Channel 4 makes the taxman the hero in documentary showing fight against plumbers, scrap merchants and fat cats

The series will also follow investigation units with the power to arrest, “busting crime gangs all over the UK” (Getty)

The grey, penny-pinching taxman will be rebranded as a crime-busting investigator who brings fat cats to justice in a new Channel 4 series.

The broadcaster has been given unprecedented access to HM Revenue and Customs for Meet The Taxman, an observational documentary series made by Tiger Aspect Productions, the company behind Mr Bean. Meet The Taxman will follow inspectors and investigators as they set out to catch tax evaders and collect tax.

The series will focus on inspectors targeting the so-called “high risk” sectors, from “plumbers and scrap merchants to dentists and doctors, those with offshore bank accounts and high net worth individuals”. It will also follow investigation units with the power to arrest, “busting crime gangs all over the UK”.

The series promises to deliver positive PR for HMRC, which has closed tax avoidance schemes used by high-profile celebrities including Chris Moyles and Gary Barlow.

The producers spent a year securing access to HMRC. Nick Mirsky, the Channel 4 head of documentaries, said: “This offers unique access to a group of public servants.”