Pay TV highlight, May 22

SAVE ME

New series ★★★★

Tuesday, 8.30pm, BBC First

As an actor, Lennie James has always distinguished himself by his intelligence and nuance, and he brings those same qualities to this terrific drama which he's created, written and stars in. In a lot of ways it's familiar territory: a working-class community, a missing child. But a talented cast headed by James and Suranne Jones, a really wonderful script that handles its character development and exposition to perfection, and a fresh take on that familiar set-up make Save Me completely compelling. When we meet Nelly (James), there's nothing not to like (apart, perhaps, from the slug of booze in his morning cuppa): he's a genial fixture around his housing estate. As we get to know him though (and again, this is handled with terrific subtlety), he's revealed as less than perfect and it's to James' credit (as both writer and actor) that much of his behaviour can be so violent or caddish, and yet he never for a moment loses our sympathy. The same applies to the central premise here. The missing child is his daughter – but he abandoned her a decade ago and has refused to have contact since. Not exactly the doting dad. This is character drama, social inquiry, thriller and whodunit rolled into one. The one thing it is not is a vanity piece.