Top Boy season 5 filming locations: where was final series of Netflix drama filmed? Is Summerhouse estate real

Filming for Top Boy season five, and the third series of the show to be made for Netflix, took place over summer 2022 in London.

The gritty crime series follows members of London’s drug gangs as they rise to the top of the criminal underworld.

In March 2022 it was announced that the fifth series would be the final instalment of the show, which originated on Channel 4 before being picked up by Netflix in 2017 after singer Drake bought the rights and came on board as an executive producer. 

The new season will see Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, and Jasmine Jobson reprise their roles.

Where is Top Boy set?

The series is set in Hackney, East London - the borough is considered one of the most dangerous in the capital, with knife crime a serious concern for residents. 

The majority of the show’s action takes place within the Summerhouse estate, a large housing estate rife with crime. Other scenes take place across London and the part of the show’s fourth season was set in Jamaica.

Is the Summerhouse estate real?

No, the Summerhouse estate is fictional, but is believed to be inspired by the De Beauvoir estate in Hackney, a large council estate also notorious for high levels of crime.

Toy Boy has been split into two box sets on Netflix, with the first two seasons, originally created for Channel 4 rebranded to Top Boy: Summerhouse, and the second two seasons simply titled Top Boy.

Despite the different titles, the second two seasons follow directly on from the first, and both are set in the Summerhouse estate.

Where is Top Boy season 5 filmed?

The series was mostly filmed on location in Hackey, with areas including Haggerston, London Fields and Dalston, and Stratford in the borough of Newham featuring throughout the show. Other scenes for the show have been shot on the De Beauvoir estate, Summerhouse’s real life inspiration.

The Heygate estate in Southwark, South London was the original stand-in for the fictional Summerhouse estate in the first season of the show. However, the estate was demolished between 2011 and 2014, and production moved to another location for later seasons. 

The Samuda estate on the Isle of Dogs, in the Tower Hamlets was chosen as the new Summerhouse and production has taken place there for later seasons of the show, including the final season.

Additionally, some of the interior scenes were also shot in actual Samuda flats as residents offered up their homes for the production to use.

The estate, built between 1965 and 1967, is made up of nine housing developments containing 505 flats, and is home to around 1,500 residents.

Sadly, the reality of life on the Samuda estate is a reflection of that depicted in Top Boy, with residents complaining of neglect by the council and concerns raised over issues of crime and safety as children often have to walk past drug users in the stairwells. 

Some of those who live in the estate have also suggested that the Netflix series glamorises the poverty that they experience as a brutal part of their daily lives.

The Samuda estate previously featured in crime thriller Dirty Pretty Things, and drama film England Expects.

When is the Top Boy season 5 release date?

The final season of Top Boy will arrive on Netflix on Thursday 7 September and will contain six episodes, all of which will be released in one go. Seasons one to four are available on Netflix now.