Youngers

Wed Mar 20, 7.30-8.05pm, E4

By Danielle Goldstein Wed Mar 13 2013

Time Out Ratings

Series one, episode one
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.

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(1 rating)

Never mind the bland script, the awful acting, and predictable story line. I could forgive it those things, as they appear in pretty much any show I watch. What specifically angered me about this show was the blatant stereotyping of every character. The black guys want to be rappers. The black girls get pregnant. The white girls aren't even characters, merely interchangeable, sexual rubbish bins. The writers forget that South London is not just made up of Nigerian rapper men. There is a diverse mix of cultures, ethnicities, ambitions and personalities and sadly, this show will never be able to get past showing 'the endz, innit bruv?'.

kirstie Wed Mar 27
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This is awful television, the script is barely in English, I'd rather have a tooth extracted with a chainsaw than sit through 30 mins of this drivel trying to figure out what language they're even speaking.

Sam Dellaway Mon Mar 25
Rated as: 1/5
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