Coma on Channel 5 stars Jason Watkins as a man whose momentary lapse of judgment looks to derail his life. He plays Simon Henderson, 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 star 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 to know about Coma on Channel 5…
Coma release date
Coma is a four-part series that started on Channel 5 on Monday, March 18 2024 at 9 pm and runs for four consecutive nights until Thursday, March 21.
The next episode, which is the final one, airs on Thursday, March 21 at 9 pm.
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 Henderson (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 a gang of teens outside his home, Simon snaps during a confrontation with ringleader Jordan Franklin (Joe Barber), he lands a single punch that leaves the 17-year-old in a coma.
With detectives suspecting the assault is gang related, however, and believing Simon’s simply a witness, Simon makes the fateful decision to go along with the lie. But events spin out of control and he stars to make increasingly surprising – and dangerous – decisions to evade justice. So what will happen if Jordan comes round?
Meanwhile, Jordan’s violent career criminal father, Paul (Jonas Armstrong) will stop at nothing to find Jordan’s attacker, even intimidating Simon for more information about that night.
* See our episode guide below...
Coma cast — Jason Watkins interview on playing Simon Henderson
In Coma, Jason Watkins plays Simon Henderson, 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 Henderson
In Coma, Claire Skinner plays Simon's dedicated wife and nurse Beth Henderson 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 Evans, while David Mumeni (Stath Lets Flats, No Return) is playing Simon’s untrustworthy boss Jimmy.
Coma episode guide
Here's our brief guide to each of the four Coma episodes. Look away to avoid spoilers...
Episode 1: Monday March 18
Mild mannered family man Simon Henderson (Jason Watkins) is at breaking point, juggling his mortgage, redundancy and the gang of youths terrorising his street. One night, troublemaking teen Jordan (Joe Barber) brings danger to his doorstep. Simon finally confronts the 17 year old youth, but when Jordan continues to provoke him, Simon snaps and swings a wild punch. The young man falls back, banging his head on the curb. Panic sets in when Simon realises he’s not breathing…
Simon is no murderer, and immediately starts CPR. The police arrive to find Simon desperately trying to keep the young man alive, and presume he’s an innocent bystander. Simon plays along, explaining that he found the lad unconscious in the street and has no idea how he came to be here. With no witnesses to say otherwise, the police believe him. After all, Simon is a middle class businessman with no previous offences and the young lad, Jordan Franklin, is well known as a gang member. When DS Kelly Evans (Kayla Meikle) questions Simon at the scene, he begins to spin a deeper, darker web of lies. Earlier that day, Simon installed a ring doorbell in an attempt to protect his family from the local gang of youths so what might this reveal?
Coma episode 1 recap: is Simon a dead man walking?
Episode 2: Tuesday March 19
Jordan Franklin (Joe Barber) remains in a coma. Meanwhile Simon is being hailed a local hero and has no choice but to keep up the lie, however uncomfortable it makes him feel. And as with all lies, the tangled web starts to unravel. DS Evans (Kayla Meikle) begins her investigation into the assault and Simon's wife Beth (Claire Skinner), notices a change in his behaviour and starts to develop her own suspicions. Then there’s the next door neighbour, Harry (David Bradley) — an old reclusive man who hardly says two words to anyone. But unknown to anyone else, he's the sole witness to the attack. Simon’s last hope is Harry’s possible dementia. Does Harry even know what he saw? This is put to the test when Simon is forced to chaperone Harry’s interview with DS Evans.
Jordan’s father, Paul Franklin (Jonas Armstrong), a career criminal with a history of extreme violence, doesn’t trust the police to find the culprit and begins his own investigation. He enlists Simon’s help, organising a Vigil in the search for the truth. After all, Simon is the man he believes saved his son’s life. Jordan’s mum Anna’s (Adrienn Réti) desperate plea for witnesses and praise for Simon for saving Jordon’s life when something happens...
Episode 3: Wednesday March 20
Now Jordan is awake, the clock is ticking ever-closer to zero. Simon is frantic with fear and takes matters into his own hands to get his family to safety. He threatens his old boss Jimmy (David Mumeni). Fast track his redundancy payment, or Simon will reveal that Jimmy made him redundant for a personal vendetta. Meanwhile, DS Evans (Kayla Meikle) follows up a call Simon made the night before the attack, reporting a threatening local youth. Simon insists he was mistaken but this only makes Evans more suspicious – the holes in his story are mounting up.
Still shaken, Simon is forced to have dinner with Paul, but it’s clear the ever-increasing pressure is taking a toll. Simon blames his twitchiness on ex-boss, Jimmy, making his life hell. The next morning, Simon’s redundancy pay is immediately sanctioned. Unbeknownst to Simon, Paul enacted revenge on Jimmy, with the help of sidekick Uncle Mark (Craig Els)... Whatever move he makes, Simon seems to end up further entangled in the Franklin family’s dangerous web of crime.
Coma episode 3 recap: a deadly twist changes everything for Simon and Beth
Episode 4: Thursday March 21
Time is running out for Simon (Jason Watkins) and Beth (Claire Skinner) as their lies finally catch up with them. DS Kelly Evans starts to piece the puzzle together. Simon and Beth are hiding out at a hotel when Sophie has an asthma attack. Their safety is put in jepoardy again when they can’t find Sophie’s inhaler. Simon is forced to go back to the house to save Sophie’s life, but trouble awaits. While Simon hides in the house, Paul finds out where Beth is hiding and pays the hotel a visit...
Coma ending explained — what happened in episode 4 and does Simon die?
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."
