Dancing on the Edge, directed by Stephen Poliakoff

In 1930s London, Stanley Mitchell is chief writer at the fledgling magazine Music Express. He discovers and promotes the Louis Lester band, a troupe of black jazz musicians, to fame and fortune. Some of the band members were born in Britain, but others have immigration difficulties. Favour from high society, including royalty, both helps and hinders Louis and the band’s progress as they battle for musical change, deal with racism and the fallout of the behaviour of mysterious American millionaire Masterson. The murder of a band member turns the gloriously soapy costume drama darker. It flags a bit in the middle, as the story is drawn out possibly longer than necessary, but picks up again towards the end, as justice of a sort is done in the fifth and final episode. Chiwetal Ejiofor is outstanding as Louis, with Matthew Goode his usual appealing self as Sydney. A strong supporting cast features many familiar faces, with strong performances from John Goodman, Jacqueline Bisset and Joanna Vanderham. But the real star of the show is the music, which perfectly illustrates the rapidly changing era between the two world wars and covers some of the flaws in the writing.