<<< This is one of those rare programmes that leaps off the TV and delivers a sharp slap in the face. It's a bracingly un-PC satire on racism and black Britain, and it could hardly be more inflammatory. From the opening line, delivered by David Oyelowo, it waltzes into a minefield not normally braved by any medium. Oyelowo (of Spooks) plays Joe, a Miles Davis-loving schoolteacher on a mission to save young black men from themselves. When one of his pupils accuses him of assault, his life spirals out of control and into madness.

As scripted by Sharon Foster (who wrote for Babyfather), Joe's story is at times stagey and heavy-handed; it will also drive some people to distraction with say-the-unsayable lines from Joe such as "I think we should bring back slavery. We were good at that." But it's well worth watching for the keen comedy (including sideswipes at religion and hair extensions), terrific acting (Nikki Amuka-Bird as Joe's girlfriend/saviour stands out) and the kind of genuine shocks very few TV dramas can manage. >>>