Where are the stars of Top Boy now? The varied fates of the stellar cast 15 years after it was first released

When Top Boy first burst onto screens back in 2011 it was an instant hit and launched the careers of some of Britain's biggest stars.Following fearless but complex drug dealers Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kano/Kane Robinson), it gave an unflinching look at Hackney's criminal...

Ghanamma

November 2, 2026Ghana

By AMELIA WYNNE, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 23:55 01 Nov 2026, updated 00:05 02 Nov 2026

When Top Boy first burst onto screens back in 2011 it was an instant hit and launched the careers of some of Britain’s biggest stars.

Following fearless but complex drug dealers Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kano/Kane Robinson), it gave an unflinching look at Hackney’s criminal underworld and social issues.

15 years after its release it has made household names out of several of its stars and along the way attracted some already huge celebrities to join the cast.

Model Adwoa Aboah, rapper Dave and musical artist Little Simz have all spoken of how appearing on the show positively impacted their glittering careers.

First broadcast on Channel 4 before being cancelled after two series of Summerhouse, the show was successfully revived for three further by Netflix in 2019 with the backing of rapper Drake.

Ashley, 44, had a promising start in life as he attended part time drama classes at the world renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone when he was just seven.

Teachers at the independent theatre school, whose alumni include the likes of Billie Piper, Rita Ora and Dua Lipa, were quick to spot Ashley’s talent.

By the time he was 13, Ashley, who was also attending his local comprehensive, landed his television debut in the role of Andy Philips on the long-running television BBC series Grange Hill.

During his early teens, he went on to star in the BBC film Storm Damage and portray Stephen Lawrence’s brother in the 1999 docudrama The Stephen Lawrence Story – all while gaining ten GCSES.

By the time he was 18, his career took a turn and he became a rapper, starring in the Battersea-based hip-hop group So Solid Crew performing under the name ‘Asher D’.

Following the group’s number one hit single – 21 Seconds – Ashley decided to step back from music to return to his first love of acting.

But this was interrupted aged 19 when he was found in possession of a gun after he was arrested following a bust-up with a traffic warden.

After pleading guilty to possession of a firearm, Ashley spent nine out of his 18-month sentence in a young offenders institute in the capital.

Starting afresh after his release – and taking a step back from those friends who were a bad influence to him – Ashley continued to pursue his acting career, getting cast regularly in television shows and films.

It wasn’t until 2011 when he was thrown back into the public limelight again, quickly emerging as one of Britain’s most talented actors for his role in the Hackney drugs drama Top Boy.

For the show’s five series, Ashley played gun-toting gang leader Dushane roaming around a fictional east London estate.

Top Boy went from success to success, reaping in awards at the British Academy Television Awards.

As Ashley’s fame continued to soar, he also met the love of his life, fellow actor Danielle Isaie in 2013.

Ashley most recently earned critical praise for his performance as detective DI Luke Bascombe in Adolescence.

The four-part series received critical acclaim when it hit the streaming service in March, and centres on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a schoolgirl.

In the show, viewers saw how teen Jamie Miller’s perception of girls had been radicalised through content he was viewing online, and also showed the vast amount of social media consumed by teenagers at school.

In the aftermath of his Adolescence success, Ashley has turned his attention to directing – with his new prison drama Animol.

He says that a lot of it is based on his own experience and memories from his own time behind bars.

He told The Guardian this week: ‘I wanted it to feel, look and sound the way it felt, looked and sounded to me.’

When he first arrived in prison he says that ‘all hell broke loose’ as the other inmates knew who he was – with many shouting insults at him and even threatening to kill him.

‘It wasn’t a pleasant experience at all,’ he said. ‘I was tried, I was tested, it was pressure, there was loads of fear. But I had no choice. It’s an experience I had to go through, and actually it was one of the best things that happened to me.’

Animol follows 15-year-old protagonist Troy (played by Tut Nyuot) as he navigates life inside.

And the reviews have been good so far, with one critic penning: ‘Animol is a great exploration of masculinity and how it presents itself in an environment that not only breeds violence but actively encourages it.’

It has been a life of great ups and downs for Ashley so far but he has managed to successfully turn things around for himself – with the future seeming bright.

Kano, 41, played Sully on the show and quickly became a fan favourite as fans routed for him after his prison release.

Aside from Top Boy he has had a highly successful career in the music industry.

