Where is Top Boy filmed? Estate used for Summerhouse scenes - and set locations of series with Ashley Walters

Top Boy, a social realist drama first owned by Channel 4 and now by Netflix, is set in east London’s housing estates.

Drug gangs operate in the open, relying on one of the few avenues to easy money available in the estate.

As some on the estate try to make an honest living away from crime, and others fight to become top boy, or gang leader of the estate, tension threatens to escalate into violence.

Season 4 will see the Summerhouse crew making more money than they could have ever imagined, after they came out on top in a gang war in the previous season.

Top Boy’s stark settings imbues the series with a grit and realism that drives home the crushing reality of life in a London estate.

Where was Top Boy filmed?

Most of the action in Top Boy takes place in the fictional Summerhouse estate in east London.

When the show was owned by Channel 4, the Heygate Estate in central London was the shoot location for the fictional setting.

However, a year after Channel 4 cancelled the show, the estate was knocked down to build a new development.

This meant when Netflix took over the show in 2019, a new stand-in for Summerhouse was needed.

Samuda Estate, a 1960s estate in the Isle of Dogs, east London was chosen for the new site and can be seen as the main setting in season 3 and 4 of the show.

Some interior shooting also took place in local’s flats on the estate itself.

As the Summerhouse estate is located in Hackney in the show, several scenes for the show were shot on location in the borough.

The De Beauvoir estate features in the show as does London Fields.

Which other locations was Top Boy filmed?

One of the more glamorous settings to feature in Top Boy, is the Valmont Club in Chelsea.

While in reality, the club has closed down, in the show characters meet there to enjoy a few drinks and to talk business.

Ark Walworth Academy in Southwark was used to shoot school scenes in the show - these scenes highlight the difficulty that characters face in escaping the cycles of crime and violence that they are surrounded by.

In the school scenes real students were used as extras, supporting the authenticity of the series.

Much of season 3 of Top Boy took place outside London, as Sully begins dealing in Ramsgate after being released from prison.

The Rose and England pub and railway station in Ramsgate are both seen in the third season, whilst beach scenes were shot in Margate at Walpole Bay and Fulsam Rock.

In season 4, Blackfriars Crown Court in Southwark will feature as a location for the season’s legal scenes.

The law will once again catch up with some of Summerhouse’s gangsters this season.

Where can I watch Top Boy season 4?

All episodes of Top Boy season 1-4 are available to watch on Netflix.

However, Top Boy season 1-2 are on Netflix under the title Top Boy Summerhouse.

Season 3 and 4 are listed separately under the title Top Boy.

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