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This programme contains
some strong language
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# My money doesn't jiggle jiggle
It folds
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# I like to see you wiggle wiggle
For sure
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# If you wanna dribble dribble
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# You know, riding in my Fiat
You really have to see it
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# Six feet two in a compact
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# No slack
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# Luckily the seats go back
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# I've got a knack to relax
in my mind
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# Sipping some red, red wine. #
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Woo!
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That was incredible. You killed it!
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At the home of Ashley Walters,
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I was being treated to
a recital of classic rap tracks.
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I was being treated to
a recital of classic rap tracks.
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Do you know a rap called 21 Seconds?
BOTH:Yeah!
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How does that one go?
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# I got 21 seconds to flow
I got 21 seconds to go
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# Cos if you like me lemme know
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# Let me in da studio
I got 21 seconds before I got to go
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# 21 seconds, t-t-t
21 seconds, t-t-t
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You could have sang it with us.
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I don't know the words, baby,
I don't know... Yes, you do!
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You are the person that sang it!
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You're the person that sang it!
Aw, shush.
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So, should we get to the interview?
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Yeah, I'm ready to go.
You lead the way.
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The actor and star of one
of Britain's biggest TV exports
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had let me in for a rare behind
the scenes look at his life,
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had let me in for a rare behind
the scenes look at his life,
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and to share the untold story
of his rise to fame.
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Is that good?
You don't want to feel...
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Like I look over-relaxed.
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Sometimes you look at yourself
and I'm like, "I look sort of lazy."
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Like, "Tell me more about your
career, Ashley..."
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Do you know what I mean?
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I just don't want to look... Like, I
want to look like I'm attentive
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and respectful and paying attention.
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It's all good, man, relax. Make
yourself at home. Calm down, Louis.
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I first met Ashley in Soho,
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in the heart of London's
trendy media village.
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He was hosting a screening
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of the last season of his critically
acclaimed series Top Boy,
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which was about to be released on
Netflix.
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There he is.
Hiya, how are you doing?
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Good, man. Nice to meet you.
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You too. I feel like I know you.
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Yeah. I feel like I know you as
well. Watched a lot of your stuff.
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This is my wife, Danielle.
How do you do, Louis?
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Nice to meet you, Danielle.Nice to
meet you. Top Boy. The grand finale.
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Yeah. Yeah. It's coming up.
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I'm a big fan.Thank you.
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And I'm from Southside.Are you?
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So hopefully no beef.
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No, no, no. We are good.
We ain't got no beef, man.
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Shall we go in?Yeah, man. Here we
go.
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Hi, everyone.
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CHEERING
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Good to see you all here.
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Yeah. Look, Top Boy.
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Last season.
Final chapter for the show.
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Final chapter for me.
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It's been a show that I've
been on for, like, over a decade.
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Basically,
everyone in this room is my circle.
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Like, I don't have a really, really
wide, wide circle.
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I very rarely come out of my house,
as people know, unless I'm working.
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I very rarely come out of my house,
as people know, unless I'm working.
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So I'm happy to be able
to share it with you,
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so you know that I'm not just
hiding somewhere and avoiding you.
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Like, I am actually out
there working.
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You know, this is what I've
been doing.
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All right.
Episode one of Top Boy, guys. Enjoy.
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Top Boy is a wildly popular drama
series
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set in a Hackney housing estate
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in which Ashley stars
as the drug kingpin, Dushane.
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I've had a long fucking day, bro.
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I'll give you a piece of advice.
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Do what the fuck
I'm telling you to do.
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His smouldering authenticity
in the role
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has brought him
international recognition
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following years of work in British
and American films and TV.
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Yes.
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# They don't know about my crew... #
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But Ashley's path has been
far from conventional,
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including a pioneering role
in the UK garage scene.
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The best UK Garage Act is...
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..So Solid.
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And a high-profile legal case
and prison sentence
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that threatened
to permanently derail his career.
