Coma on Channel 5 stars Jason Watkins as a man whose momentary lapse of judgment looks to derail his life. He plays Simon, a devoted family man who is driven to breaking point by a group of menacing teens, led by 17-year-old Jordan Franklin (played by Joe Barber). And when his frustration reaches boiling point, a split second decision looks set to cost him everything he loves.
The four-part thriller series Coma boasts a number of stars, including After Life’s David Bradley, Outnumbered’s Claire Skinner and The Bay’s Jonas Armstrong and promises to be an explosive rollercoaster of a thriller.
Jason Watkins says: “This character faces an agonising situation that will keep viewers questioning their own morals. It will be a thrilling and emotionally charged experience. Simon tells a lie which grows exponentially, and the consequences of his actions take him into very dangerous areas. It’s an intelligent thriller with deep characters that we can all connect with."
Here’s everything you need about Coma on Channel 5…
Coma release date
Coma is a four-part series that starts on Channel 5 on Monday 18 March 2024 at 9pm and runs for four consecutive nights until March 21 2024. There's no US channel or air date confirmed but we'd expect it to land on Paramount Plus who have co-commissioned the series.
Is there a Coma trailer?
Yes a trailer for Coma just has now been released by Channel 5 which shows a stressed out Simon played by Jason Watkins and how his life takes a dark turn...
Coma plot
Coma follows Simon (Jason Watkins), a man whose neighbourhood is blighted by the antics of a group of antisocial teens, led by Jordan Franklin (Joe Barber). Simon and his wife Beth (Claire Skinner) are hoping to move their young daughter to a safer area, away from the threatening atmosphere. But when Simon is pushed to the limit he confronts Jordan outside his home and makes a decision that changes his life in an instant, causing everything to spiral out of control.
Coma cast — Jason Watkins interview on playing Simon Bamford
In Coma, Jason Watkins plays Simon, a man on the edge. Jason says: "Simon is such an interesting, complex character. He’s the little man in the middle of a big dilemma. He’s not an assertive person, really. He’s just an ordinary bloke with vulnerabilities, who’s trying to work out what to do in this awful situation and not really being very good at it. I think he's his own worst enemy sometimes because he's so stressed, which means he's also quite emotional. Some of the scenes are actually quite comical because of Simon’s ineptitude. But very quickly the thriller starts to move at a pace, and there are scenes in later episodes that are really desperate. Jonas is fantastic and he really brings out the menace as his character, Paul. He and Simon are polar opposites, which really adds to the tension.
"It’s quite a small cast, and we got to know each other well because we filmed in Budapest. I didn't actually get to see a lot of the city, though, because we were shooting 12-hour days, six days a week. But I did go on the big Ferris wheel in the city centre. I don’t know why because I got vertigo, although I did manage to take some pictures up there for my kids!"
* Jason Watkins previously played 1960s and 1970s Prime Minister Harold Wilson in The Crown as well as DS Dodds in McDonald and Dodds and as a climate scientist in The Trick. Jason has also starred in Nativity, Des, The Catch, Count Magnus and Around the World in 80 Days. He's also played Simon Harwood in W1A and Roger in Hold The Sunset and Mr Humphries in the revival of Are You Being Served?.
Claire Skinner interview on playing Beth Bamford
In Coma, Claire Skinner plays Simon's dedicated wife and nurse Beth Bamford who makes some dangerous decisions. She says: "I remember reading the script and finding it striking in terms of how unusual it was. I really didn't quite know where it was going!
"I also loved the characters, because they're all slightly off. You think Beth is going to be straight-down-the-line, but she doesn't quite do what you think she's going to do, and I found that really fascinating.
"I think viewers will relate to Simon and Beth at first. They’re just desperate to get out their area because they want to be somewhere safer to bring up their daughter. But then they find themselves in this awful situation and they start making decisions that might surprise you. The tension in some of the scenes was so acute it almost made me want to laugh. It’s just so sweaty! But what’s so interesting is you start asking, what would I do in their situation? What would any of us do?
"Of course Jason and I have known each other for ages and we also worked together on McDonald and Dodds, so there was a real ease between us and a humour – and humour always oils the wheels!"
Joe Barber interview on playing Jordan Franklin
Joe Barber plays Jordan Franklin who is punched by Simon and put into a coma but Joe insists hr isn’t the typical bad lad he seems at the start: "Jordan is so different from me, but it’s always fun playing someone bad and finding the justification for their behaviour. For Jordan, his complicated relationship with his dad is the key to his whole bravado. There are things that have happened in their past, which have caused a lot of trauma, and that's why we see Jordan at the beginning being this big cocky lad. But by the end I think viewers will think of Jordan as the victim and not the bad guy.
"The punch scene looks really impressive. Obviously I had a stunt double, who did all the hard work and, honestly, it was amazing watching them fall over repeatedly. As for the coma scenes, it was really interesting just lying in this bed with all these wires attached to me and listening to everything going on around me. There are some really powerful, emotional scenes in that hospital!
"The real beauty of the series is that it feels like the split-second decision Simon makes could happen to anyone. Even as the lie gets bigger and the series gets messier, it’s like anyone could find themselves in that situation!"
Jonas Armstrong interview on playing Paul Franklin
Jonas Armstrong (Floodlights, The Drowning, The Bay, Edge of Tomorrow) plays Paul Franklin, the gangster dad of Jordan determined to get justice. "On the face of it Paul is a psychopath and a very volatile, violent man. But as an actor you have to find something that you can empathise with. So I thought, if my son had been punched and put in a coma, how would I react? And if I was a violent criminal, how would I go about things?
"Paul is very streetwise and very switched on. He can be very charming but he can turn on the menace, which makes Simon very uneasy. And because Paul’s also so unpredictable, I really enjoyed changing things during takes in order to frighten Jason! What’s interesting is that you could either be vying for Simon or the Franklins. Even though Simon was antagonised by Jordan, he punched a minor, put him in a coma and covered it up. He’s certainly not perfect.
"In terms of filming, I loved being back in Budapest. I actually lived there for three years in the noughties when I was in [BBC1 drama series] Robin Hood. Although unfortunately this time we were staying on this street that was full of clubs and bars, like the red light district in Amsterdam. So it wasn’t exactly relaxing!’
Who else is starring in Coma?
Coma has a strong cast including David Bradley (After Life, Harry Potter) who is Simon’s grumpy neighbour Harry. Kayla Meikle (Litvinenko) is DS Kelly while David Mumeni (Stath Lets Flats, No Return) is Simon’s untrustworthy boss Jimmy.
Behind the scenes and more on Coma
Coma is produced by Roughcut Television and CBS Studios, with Paramount Global Content Distribution handling distribution. Written and created by Ben Edwards (Miss Scarlett And The Duke, The Good Karma Hospital, Stella), the executive producers for Roughcut Television are Creative Director Alex Smith, Head of Drama Marianna Abbotts and Chief Executive Ash Atalla. The director is Michael Samuels (Close To Me, Any Human Heart, The Man In The Orange Shirt).
Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Channel 5 and Paramount+, says: "Coma is a provocative thriller that asks the audience: What would I do? It's the story of a good man who does one bad thing that causes his life to spiral out of control. We are excited to be working with Roughcut and CBS Studios to bring this intense and gripping tale to Channel 5 viewers and are thrilled to have the fantastic Jason Watkins leading the cast."
