The story
On the Summerhouse estate in Hackney, east London, old friends Dushane and Sully have clawed their way up the local drug trade, and staying on top demands constant watchfulness. As rivals circle and pressures mount, the drama widens its gaze to the teenagers, parents and neighbours whose lives get pulled into the business, painting a hard-edged picture of ambition, loyalty and survival in a city that is changing around them.
Why it matters
Top Boy is the standout case of a British drama revived by a streamer after its broadcaster walked away. Channel 4 dropped it after two short series, but Drake's championing brought it to Netflix, which relaunched it as a Netflix original and made three more series. The show has since won the BAFTA TV award for Drama Series.
How it was rescued
Channel 4 aired two four-part series in 2011 and 2013, then cancelled Top Boy in 2014. Drake, who had found the show on YouTube, bought the rights and pitched it to Netflix, which greenlit a new series in November 2017; the first Netflix series was released on 13 September 2019.
Filed under: Cancelled, then revived online
Notable facts
- Ronan Bennett was inspired to write it after seeing a twelve-year-old boy dealing drugs at his local Tesco in Hackney. (source)
- The pilot was first commissioned by the BBC, whose head of drama objected to its violence and swearing. (source)
- On Netflix, the two Channel 4 series were retitled Top Boy: Summerhouse. (source)
- Drake discovered the show by watching parts of it on YouTube. (source)