Watch
This sharply scripted and beautifully acted drama riffs on five black south Londoners winning a scholarship to a hyper-exclusive boarding school as a PR stunt, following a video of pupils bullying a homeless man going viral. Talented Jaheim (Josh Tedeku), political Leah (Jodie Campbell), geeky Omar (Myles Kamwendo), proud Femi (Aruna Jalloh) and entrepreneurial Toby (Sekou Diaby) grasp this one chance at changing their destiny with awkward enthusiasm, hurling their wit and swagger into a wall of white hostility, vicious bullying and cultural incomprehension. There aren’t too many stereotypes – creator Daniel Lawrence Taylor finds comedy, violence and stupidity on both sides – and there’s a complex arc that combines the hormone-infused mayhem of Sex Education with the harsh hope of Misfits. In the end, there’s more Rye Lane harmony than outright warfare, with rapid-fire jokes alongside moments of genuine heartbreak. An important and entertaining instant TV classic.