Top Boy series two overview

8 August 2013

The return of BAFTA nominated four-part drama, created and written by novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett (Channel 4’s The Hamburg Cell, BBC’s Hidden, Public Enemies) takes us back into the estates and streets of east London.

A Hackney resident himself, Bennett depicts the human realities of a world where every day is a struggle, survived with courage by some, whilst others slip between the cracks.

Gangs are still operating in the courtyards of the Summerhouse Estate and after a deadly turf war the stakes are even higher. For some, crime is still paying, while others strive to live honest lives - against the odds.

Charming, sexy and clever, 27-year-old Dushane (Ashley Walters) has finally made it as ‘Top Boy’ in Summerhouse but has lost the support of his best friend and main ally, 26-year-old Sully (Kane Robinson) in the process. As Dushane prepares to move into the big time with boss Joe (David Hayman), who has set them up with their biggest-ever shipment of drugs, Sully has resorted to ever more desperate measures to get hold of cash, with his new partner-in-crime, the violent and volatile Mike (Paul Anderson).

15-year-old Ra’Nell (Malcolm Kamulete) is still keeping his head down and with trials for the district youth squad coming up, he hopes football might be a way to escape life on the streets.  Unfortunately his best friend Gem (Giacomo Mancini) gets caught up in activities which take him in a different direction – one that, it soon becomes clear, he is unable to control.

In the second series, Bennett explores what happens when life on the Summerhouse Estate comes head-to-head with the world of organised crime, property development and corporate greed. As the police close in and tensions escalate, Dushane and Sully have to join forces once more to save their livelihoods – and their lives.

Top Boy starring Ashley Walters (Dushane), Kane Robinson (Sully), David Hayman (Joe), Paul Anderson (Mike) and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Lisa) also features an ensemble cast of exciting new talent including Giacomo Mancini (Gem), Malcolm Kamulete (Ra’Nell), Shone Romulus (Dris).

Directed by Jonathan van Tulleken (Misfits), Top Boy plays out against a beautifully bleak urban background, with sweeping panoramic views of London, undercut by Brian Eno’s stark, atmospheric score.

Thrilling, raw, frightening, sad, hopeful and surprisingly funny by turn, this original drama is an honest and gripping rendition of inner-city life set in a world we think we know, but rarely see or understand.