Top Boy casting announced as Ashley Walters praises Netflix

Ashley Walters has praised "brave" Netflix for its handling of the new \'Top Boy\' series.

The 36-year-old actor will reprise his role as Dushane alongside co-star Kane Robinson\'s Sully in the upcoming third season of the gritty crime drama, which is making the move to Netflix five years after it was last on the air on Channel 4.

Speaking as the casting for the new run has been revealed, he said: "\'Top Boy\' is a raw, real representation of street culture. It explores how these characters came to make the choices they make, and gives the audience a behind-the-scenes look as to what is happening on our streets today.

"It needs to be talked about and the show doesn\'t shy away from giving us the platform to tell our story. We can\'t change things if we do not acknowledge it and understand it first.

"Netflix is the perfect platform for this show, there aren\'t many networks who would be brave enough to keep it this real."

Ashley and Kane will be joined by new star Michael Ward - playing Jamie - while the series will also feature musical acts Simbi Ajikawo and David Omoregie.

Shone Romulus will be back as Dris alongside Ashley Thomas as Jermaine, and the returning cast members will be joined by a host of new performers.

Lisa Dwan (Trust), Jasmine Jobson (\'Lie Low\'), Saffron Hocking (\'White Gold\') and newcomer Hope Ikpokuare are all joining the team with \'Sex Education\' star Kadeem Ramsay and \'Black Mirror\' actor Kola Bokinni.

\'Top Boy\' creator and writer Ronan Bennett said: "Ten years ago, I witnessed a 10-year-old boy dealing drugs outside my local supermarket.

"It made me question what was going on in my own community and led me to create \'Top Boy.\' "