Calvin Demba

Dramas about kids on council estates are fast becoming a tired template, especially with films such as Attack the Block, Ill Manors and Fish Tank having set the bar so high. However, this new show set in southeast London just about holds the interest. Teenage producer and MC duo Yemi (Ade Oyefeso) and Jay (Calvin Demba) have received their GCSE results, which predictably fall at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yemi has gained a scholarship with all-As, but Jay is doomed to a life in his dad's business with a big fat fail. Unless, of course, a battle-of-the-bands style competition can change the course of their lives.

As first episodes go, it's a slow-burner pepped up by appearances from the YouTube smashes Mandem On The Wall, who quite literally sit on a wall offering their two cents like the crows in Dumbo. But there's a certain charm to Yemi and Jay's friendship that keeps you egging them on. It's not mind-blowing, but worth 30 minutes of your time.

The premise of E4 taking on homegrown hip-hop could invoke visions of the occasional cringe-inducing rap scenes from Glee. Thankfully, Youngers is considerably smarter: the show follows Peckham teenagers Yemiu, Jay and Davina (newcomers Ade Oyefeso, Calvin Demba and Shavani Seth) trying to follow the likes of Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal into the music business. Add in the inclusion of local MCs in the club scenes and with a merciful lack of awkward faux-yoof dialogue, Youngers is much more than 8 Mile-On-Thames.