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Ashley Walters, better known
to his fans as Asher D,
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was jailed for 18 months
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after police found him with a loaded
weapon.
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With his latest release,
Ashley is a man enjoying his moment.
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I'm so proud, man. Bless you.
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Oh, man.
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Oh, my God.
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Amazing, Ash.
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Though he grew up in Peckham,
southeast London,
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for the past few years, Ashley has
lived in Kent on the Thames estuary,
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an area known for its beaches
and its tranquillity.
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an area known for its beaches
and its tranquillity.
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So what's the... What's this?
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Our son wants a praying mantis.
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And we said, "Well, if you can look
after a stick insect,
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"then you can have the
praying mantis."
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What's the name of the stick insect?
Barry. Barry?
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Barry, yeah. Does Barry have
quite a lot of personality?
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No. No. He's essentially a stick.
Wow.
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No. No. He's essentially a stick.
Wow.
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He's about to go on your face,
that what he's about to do.
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You think I'm going to be a wimp
about this, but I'm not.
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No. You know, I've, I've never...
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I've never touched him.
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It's just like, I don't do insects.
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Spiders. Spiders. Anything like
that. Really?
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Yeah. I'm the one
that... Fly. Anything that flies.
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Other than planes - don't bring them
near me.
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When the time came to speak,
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I was hoping to understand
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something of both Ashley's real-life
struggles and his acting prowess
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and whether the two might even be
related.
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Thank you for doing this, man.
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Why?
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Because I don't like people
in my house.
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So even my family have a certain
amount of time in here,
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and then it's like...
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No, I love my family, but I'm, like,
quite a reserved,
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introverted sort of person.
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Having people in my space,
do you know what I mean?
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It's different for me. Yeah.
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Um, social anxiety comes up for me
a lot.
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Appreciate it.
Thank you for doing it.
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No problem.
Thank you for having me.
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I'd like to start by reflecting
on kind of where you are now
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a little bit in terms
of your career.
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You're riding high.
You've got this hit show, Top Boy.
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For people who don't know,
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how would you characterise what the
show is and who you are in it?
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Top Boy is a TV drama about
organised crime in east London
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Top Boy is a TV drama about
organised crime in east London
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and the journey of one man's
attempt
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to become top of the food
chain in the drug game.
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For me, Top Boy stood out
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just for making characters human
and 3D
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and not getting your typical bad
boy, gangster sort of stereotype.
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and not getting your typical bad
boy, gangster sort of stereotype.
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We were talking about mental
health, we're talking about neglect,
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We were talking about mental
health, we're talking about neglect,
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you're talking about poverty.
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And for me, that was real.
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You know, the drugs was a sideline
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of what was going on in these
people's heads.
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of what was going on in these
people's heads.
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And I feel like if you're going to
be playing drug dealers,
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there are plenty of drug
dealers out there.
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And actually, this may sound really
weird
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and I don't want people
to take it the wrong way,
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but my main thing is to honour them.
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Honour who? The drug dealers?
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Well, yeah. If I'm playing a drug
dealer,
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I want drug dealers to watch the
show and go, "That's good." Mm.
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Like, "I feel like that resonates."
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Has it felt like it's mainly
a positive experience
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in terms of how it's been received?
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There's been one or two high-profile
people who called it out and said,
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"This isn't what we need to be
saying about the black community."
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When that happened, I was quite
shocked, actually.
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Especially if they're black.
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If you look at what Top Boy's done,
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it's probably our only show from
that genre that exports worldwide.
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it's probably our only show from
that genre that exports worldwide.
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Outside of that, we have maybe
Sex Education, The Crown
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Outside of that, we have maybe
Sex Education, The Crown
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and just period drama in general.
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Downton Abbey.Downton Abbey.
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Doctor Who.Doctor Who.
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Which you've also been in.
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Which I've also been in.
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That was a good episode.
