Top Boy
| Top Boy | |
|---|---|
Current title card of Top Boy
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| Genre | Crime Drama |
| Written by | Ronan Bennett |
| Directed by |
Yann Demange (2011) Jonathan van Tulleken (2013) |
| Starring |
Ashley Walters Kane Robinson Sharon Duncan Brewster Geoff Bell |
| Composer(s) | Brian Eno |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Charles Steel Alasdair Flind Ronan Bennett |
| Location(s) | London |
| Cinematography | Tat Radcliffe (2011) Christopher Ross (2013) |
| Editor(s) | Chris Wyatt (2011) Matthew Tabern (2013) |
| Running time | 48 minutes (approx.) |
| Production company(s) | Cowboy Films |
| Distributor | Channel 4 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Picture format | 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Original release | 31 October 2011 – 10 September 2013 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Top Boy is a British television crime drama series that was first broadcast on Channel 4. Season 1 was broadcast over consecutive nights, from 31 October to 3 November 2011. 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. A second series began airing on 20 August 2013 on Channel 4. The series aims to provide an insight into life in London estates, and how drugs affect everyone living there.
A third series is now being rumoured to be taking place. In April 2016 it was announced that series 3 is coming soon. Channel 4 have still not confirmed any new series.
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 committed 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.
After the police uncover a body, Dushane must deal with the repercussions while also attempting to stay ahead of his one-time friend turned rival, Sully. 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.
Upon completion of the series, Top Boy received some positive feedback from critics. The drama premiered with a solid 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. In January 2014, Audience Network began broadcasting the first season on DirecTV in the United States.
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