This hilarious, inventive sitcom about a Black film-maker struggling to make it feels totally new. No wonder it’s full of cameos from comedy legends

Television can have a tendency towards being formulaic, and in some respects, that is part of its appeal. You sit down on a Sunday night to a big BBC period drama and know, roughly, the notes that it is going to hit. But occasionally a show like Dreaming Whilst Black comes along and quietly rips up the formula, finding a new path that feels fresh, exciting and very much its own.

The series, co-created by and starring Adjani Salmon , emerges from the foundations of first a web series and then a Bafta-winning pilot. Salmon is Kwabena, an aspiring film-maker from a Jamaican family who is working in recruitment while dreaming of one day making it as a writer and director. Over six episodes, he navigates his way through various opportunities, funding schemes and mentoring programmes, while also trying to earn a living and pay rent.