Thank you very much.
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I think Doctor Who fans are, like,
a lot wilder than Top Boy fans.
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Whovian is the word
you're looking for.
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Oh, is that, is that the term,
yeah? OK.
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Whovian. You learn something...
You kind of have to be a Whovian
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to know the word Whovian.Mm.
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I'm Doctor Who at six o'clock
and Top Boy at 9.30.
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Well, there you go.
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But your point was that Top Boy had
reached that pinnacle of,
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well, international reach.
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And actually, we should celebrate
something that has that level...
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We should celebrate it.
And it's a door opener.
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The point I was trying to make
is if you don't like it,
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you don't like it, that's fine.
But it's more than just a TV show.
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It's a bit of history,
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and it's a door that's open now for
a lot of black actors and creatives.
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and it's a door that's open now for
a lot of black actors and creatives.
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You should be worrying
about my money, though.
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Ashley's success comes off the back
of years of learning his craft
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as a jobbing actor
in theatre and film and TV,
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starting aged just 14
with a role in Grange Hill.
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Hi, sis, I've got it all worked out,
right?
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The party was your idea
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and I was in my room all night
doing my homework, yeah?
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Joke! Just a joke.
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MUSIC: 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew
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But he had his first blush of
fame in his late teens,
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making music under the name Asher D
after joining So Solid Crew,
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making music under the name Asher D
after joining So Solid Crew,
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00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,000
a collective of MCs and producers
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00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,360
formed by south London rap mogul
Mega Man.
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So Solid had four top ten hits
to their name,
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including the legendary
21 Seconds...
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# I got 21 seconds to go... #
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..before disintegrating under
the weight of criminal cases
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and government disapproval.
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# I got 21 seconds
before I got to go. #
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Shall we talk about So Solid,
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this legendary foundational
rap collective?
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Well, garage collective.Mm.
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It's amazing how quickly
it all blew up.Mm.
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It felt like the culture had been
waiting
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for something like this to happen,
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something that felt homegrown and
authentic
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and a little bit dangerous.
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There was a lot of voiceless
people at that time.
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You know, what we spoke or what
we stood for
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00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,560
was, like, a disenfranchised sort of
youth
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that just felt neglected and left
out.
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It became a huge story,
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and the idea that So Solid was
associated with negativity.
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Home Secretary David Blunkett
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made a sort of disparaging
remark about the group, you know,
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"They're contributing to gun crime,
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"they're part of this rampant social
problem that we have."
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I just wonder what that felt
like from the inside.
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We felt we were like
the correspondents, I guess,
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00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:32,920
of our space.
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Do you know what I'm saying?
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Because we were out there
on the front line
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reporting what was
going on around us,
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because no-one else was talking
about it.
241
00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:44,080
I mean, a lot of the time, my music
was about fear.
242
00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,120
It was about fearing for my life.
243
00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,320
When people are outside your house
pointing guns at you,
244
00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,720
or shooting at your car or whatever,
then there is a threat.
245
00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,640
These things were happening?
These things were happening, yeah.
246
00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:58,760
You said you had a gun pulled on you
247
00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,600
when you were
carrying your baby at the time?Mm.
248
00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:02,760
Yeah.
249
00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,760
What was that all about?
Do you know who it was?
250
00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:09,080
Just intimidation.
251
00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,240
I made a comment on radio.
252
00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,920
Lyrics that I'd wrote, someone was
copying
253
00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,240
and I just made a passing comment
of, like,
254
00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,200
"Whoever's doing that,
be original."
255
00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:19,560
You know what I mean?
256
00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:23,840
Maybe said it in a slightly
more aggressive way than that.
257
00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:23,920
Maybe said it in a slightly
more aggressive way than that.
258
00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,520
And they pulled up at my house.
259
00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:29,720
Like, I had to learn
a lot of lessons.
260
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,000
I wasn't...
