Top Boy is a British television crime drama series, written and created by Ronan Bennett and directed by Yann Demange and Jonathan van Tulleken, first broadcast on 31 October 2011 on Channel 4. Set on the fictional Summerhouse housing estate in Hackney, East London, the series follows the lives of a group of people involved in drug dealing and street gangs. Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson serve as lead actors for the project.
The first series was broadcast over four consecutive nights, from 31 October to 3 November 2011. A DVD of the first series was issued on 22 July 2013. A second series began airing on 20 August 2013. A DVD release of the second series followed on 16 September 2013. Although storylines for a third series were proposed, the series was dropped by Channel 4 in 2014. In January 2014, Audience Network began broadcasting the first season on DirecTV in the United States.
In November 2017, it was announced that following interest from Canadian rapper Drake, Netflix had revived the series, ordering a third series of ten episodes with both Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson reprising their roles. In addition, creator Ronan Bennett will return to script all ten episodes, the original creative team will return, and Drake, Adel Nur, Maverick Carter, and Jamal Henderson will all join the series as executive producers. The third series will premiere on Netflix globally in 2019.
Video Top Boy
Plot
Series 1 (2011)
The series follows the plight of Ra'Nell as he navigates the pitfalls of living in a crime-filled area after his mother, Lisa, is admitted to a mental hospital. The story also follows the rise of local drug dealers Dushane and Sully, and the tough decisions they must make to stay alive and in business.
Series 2 (2013)
After the police uncover a body, Dushane must deal with the repercussions while also attempting to stay ahead of Sully, his one-time friend turned rival. Meanwhile, Ra'Nell's mother attempts to rebuild her life, and Gem tries to enlist Ra'Nell's help in combating a new threat. Series Two also introduces Jason, an abused youth who attempts to survive in a world corrupted by violence and drugs.
Maps Top Boy
Cast
Main
- Ashley Walters as Dushane
- Kane Robinson as Sully
- Malcolm Kamulete as Ra'Nell
- Shone Romulus as Dris
- Sharon Duncan Brewster as Lisa
- Giacomo Mancini as Gem
- Xavien Russell as Michael
Recurring
Episodes
Series 1 (2011)
Series 2 (2013)
Reception
Top Boy received positive feedback from critics. The first series premiered with 1.1 million viewers, and managed to maintain its audience share over the course of its four-night run.
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. Best of all, it always found a little time for something other than plot, whether it was banter on stairwells or the melancholy beauty of the city at night. Seriously good television."
Ed Cumming of The Daily Telegraph wrote of "minor quibbles", before adding that "on the whole this was a well-made, convincing drama, with an excellent ensemble cast. Ashley Walters, once of rap group So Solid Crew and with real-life arrests for firearms crimes, knows the world he is portraying. The two boys, Ra'Nell and Gem, did a good job of balancing adolescent aggression with naïve vulnerability. When Ra'Nell left a message on his mentally ill mother's phone, you knew it was half from a sense of responsibility towards her and half because he just wanted his mum. I wonder if he'll still need her by the end of Thursday night." He also noted similarities between Top Boy and the American television drama series The Wire.
References
External links
- 'Top Boy' at channel4.com
- Top Boy on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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