He also played the lead role of Izi in the dystopian Netflix sci-fi drama The Kitchen, co-directed and co-written by Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares, which premiered in October 2023.

During filming for the final series of Top Boy, Netflix was reportedly forced to ‘temporarily pause production’ in order to have ‘further creative discussion’ after Kano is thought to have disagreed with a planned storyline for his character.

The Sun reported that he threw shooting into chaos, after he locked horns with the producers over their plans for Sully.

A source told the publication at the time: ‘Kano was told about a key storyline which involves his character and he absolutely hit the roof, he was fuming.

‘It all happened last week when he threw his toys out of the pram and stormed off set. He left and said he is refusing to cooperate if the plot stays as it is. He is just completely against what has been written.

‘It has thrown a spanner in the works for the whole show because it was going to be such a massive part of the series. Now they need to decide whether they try and appease Kano and plough ahead or rewrite this major storyline.’

The series ended with Sully being killed by a mystery person – but it is not known if that was the part he was unhappy with.

Hugely successful rapper Dave, 28, played the terrifying part of Modie in Top Boy – Sully’s prison rival.

Aside from acting in Top Boy, his main focus is his music and he has won multiple major awards throughout his career.

He has scooped three BRIT Awards in his time and has delighted countless festival crowds.

Back in 2020, Dave slammed then Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Brit awards, accusing the Conservative leader of being racist.

He scooped the Brit Award for Album of the Year and performed his hit ‘Black’, a track which charts the difficulties of Black Brits.

In a surprise moment for viewers and those in attendance at the O2 in London he debuted a brand new verse criticising Mr Johnson.

‘It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our prime minister’s a real racist. They say – ‘you should be grateful, we’re the least racist’, I say the least racist is still racist.’

The month before Mr Johnson was criticised by Grenfell survivors who said he had downgraded the government’s interest in the disaster, with many claiming he was ‘out of touch’ with what they were going through.

Giacomo, 31, is best known for playing Gem on the show – a young, unlucky lad who gets caught up in dealing from a young age.

After making his screen debut in Top Boy, Giacomo went on to appear in The IT Crowd, Ripper Street and is also starred in Amazon’s sci-fi series Supacell.

Last year he welcomed his first child, a baby daughter, with his beloved girlfriend who he lovingly refers to as G.

As well as sharing a slew of sweet snaps of the adorable newborn Giacomo also revealed her name, Mia Bella Mancini.

The tot, dressed in a pink cardigan, was seen in her Moses basket as well as sleeping on her father’s bare chest.

Giacomo captioned the post: ‘August 9th 2025..The day you captured our hearts. Mummy and Daddy love you so much it hurts!’.

Fans and famous friends rushed to the comments including former EastEnders actress and former Top Boy co-star Kierston Wareing who gushed: ‘Congratulations’.

Jasmine, 31, had her big break on the show and won the Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for her role as the formidable Jaq.

The star, who grew up in west London and put herself into care aged 14, has previously said that the show ‘changed her life’.

She said: ‘I was just a normal girl from west London that was just trying to do better for myself and was just wishing and hoping for the best.

‘And one day I went from working in a bar full time and acting part time to suddenly acting full time and now acting pays my bills. So Top Boy saved my life.’

The actress, who played Jaq in the series, was cast in the third season of the show, after it was ‘saved’ by Drake.

After the show she went on to date her co-star Kadeem Ramsay – known for playing Jamie’s backstabber friend Kit.

The romance came to an end early last year.

Since Top Boy Jasmine has gone on to star in Platform 7, Bird and Mobland.

She is also officially returning for a Top Boy spin-off series soon. The 6-episode sequel series (currently using the working title Jaq) is created and written by playwright Ryan Calais Cameron.

Jasmine will star and serve as an executive producer alongside original creator Ronan Bennett and Drake.

Saffron, 32, played the role of Jaq’s sister Lauryn in Top Boy and had a tragic ending in the final series when she overdosed.

She struggled to get back on her feet after an abusive relationship and turned to drugs to cope.

After Jaq discovered her body she vowed to exit the drugs game for good but Sully didn’t share the same ambitions for her.

Since the show Saffron has taken on several high-profile television and film projects, starring in The Devil’s Hour, Peacock and Hit Point.

She has also starred in Strangeways Here We Come, Marvel Disney+ series Moon Knight as well as Prime Video series Riches.

Last year she was linked romantically to actor Will Poulter.

