Nicola Coughlan says filming I Am Helen was ‘intense’ and she wanted to quit

Evening Standard · Carla Feric · 2026-11-06 11:51 UTC

The Irish actress stars in a new instalment of the Channel 4 anthology series.

Nicola Coughlan has said working on her latest TV show, I Am Helen, was “really intense” and she wanted to quit.

The latest instalment of Channel 4’s award-winning I Am anthology series stars Coughlan as the title character, who is navigating the breakdown of her five-year relationship amid increasingly toxic and controlling behaviour.

Her character struggles as her partner Steve (Joe Cole) becomes increasingly influenced by online “manosphere” content, with his behaviour escalating into verbal abuse, intimidation and emotional manipulation.

Read the full story at Evening Standard · All coverage of this story