education and not in work. Her family told her she'd 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 47-year-old Tony (Graham) in particular.

Tony's young-onset Alzheimer's has left him living out his days in care as his mind slowly deteriorates. His illness causes periods of confusion and violent outbursts, which the other members of staff struggle to handle. But he begins to build a real bond with Sarah.

Sarah's success at managing Tony and the other patients helps to build her confidence and restore her self-belief. But then March 2020 hits, and everything Sarah has achieved is thrown into doubt with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. She and her colleagues tirelessly fight tooth and nail, ill-equipped, poorly prepared and seemingly left helpless by the powers that be.

A 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's 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.

Help airs Thursday 16th September at 9pm on Channel 4.