I was never the one from the group,
261
00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,640
and I put my hands up and say this,
I didn't...
262
00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:38,520
My upbringing was OK. Do you know
what I mean?
263
00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:41,920
I didn't grow up rich,
264
00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,360
but I had no reason to sell drugs or
to be out on the street.
265
00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:47,200
Do you get what I'm saying?
266
00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,720
But I was walking with some
real gangsters at the time,
267
00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,960
so, easy for me to become a target.
268
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,680
And then there came a time
when you went and got...
269
00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,880
I went and bought a gun. A gun.
270
00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:01,240
Yeah. For £1,300.
271
00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,240
Is that right?
272
00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,160
You done the research.
That's what it said.
273
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,080
It seemed quite expensive.
274
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,480
Yeah. Probably was.
275
00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,400
Especially because it said it was
a modified air pistol.Yeah.
276
00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:14,040
When you think of air pistol,
doesn't sound,
277
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,080
I mean, I don't mean to,
I don't know,
278
00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:18,360
I'm in danger of trivialising it.
279
00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:20,840
Dangerous enough.
Dangerous enough.
280
00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:22,680
Where did you get the gun from?
281
00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:24,560
Nowhere.
282
00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:26,120
Dates, names, places.
283
00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:28,240
You must be crazy.
284
00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:29,680
Was it hard to get it?
285
00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:31,680
No.
286
00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,400
My aim was to protect myself.
287
00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,800
But it's something that comes with
owning a firearm,
288
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:39,000
But it's something that comes with
owning a firearm,
289
00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,040
like a sense of power,
290
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:48,040
entitlement that grew within me.
291
00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:48,320
entitlement that grew within me.
292
00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:52,400
So at some point, it stopped being
about fear
293
00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,840
and more about control.
294
00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,720
Know what I mean? Mm-hm.
295
00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,040
I think that's where it
kind of went wrong for me.
296
00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,560
How I got caught was having an
argument with a traffic warden,
297
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:08,040
How I got caught was having an
argument with a traffic warden,
298
00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:12,480
and I made some harsh comments
that involved firearms.
299
00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,280
You said, "I'm going to come and
shoot you." Something like that.
300
00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:16,920
Along those lines.
301
00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,280
Presumably, you didn't mean it.
302
00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,360
No.
303
00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,680
No, I weren't willing to risk
my liberty
304
00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:25,720
over shooting a traffic warden.
305
00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:30,160
But, I mean, I made my comments.
Said what I said.
306
00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:30,880
But, I mean, I made my comments.
Said what I said.
307
00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,000
But, yeah, I left and not too long
after,
308
00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:37,360
armed police stopped me
in Haymarket and arrested me.
309
00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:37,480
armed police stopped me
in Haymarket and arrested me.
310
00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,320
In Haymarket in the West End?
In the West End. Yeah.
311
00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,000
Did they pull guns on you?Yeah.
312
00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:44,920
Were you with
your girlfriend at the time?
313
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:46,960
I was. She was in the vehicle?
And my kids.
314
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,000
And your kids as well?Mm.
315
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,080
That sounds horrific.
It was horrific,
316
00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,320
but my biggest regret is
that my kids were there.
317
00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:02,840
They gave you 18 months?
318
00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,560
Yeah. And then you did seven
months in the end?
319
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:06,720
Yeah.
320
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:09,640
And it was a tough time.
321
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,000
It was a tough time.
322
00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:13,680
But it was a long time ago.
323
00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,160
And I think it's the most boring
topic
324
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,520
that any interviewer could ever
choose to talk to me about,
325
00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:20,600
that any interviewer could ever
choose to talk to me about,
326
00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:21,800
in my opinion.
327
00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,320
Yeah.Nah. Good bants.
328
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,880
Nah. Look, it was a big...
It was a big part of my life
329
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,480
and I didn't ever want to go back.
330
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,640
Back to prison?