She and Will are thought to have met two years ago when they both worked on a Friend of the Earth campaign. They both attended Glastonbury with Barbour last summer.

Micheal, 28, is best known for playing the role of Sully and Dushane’s fearless rival Jamie.

He was awarded the 2020 BAFTA Rising Star Award and joined the cast of Top Boy around the same time.

It has been a tough year for Michael. In July he was found not guilty of raping a woman in the back of his friend’s car by a jury.

He was cleared of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault against a woman who claimed she was attacked in a Mercedes on January 2, 2023.

Speaking outside court, his lawyer Humzah Ilyas said the performer was ‘looking forward to getting back to doing the work he loves’.

Michael, who is from east London, rose to fame in cult Peckham gang war film Blue Story, and gained wider recognition as drug dealer Jamie in Top Boy.

He also appeared in the BBC’s Small Axe in 2021 and the 2022 film Empire Of Light, for which he received best supporting actor nods from Bafta.

Once touted as a future James Bond, he has also modelled for Burberry and gave a reading at the Christmas Eve carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales in 2023.

He also played in the Soccer Aid match at Stamford Bridge in 2024, the same year he shared the screen with Bill Nighy in Netflix football drama The Beautiful Game.

Last year, he appeared opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in neo-Western thriller Eddington.

Little Simz, 32, played Shelley in Top Boy – the on-off partner of Dushane.

Having grown up in Islington near Hackney where the show is set, she has previously noted that the role felt deeply personal to her.

Alongside acting she has had a successful music career.

She has won the BRIT Award for Best New Artist (Breakthrough Artist) alongside multiple MOBO and NME awards.

Last year she released her sixth studio album, Lotus, which peaked at No3 on the UK charts.

The first two seasons of the Top Boy aired on Channel 4 in 2011, before being dropped in 2014.

Three years later, Hotline Bling hitmaker Drake teamed up with Netflix to revamp the show, with a new cast as well as the original cast members Dushane and Sully.

Speaking at BAFTA Television’s The Sessions in 2020, the show’s creator Ronan admitted he didn’t know who Drake was when he was first approached by the Canadian rap superstar.

He said: ‘After two successful seasons on Channel 4, when Top Boy was cancelled it was one of those ones I wasn’t able to shrug off.

‘It meant too much. It was an incredible family feeling about the cast and the crew and filmmakers. It was very hard and difficult to understand.

‘When I heard that Drake was interested I didn’t pay it a lot of mind, partly because I didn’t know who he was.

‘It wasn’t until I met him a bit later that it became clear he was serious and we really had a chance of going forward.’

Ronan went on: ‘I realised maybe it turns out he’s quite big. We met him in London, myself and my colleagues, he was great.

‘And he was very genuine and just really loved it and all he said to us was we just want you to do what you do and all we want to be is the fuel to your fire and to help it get back up again.

‘He didn’t want to control it, he wanted us to do the same thing again.’

Model Adwoa, 34, played the role of Jaq’s girlfriend in Top Boy and was already very well known before the show due her fashion work.

Since Top Boy she has starred in Lena Dunham’s Netflix comedy series Too Much.

The star welcomed her daughter Shy Trinity with her boyfriend Daniel Wheatley in August 2024.

Daniel is a 35-year-old skateboarder whom she’s been dating since 2021.

The actress has been open about her difficult past and problems with alcohol and drugs, previously recounting how she first tried marijuana at the age of 14 after getting drunk at a house party.

From then on, she started using harder drugs, trying both cocaine and ketamine, with the latter being the drug which ‘really got’ her.

Adwoa previously revealed she was ‘pushed to rip apart myself and put it all back together’ while in a treatment facility for her drug addiction.

She added that she is ‘lucky’ to be sober and go to treatment as it forced her to confront herself and her addiction issues.

Speaking on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast for World Mental Health Day, she said: ‘I was lucky enough to go to treatment, so I met a mad variety of people there who’d been through all sorts of different things.

‘It kicks it out of you when you are forced to really confront yourself. I’m actually quite lucky. A lot of sober people say that. I think I’m quite lucky that I was pushed to deal with it now.

‘Pushed to pick apart any judgments I had towards other people. Pushed to rip apart myself and put it all back together so that I could look at things a bit differently.

‘Even though it was pretty f***ing s**t, I’m pretty lucky to be quite honest that I’ve been given this chance to do things differently and to look at situations in a more empathetic way, actually.’

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