BBC's Idris Elba's Fight School: Meet the Oldham teen starring in show

A teenage boy from Oldham drifting through life with 'no direction' has been taught how to box by actor Idris Elba in a "social experiment".

Naeem, 19, is one of eight young people who went through Elba's Fight School - an intensive five month programme training disadvantaged youths to take part in an amateur match at one of the world's most iconic boxing venues. Elba had the idea for the project after seeing first-hand how a local boxing club transformed the lives of young people in South Africa, and wanted to give the same opportunities to struggling youngsters.

All eight taking part in the project - being shown on the BBC - have experienced hardships, with some spending spells in prison like 19-year-old Finlay, from Scotland, or 29-year-old Sophie from Solihull, who was first arrested at age 11. Others are trying to get their lives back on track after traumatic experiences, like 29-year-old Chanika from East London who miscarried a set of twins before her child died shortly after birth.

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Naeem joined the programme after realising he had no long-term goals. He told the BBC: "There was sort of no direction for me, no long-term objective. I won't do something until I'm pushed to do it."

All of the participants were expected to train twice a day, six days a week, with morning runs and gym sessions upping their fitness levels before they stepped into the ring with some of the country's top boxing coaches. Naeem was quickly seen to be struggling by organisers, as the then-18-year-old turned up late to a training sessions, frustrating his coaches.

He insisted he didn't have a problem with motivation, and had just been "silly" with his timing.