Listen to our Top Boy companion podcast

Last month, an exhibition and panel series celebrating the culture, creativity and stars of Top Boy launched in east London.

Top Boy Live took over Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery for a day of talks and workshops supporting the next generation of British talent in film, TV, music and beyond. Our Issue 129 cover stars Little Simz, Ashley Walters and Micheal Ward were in attendance alongside the show’s creator Ronan Bennett and other members of the Top Boy team.

Crack Magazine was on the ground capturing the panels and talks. Listen to a series of recordings edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon below, and recap the day with advice, insights and assignments here.

Our crackaud.io stories series is also available on Apple Podcasts, Acast and other podcast platforms.

Top Boy’s cast on the face of British television

Featuring Little Simz, Micheal Ward, Jasmine Jobson, Saffron Hocking and Araloyin Oshunremi

Hosted by Gena-mour Barrett, we hear from the stars of the biggest show in British culture. Little Simz, Micheal Ward, Jasmine Jobson, Saffron Hocking and Araloyin Oshunremi explore representation, realism and the return of Top Boy.

Behind the scenes on Top Boy, Britain’s best drama

Featuring Ashley Walters, Ronan Bennett and Alastair Flind

What does it take to make generation-defining television? In this panel conversation we hear from Top Boy’s top table – the show’s creator Ronan Bennett, producer Alasdair Flind, and star and executive producer Ashley Walters.

Character-building through casting, acting and styling on Top Boy

Featuring stylist Lauren Miller, writer Tyrone Rashad, casting director Des Hamilton and actor Micheal Ward

Since the show first aired on Channel 4 in October 2011, Top Boy has been defined by its rich, unpredictable and most importantly authentic characters. But how do you build characters that are lasting? And how do you make sure what they are saying is believable? Stylists, writers, actors and casting directors from the show talk through the process.

The crossroads of music and drama on Top Boy

Featuring director Mo Ali, director Koby Adom, music supervisor Ed Baille and actor Micheal Ward

How do you tell the story of an inner-city London estate without compromising on authenticity and honesty? For Top Boy, the answer lies in music. We spoke to the show’s music supervisor and members of the cast and writing team about telling stories through – and with – music.