Jodie Comer’s Forgotten BBC Drama Is Being Hailed as Better Than Killing Eve — And Her Extraordinary 42-Minute Performance Is Available to Watch Tonight
Jodie Comer may be best known for her unforgettable portrayal of Villanelle in Killing Eve, but a lesser-known BBC drama offers an entirely different showcase for her remarkable acting talent.
Her Big Chance, a 42-minute episode from Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, features Comer as the only performer on screen, delivering a darkly humorous and increasingly disturbing story about an aspiring actress who believes she has finally secured her breakthrough role.
Originally broadcast in 2020, the drama remains one of Comer’s most underappreciated performances, demonstrating her ability to hold an audience’s attention without elaborate sets, action sequences or supporting actors.
A Promising Acting Job Takes a Disturbing Turn
In Her Big Chance, Comer plays Lesley, an ambitious young actress who takes enormous pride in her professionalism.
When she lands a role playing a confident career woman named Travis, she believes the opportunity could transform her future.
Excited by the prospect of advancing her career, Lesley eagerly recounts her experiences on set.
However, her descriptions gradually reveal that the production is not what she imagined.
She recalls being asked to wear revealing outfits, spend considerable time topless and participate in situations she struggles to understand.
As the monologue unfolds, it becomes clear that Lesley has unknowingly taken part in an adult film.
The troubling reality is that she remains largely oblivious to the director’s intentions, even while describing circumstances that reveal how thoroughly she has been exploited.
That contrast between Lesley’s optimism and the audience’s understanding gives the drama much of its emotional power.
Why Jodie Comer’s Performance Is So Remarkable
Unlike her role in Killing Eve, where she frequently shares scenes with Sandra Oh and other performers, Comer carries Her Big Chance entirely by herself.
For 42 minutes, she speaks directly to the camera, gradually revealing her character’s experiences through an intimate monologue.
The performance requires her to communicate several emotions simultaneously.
Lesley is enthusiastic, ambitious and occasionally amusing, yet her innocence makes her increasingly vulnerable.
Comer captures those contradictions with remarkable subtlety, allowing the audience to recognise the seriousness of Lesley’s situation without the character fully understanding it herself.
The result is an unsettling portrait of someone whose determination to succeed has been manipulated by people she believed she could trust.
The Acclaimed BBC Series Behind the Drama
Her Big Chance forms part of the BBC’s 2020 revival of Talking Heads, Alan Bennett’s celebrated collection of dramatic monologues.
The original programme debuted in 1988 and became renowned for its intimate character studies.
The revival featured ten reimagined monologues alongside two newly written episodes, attracting an impressive cast of British acting talent.
Sarah Lancashire, Lesley Manville, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maxine Peake and Martin Freeman were among the performers involved.
Each story offers a different perspective on human behaviour, often revealing uncomfortable truths beneath apparently ordinary conversations.
Where to Watch Her Big Chance
Jodie Comer’s episode is available through Prime Video in the UK, while the wider Talking Heads collection is also listed on Apple TV. Streaming options may vary by region.
Viewers interested in exploring more of her work can also watch The End We Start From on BBC iPlayer and Help, her acclaimed drama opposite Stephen Graham, on Channel 4.
But for anyone who wants to experience Comer’s acting ability in its purest form, Her Big Chance is particularly rewarding.
With a single character, one camera and just 42 minutes, Comer delivers a performance that is funny, heartbreaking and deeply unsettling — proving that some of her finest work deserves far more attention than it received.
