Channel 5's highly-anticipated new drama Coma arrives on our screens on Monday night, starring Jason Watkins as family man Simon, whose world is turned upside down after making one split-second decision.
Keep reading from all you need to know about the four-part series, including its star-studded cast, intriguing plot and release schedule.
What is Coma about?
The series centres around devoted family man Simon, who finds himself at breaking point when his neighbourhood is terrorised by a group of vandalising teenagers, led by menacing 17-year-old Jordan (played by rising star Joe Barber).
© KRISTOF GALGOCZI NEMETH / Channel 5 Television / Roughcut TVThe synopsis continues: "Simon and his wife, Beth (Claire Skinner) are desperate to move their young daughter to a safer area away from the threatening atmosphere. When Simon's frustration reaches its peak and he confronts Jordan outside his own home, a split-second decision changes everything."
Speaking about the drama during an appearance on ITV's This Morning on Monday, Jason teased what's in store for Simon. "He makes this terrible decision when he's confronted with this 17-year-old. He does the wrong thing and suffers the consequences," explained Jason.
© KRISTOF GALGOCZI NEMETH / Channel 5 Television / Roughcut TV"Maybe this is a generalisation, but often men think, 'I can cope, I'll take the burden off my family,' but of course it just implodes and there's a history of him being quite vulnerable and having mental health issues," continued the actor. "He won't own up and the world starts to close in on him."
Who stars in Coma? Meet the cast
As previously said, Jason Watkins stars as Simon. He's joined by Outnumbered star Claire Skinner, who plays Simon's wife Beth, Joe Barber as Jordan, Boat Story actor Jonas Armstrong as Jordan's father Paul and Harry Potter's David Bradley as Simon's neighbour Harry.
© KRISTOF GALGOCZI NEMETH / Channel 5 Television / Roughcut TVRounding out the cast are Kayla Meikle (The Girl Before) as DS Kelly Evans, David Mumeni (Bloods) as Jimmy, Matilda Firth (Time) as Sophie Bamford, and Adrienn Reti (Casino) as Anna Franklin.
Coma release date and episode schedule
Coma arrives on Channel 5 on Monday 18 March at 9pm.
The remaining episodes will air over three consecutive nights on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
© KRISTOF GALGOCZI NEMETH / Channel 5 Television / Roughcut TVWhere is Coma filmed?
While the series is set in the UK, it was filmed in Budapest.
During an appearance on This Morning, Jason explained why Budapest was chosen as the filming location. "A lot of films are shot in Budapest because it's easier to shoot there," he said, adding: "All the departments are incredibly skilled and talented. It's one of those jobs where the planets aligned and everyone got on so well."
The actor also told The i: "They spent a lot of the prep time trying to find the right house in Budapest, which we did in this modern development on the outskirts. We were thinking somewhere like Chester or Warrington, a very identifiable, not extraordinary place like many people live in, that is a nice community. It could be the outskirts of London or Birmingham or Newcastle."
Coma airs on Monday 18 March on Channel 5 at 9pm.
