Top Boy is a British crime drama thriller television series created and written by Ronan Bennett.
[4][5] The series has received critical acclaim for its writing, acting, cinematography, themes, realism, and soundtrack, with favourable comparisons to other crime shows such as The Wire, Snowfall, and Power.
In addition, it has won Drama Series, Best Original Music, Best Director: Fiction, Best Scripted Casting and Best Supporting Actress for Jasmine Jobson.
The series follows the plight of Ra'nell as he navigates the pitfalls of living on the crime-filled Summerhouse estate after his mother, Lisa, is admitted to a mental hospital.
Meanwhile, Lisa's pregnant friend Heather enlists Ra'Nell's help to grow a cannabis crop so she can earn enough money to move out of the estate to a safer place.
Dushane and Sully run the estate together with relative ease, but are at risk after Kamale, a rival drug dealer from London Fields, steals a large amount of their supply.
However a new crew from London Fields, headed by the ruthless Jamie, won't stand for Dushane stepping on their turf.
An altercation between the two men when queuing up in the prison cafeteria escalates to the point that Sully throws boiling sugar water on Modie's face days before he is due to be released.
Jamie's thirst for power and subsequent battles with Dushane's crew at Summerhouse comprise the main plot throughout this series.
Dushane wants to expand his empire beyond the streets by making huge investments in London and finding new connections in Spain and Morocco.
Sully suffers from PTSD in the aftermath of murdering Dris and struggling with the death of his younger friend Jason, who was almost a son to him.
Meanwhile, upon giving birth to a baby boy, Lauryn suffers from post-natal depression and drowns in the bath from a drug overdose.
Bennett was inspired to write the series after he saw a twelve-year-old boy dealing drugs at his local Tesco supermarket in Hackney, London.
Bennett, assisted by his friend Gerry Jackson, interviewed several drug dealers in the area about their lifestyle in order to portray the society realistically.
The series pilot was originally commissioned by the BBC, but the head of drama was very critical about the strong violence and profanity in the script.
Eventually, Bennett met with producers Charles Steel and Alasdair Flind of Cowboy Films, who gave support.
Walters and Robinson led the series alongside other rappers, including Scorcher as London Fields gang leader Kamale.
The first series also featured Shone Romolus as Dris, Dushane and Sully's trusted enforcer; newcomers Malcolm Kamulete and Giacomo Mancini as best friends Ra'Nell and Gem; Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Ra'Nell's mum Lisa; Nicholas Pinnock as Leon, Lisa's friend and a father figure to Ra'Nell; Kierston Wareing as Lisa's pregnant friend Heather; Benedict Wong as cannabis dealer Vincent; and Geoff Bell as drug lord Bobby Raikes.
The series also featured a then-eighteen-year-old Letitia Wright as Chantelle, a member of the Summerhouse gang and Gem's love interest.
The second series features the reprisals of Walters, Robinson, Romolus, Kamulete, Mancini, Duncan-Brewster, and Wong with new additions including rapper Bashy as Jermaine, Sully's cousin; Lorraine Burroughs as Rhianna Parkes, Dushane's lawyer; Paul Anderson as Mike, Sully's new business partner; Nabil Elouahabi as Babrak Mustapha, Gem's father; Ricky Smarts as Jason, Sully's friend and son figure; and Michaela Coel as Kayla Thomas, a woman who was in contact with Kamale.
In April 2019, following the series' revival by Netflix, it was announced that Micheal Ward would join the cast as the new London Fields leader Jamie.
New additions to the third and fourth series include Jasmine Jobson, Hope Ikpoku Jr., Araloyin Oshunremi, Keiyon Cook, Jolade Obasola, Kadeem Ramsay, Lisa Dwan, Joshua Blisset, Saffron Hocking and Adwoa Aboah.
Filming took place in Margate at Walpole Bay and Fulsam Rock Beach and nearby streets including Athelstan Road.
[7] With the series being set in Hackney much of the filming took place in the borough in areas including Dalston, Haggerston and London Fields.
[10][11] The soundtrack includes appearances from OVO's Drake, Baka Not Nice, and Popcaan and British artists AJ Tracey, Avelino, Dave, Fredo, Ghetts, Headie One, Little Simz, M Huncho, Nafe Smallz, Central Cee and SL.
[15] Tom Sutcliffe, writing in the Independent, said, "The drama involved virtually no preaching at all, but a sense of morality was everywhere, as bad conscience flickered in the face of the toughest characters and grief hit the culpable and the blameless alike.
"[16] The Netflix revival series was met with greater acclaim for its performances, emotional depth, soundtrack, writing, and bigger scope and scale.