The Real Top Boys

The real story of London street gangs that inspired the hit TV series: the events, the people and the gangs.

The true story of London's toughest, deadliest street gangs: the events, the rules and the real top boys.

Are the streets of London some of the deadliest in the world?

What's the truth behind the headlines?

And who are the real top boys?

Looking beyond the hit TV series, The Real Top Boys reveals the lives of the street gangs who have taken over, and now rule, dozens of corners of the UK's capital.

Bestselling true crime author Wensley Clarkson takes us on a tour of the housing estates and volatile neighbourhoods where pride, rivalry and revenge are the codes people live and die by. He talks to the criminals who have helped create this chilling modern-day underworld and recounts the vicious turf wars that changed the map, unravels the rules and rights of the streets, and charts the rise and fall of many of the game's key players over the decades that have transformed the city.

Featuring interviews with real-life gangsters and told in a gripping story that lays bare the hard life in this world, The Real Top Boys is the ultimate account of gang life in London and a jaw-dropping look at who really runs the streets.

About the Author

Wensley Clarkson has investigated numerous crimes across the world for the past thirty years. His research has included prison visits, surveillance operations, police raids and even post mortems.

Clarkson's books - published in more than thirty countries - have sold more than two million copies. He has made numerous documentaries in the UK, US, Australia and Spain and written TV and movie screenplays.

His most recent major TV project is Florida-based drama series Boca Grande which he created, developed and wrote with BAFTA award-winning Peaky Blinders director David Caffrey. Clarkson's recent book Sexy Beasts - about the Hatton Garden raid - was nominated for a Crime Writer's Association Dagger award.