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When the series was picked up by the streaming service in 2019, it looked like it would be plain sailing for the Ashley Walters- and Kano-starring crime drama. Originally broadcast by Channel 4 from 2011-2013, the show had an early and passionate following, but to the dismay of a growing fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic it was cancelled with little explanation.
But then it returned, picked up by Netflix thanks to a campaign spearheaded by Drake, who ultimately became one of the new season’s executive producers. It was a roaring success and made small screen stars of new cast members Michael Ward, Little Simz, and Jasmine Jobson, and seemed to be more popular than ever.
Frustratingly, a follow-up series was delayed thanks to Covid, but this year it made its return. And what a return. The production was expanded significantly, taking the story of Dushane and Sully’s fractious empire to Spain and Morocco, but it hasn’t forgotten the homegrown stories of domestic violence, gentrification, societal neglect, and the culture clash between immigrants and their first-generation children.
Now that the latest season has been out for a little while and you’ve all had time to get caught up (if you haven’t, please, for goodness sake, stop reading this and go watch it), Netflix caught up with Ashley Walters (Dushane), Saffron Hocking (Lauren), Kadeem Ramsay (Kit), Adwoa Aboah (Becks), and Araloyin Oshunremi (Stef) to discuss their paths into acting—be it the traditional audition route or a chance encounter in a barbershop—as well as how they prepared for their roles and what some of the storylines meant to them.
One of the breakout stars this season was Saffron Hocking as Lauren, whose exile in Liverpool forced her into a bleak and lonely existence plagued by brutal physical and psychological domestic violence. Speaking with the rest of the cast, she explains, “I actually got in contact with a domestic violence charity in order to speak to them and help me navigate how to tell the truth, I guess, with my character and what she goes through.”
A lot changed when Top Boy hit Netflix in 2019, but in the two years leading up to this latest season, it feels like even more has changed. We’ve been introduced to a whole new batch of characters—including NoLay, Erin Kellyman, Nolay, Adwoa Aboah, and Ash Catch’Em—and without giving anything away, the impact they’ve had on the show has been enormous.
So, now that we’ve all had time to take in the eight new episodes, hit play at the top to watch Ashley Walters, Saffron Hocking, Kadeem Ramsay, Adwoa Aboah, and Araloyin Oshunremi break down what their characters have been through this season, how they approached telling their respective stories, and the importance of having those stories brought to the screen in the right way.