Yeah, back to prison. Yeah.
331
00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:50,840
Ashley's imprisonment
332
00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,320
and a bout of depression that
followed after he was released
333
00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:56,400
would turn out to be his lowest ebb,
334
00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,680
but also the beginning
of a comeback.
335
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:01,760
Come on, sleepy head.
Time to go home.
336
00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:05,000
With his role in Bullet Boy,
337
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:09,000
a film written for him based on
his real-life prison experience,
338
00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,600
he embarked on a full-time acting
career.
339
00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:13,680
How many men, yeah, go to jail,
yeah,
340
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,720
and have their mum come to
pick them up after that?
341
00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:18,360
It's a bit embarrassing, innit?
342
00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,360
How long have you been in this
house, if I may ask?
343
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:24,080
Just over two years.
344
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,760
You got so much space.
345
00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:27,520
Yeah, it's a lot of space.
346
00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,360
This will be an indoor swimming
pool. Gym.
347
00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,360
I'd like to get, like,
a cinema here as well.
348
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,520
You said there was a planning
application war?
349
00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,080
What's that all about?
There was, yeah.
350
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,240
We've appealed.
351
00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,680
Now we're going to try
and go to a committee.
352
00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,120
And then, I mean, I guess after
that...
353
00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:48,320
..it's moving, really.
354
00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,960
I thought you were going to say
something else.No.
355
00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,200
No, not any more.
356
00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,800
I'm a changed man.
357
00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,200
So you've got the history
of So Solid, really, in CD form?
358
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,320
Well, some plaques that
I earned,
359
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,240
{\an8}got the Platinum Sales Award
for the album.
360
00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,720
That was our first album,
They Don't know.
361
00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,240
I've got some clapperboards.
362
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,000
Clapperboards.Yeah.
363
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,640
But we've got, look, A Thousand
Blows, which is a TV show.
364
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:19,080
That's a new project.
365
00:17:19,120 --> 00:17:21,240
This is my third directing job.
366
00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,600
That looks cool. It's a period
drama.Period drama.
367
00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,800
Created by the guy who
created Peaky Blinders.
368
00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:28,320
Is that right?Yeah, Steven Knight.
369
00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:30,800
So they actually...
I've never done that before.No?
370
00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,400
30 years, I've been in television.
371
00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,640
That's the first time
I've ever done that.
372
00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:37,880
It feels good.
373
00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,320
And...
374
00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:40,600
Cut.
375
00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:45,680
Is that your gym?
Do you want to have a look?
376
00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,080
Come on, then.
Do you do much working out?
377
00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:50,200
Every day, I work out, you know.
378
00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,960
Wow. Impressive.
379
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:02,160
Yeah,
that was a couple of years ago.
380
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,920
It's meant to be inspiration
to get back.
381
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:07,480
Muscle-spiration.Hmm.
382
00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:10,080
You're training, though, right?
Do you have to ask?
383
00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:15,360
Should I see if I can pick up
one of these or not? Test me...
384
00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:16,640
Not that bad.
385
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,320
Curl it or lift it?The shoulders,
mainly, with that one.
386
00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:21,080
Am I holding it the right way round?
387
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:22,080
Yeah.
388
00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:23,720
Yeah, you are quite tall.
389
00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:25,720
That's not too bad.
Nah. You're all right.
390
00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,720
That's not too bad,
Rachel's smiling.
391
00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,000
Does it look ridiculous?
392
00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,320
No. It looks...
This is so light.
393
00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:32,720
It's like a balloon.
394
00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:35,320
I feel like it's making you look,
like,
395
00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:37,960
a lot stronger than you
probably are.
396
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,160
How dare you? I heard that.
397
00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,360
I don't think you can lift that up.
398
00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,400
ASHLEY LAUGHS
399
00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,000
That's what I would usually do.
400
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:53,320
Impressive.
401
00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:56,000
Point taken.
402
00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,080
Wow.
