Gloriously un-PC: Ronan Bennett’s Top Boy reviewed

Sir Lenny Henry, the former comedian, is wont to complain to anyone who’ll listen that there isn’t enough ‘diversity’ on TV. Really, he should watch Top Boy (Netflix). Apart from the odd token walk-on whitey — skanky crack addicts, nasty immigration officers — it’s wall-to-wall BAME casting opportunities. The protagonist, Dushane (Ashley Walters), is black. So are all his friends, family and associates (his mandem, as they are colloquially known). So, mostly, is the urban music soundtrack, the work of various grime artists curated by the show’s co-producer, Canadian rapper Drake.

What Sir Lenny might find not ooookaaaaay, I suppose, is that pretty much all the characters are ruthless, murderous, drug-dealing gangland thugs. (Those that aren’t usually end up dead in the crossfire.) Possibly, he might think that this is crude stereotyping but I find it hugely refreshing. Contra Sir Lenny, our television and movie culture has for years been so oppressively woke that as soon as a black character walks on you know that either a) they didn’t do whatever crime they were falsely, racistly accused of or b) they’re the wise, genial and fair police chief/QC/judge in charge of correcting that injustice.

Top Boy is the creation of Ronan Bennett and it’s by far the best thing he’s done. I’m amazed that Channel 4 chose to scrap it after just two seasons (it debuted in 2011, ended in 2013) because, apart from pushing all those BAME casting buttons that are UK TV-land’s obsession, it’s about as close as British TV drama has got recently to the bleak, grimy, fearless verisimilitude of series like The Wire or Gomorrah.

It doesn’t cheat, for example, by suggesting that these Hackney gangsters are oppressed victims with hearts of gold.