Top Boy: new drama from Channel 4

A brand-new four part drama serial from Ronan Bennett, Top Boy is an honest and gripping rendition of inner-city life on an east London estate.

This new four-part mini-series, created and written by novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett (Channel 4's The Hamburg Cell, The Catastrophist, Public Enemies) takes us into the housing estates 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.

To some, crime seems to offer the only means of acquiring wealth and status. Drug gangs operate almost openly in the courtyards between tower blocks, while others strive to live honest lives against the odds. This tension is explored through the interlocking stories of 26-year-old dealer Dushane (Ashley Walters), determined to become the area's Top Boy, and the good-natured but vulnerable 14-year-old Ra'Nell (Malcolm Kamulete), forced to grow up fast after his mother's breakdown and enforced absence.

Top Boy combines elements of a tense gangster thriller with subtle social realism, touches of tenderness, surprising innocence and wry humour. The 68-strong cast blends newcomers like Kamulete, music stars Kane Robinson (aka Kano) and Tayo Jarrett (aka Scorcher) with established actors like Ashley Walters (Bullet Boy, Small Island), Kierston Wareing (It's a Free World, Fish Tank, Luther, The Shadow Line), Geoff Bell (The Long Firm, RocknRolla, Five Daughters) and David Hayman (Trial and Retribution, Waking the Dead, Sid and Nancy, Hope and Glory).

Directed by Yann Demange (Criminal Justice, Dead Set) this gripping drama is full of striking images, often finding an austere beauty in the urban settings it inhabits. The gleaming skyline of the City of London forms a frequent backdrop to the views from the high-rise flats, a visual reminder that the ruthless pursuit of wealth crosses all social boundaries.

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