Nick Helm does some proper acting in his self-penned Comedy Short in which he plays a lifetime loser Sam Miller who decides to train to be a champion boxer. When they meet at the gym his trainer Donny (Lloyd Everitt) is not so sure if Sam is cut out for this: "If I didn't do something because I wasn't very good at it i wouldn't do anything," replies Sam.

The scene is set for a Rocky-style comedy-drama where our hero does things on his terms. It's a familiar setting but with a twist. We see the usual training sessions and the sweaty runs through the park. Can Sam reinvent himself? At the start he is late for his sparring sessions. In the end he is arriving before his trainer gets there. 

But he can talk the talk, can he walk the walk and punch above his weight when he suddenly finds himself in the ring against real meathead opponent Aled (Plebs' Jon Pointing)? It would be better not to give too much away here. Let's just say the canvas soon turns from white to claret.

Helm is a very good actor though maybe this isn't a huge stretch for him. He does tend to play underdog characters with a tragic streak – his whole stage persona is built on rejection – and this follows in that tradition. Certainly at the start anyway... 

BBC2, Sept 20, 9.45pm.

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