DOCUMENTARY

BBC2, 9pm

The North Yorkshire town of Redcar was once a seaside resort popular with visitors and home to a thriving steelworks, but these days it’s a different story.

And this fantastic new series, described as a “real-life soap opera” and filmed over a year, shows what life is like for the people who live there now.

For many of the younger generation, including 19-year-old James, the outlook is pretty bleak. His dad’s in prison and James could be heading the same way if people like community worker Lynne and mentor Ray can’t get him on the right path.

Kaitlyn’s mum works three jobs to pay the bills and save for the future, but she also knows if her daughter wants to fulfil her dream it’ll mean leaving town for good.

This is the sort of series the BBC does so well – with real people and their ordinary but extraordinary stories at the very heart of it. ON PATROL Ross with firearms