Twisted thrills with a teenage psycho

C4 choosing this week to launch its new psychological thriller Born To Kill could be the best timing of the year – or the worst.

It all depends on whether the Broadchurch finale whetted your appetite for more grim crime dramas featuring twisted youngsters.

I must admit there were moments during last night’s opening episode when I asked myself whether I really wanted to be watching it.

The problem is, it is such an engrossing story you cannot take your eyes off the screen – to be fair, it is made by the production company behind Line Of Duty, so I probably shouldn’t have been that surprised.

The plot revolves round 16-year-old diving champion Sam (Jack Rowan). On the surface Sam is a bit like a young Tom Daley only even more smiley. The smirks hide a dark secret though. As suggested by the title, Sam has murderous urges. It isn’t long before they come to the surface late at night at the hospital where his mum works as a nurse.

It is deeply unsettling to watch and an atmospheric soundtrack featuring the likes of The Cure – with Robert Smith at his wailing best – merely adds to the disquiet.

The trailer for next week’s episode suggests things are about to get even more twisted. Sam’s evil dad – who Sam believes died a war hero in Afghanistan – is about to be released from prison and, if I were a betting man, I’d say Sam isn’t going to take that bombshell news too well. Don’t let any of that put you off. This is a top quality drama with a first-rate “Gritty Bafta” cast including Daniel Mays, Romola Garai and Richard Coyle.

Just make sure you have some cute kitten videos lined up to watch on YouTube after.