Help | Interview with Lesley Sharpe (Sarah’s Mum)

What drew you to this story?

‘Help’ has four exceptional artists at its core, so it was a privilege to be asked to contribute to the same project as Jodie and Stephen and to engage with Marc Munden, a director I’ve admired for a long time and to re-connect with Jack Thorne. I was in Jack’s play ‘The End of History’ at The Royal Court in 2019 and love his work.

What was it like filming with Jodie?

Jodie and Stephen bear the weight of this piece, it is such a beautifully written dramatization of what was happening all over the UK in 2020, I was thrilled to be part of it.

How much did you know about the Covid crisis in care homes before taking on this project?

I think we all had an idea of how the virus was ruthlessly attacking sectors of our society but we were at a loss at the time to understand exactly how it was being managed.

What do you think a drama can add to our understanding of this historic moment?

I think Jack’s screenplay tries to lay that open for us. It’s a painful and unflinching gaze at the chaos of spring 2020. I’m very proud to be part of this project.