I was devastated,” says Ashley Walters, remembering the day in 2014 that Channel 4 cancelled Top Boy, the gang crime drama that has been revived by Netflix.
Created by the Northern Irish screenwriter and novelist Ronan Bennett, Top Boy starred Walters and fellow actor-musician Kano as warring gang members on the fictional Summerhouse estate in Hackney.
I hope Boris watches Top Boy.”
There are layers of irony: a son wanting to be more like Top Boy despite the cushioning privilege afforded by his dad, famous from starring in Top Boy.