If you'd rather watch some British drama instead of the FIFA World Cup or Wimbledon, then Channel 4 may have the perfect offering in the shape of Kate Winslet's feature-length special, I Am Ruth.
The 90-minute television film is part of the I Am… series, a female-led anthology drama created, written and directed by Dominic Savage. The series began in 2019, with Savage collaborating with the lead star on the story for each instalment.
I Am Ruth premiered in 2022, with Winslet playing the role of a concerned mother. Her daughter Freya (played by Winslet's real-life daughter Mia Threapleton) becomes consumed by social media, and Ruth aims to reach out to her.
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The feature-length episode was the sole instalment of the third season, with the previous two airing in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Like its predecessors, I Am Ruth is streaming on Channel 4.
I Am Ruth was acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, with Rotten Tomatoes currently reporting a perfect 100% approval rating from five reviews. The audience score is lower, but still at a creditable 80%.
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The Guardian wrote that the drama was "full of malevolent beauty" in its four-star review, adding: "Winslet and Threapleton are so good, so real, so endlessly watchable that an hour might well have felt too short."
"Sometimes TV drama can be uncomfortably intense, sometimes profoundly so, and occasionally it can be both... I Am Ruth was a clear-cut case of the latter," noted The Times, while The Financial Times called it "heartbreaking".
The first season featured Vicky McClure, Samantha Morton and Gemma Chan, with their respective characters named Nicola, Kirsty and Hannah. The second season, which focused on Victoria, Danielle and Maria, starred Suranne Jones, Letitia Wright and Lesley Manville.
The drama will return with I Am Helen, with Nicola Coughlan playing the titular character. The Bridgerton star will be joined by Joe Cole, with the episode focusing on the "experience of womanhood within a world shaped by masculine power, aggression and control".
"Told through a female lens, the story examines the pressures and expectations placed on women while confronting the realities of toxic masculinity and the damage it can create in modern relationships," reads the logline.
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Coughlan, who has also appeared in Derry Girls and Big Mood, said of the upcoming drama (via Instagram): "It's been an experience that has been in equal parts deeply terrifying and deeply liberating.
"I'm immeasurably grateful to the brilliant [Savage] for trusting me to tell this story… And last but not least I'm so grateful to the small but mighty crew who made this show, what an honour to share this experience alongside you."
I Am... airs and streams on Channel 4.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