403
00:18:57,120 --> 00:18:59,840
You mentioned that you've
stopped drinking.
404
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:01,080
Yeah.
405
00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:03,680
One was never enough for me.
406
00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,000
Me stopping coincided with lockdown.
407
00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:07,640
I was drinking most of the day.
408
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,080
I think it became apparent
to everyone else around me
409
00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:15,120
that it was like, it's time.
410
00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,200
Was it hard to stop?
I will stick at something.
411
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,640
Do you know what I mean? Mm-hm.
I've always been like that.
412
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:25,000
Once I'm on it, I will,
I'll see it through to the end.
413
00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:25,760
Once I'm on it, I will,
I'll see it through to the end.
414
00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:26,760
Mm-hm.
415
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,640
You know?
416
00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:33,240
Yeah.
417
00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,040
That is a huge spider.
418
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:37,440
Want me to sort it out?
419
00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,480
I mean, you can say hello to it.
Are you serious?
420
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:40,680
Come on.
421
00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:42,240
Look at him.
422
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:46,080
He wants nothing more than to have
a cuddle with his friend Ashley.
423
00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:47,800
I'm going to take him outside.
424
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:49,920
Spiders are our friends.
425
00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:53,040
Your friends.
426
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,480
Ashley's struggles with alcohol
and his mental health
427
00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:13,200
are something he's been
open about in interviews.
428
00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,520
His move to Kent in 2021
with his wife of ten years,
429
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:21,080
Danielle Walters, also an actor,
was in part in search of a calmer,
430
00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:25,600
lower profile existence away from
the pressures of London life.
431
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:26,720
lower profile existence away from
the pressures of London life.
432
00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,360
Max, come on, please, mate. Babe.
433
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,520
Come on, son.
434
00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:32,600
We had a deal.
435
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:35,200
If I buy a house, I'm allowed a dog.
436
00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:37,320
But she has to pick the dog.
437
00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:39,800
I'd like a couple of Dobermans.
438
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,120
Anyway, I took what I could get.
You love him, don't you?
439
00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:43,520
Yeah, course I love Max.
440
00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,920
I just wish he was a bit bigger
and more vicious.
441
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,920
How did the two of you meet,
may I ask?
442
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,760
I was doing a show on MTV.
443
00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,840
And I was meant to have a love
interest in this party scene.
444
00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,160
And Dan was cast for that part.
445
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,640
I apparently...
I was wearing trousers.
446
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,640
And I apparently said
to the wardrobe people,
447
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,840
she should be wearing a skirt.
"Put her in a skirt."
448
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,840
That's exactly what he said.
And I was like...
449
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,240
This is the wrong narrative to be
putting out there. I know.
450
00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,120
Especially in 2023 with all
the stuff that's going on with...
451
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,520
This was 20-odd years ago.
..with Me Too and that.
452
00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:24,360
I never... I know I never said
that.
453
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:25,440
And if I did say it,
454
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:27,560
it was a creative decision.
And then at lunch,
455
00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:30,080
I was sitting by myself and he went,
"Come over here."
456
00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:31,840
And I was like, "No."
457
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:33,920
And he was like, "Come on,
just come over here."
458
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:35,400
I sat with him, and then I thought,
459
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,080
"Do you know what," after the
conversation, "He's quite cool.
460
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:42,440
"He's all right." He was just being
a... I don't know. An idiot.
461
00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,480
Something I was talking to Ashley
about
462
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:47,680
was how he's a very private person.
463
00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,760
Right?
And maybe he's quite introspective.
464
00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,360
And behind that is a certain
level of social anxiety.
465
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,960
Right?Mm. I'm wondering whether
there's a role that you play
466
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,320
in terms of taking care of Ashley's
sort of wellbeing.
467
00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:04,000
Oh, 100%. I'm very,
very protective of Ashley.
468
00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:05,920
Like, you see the other night
469
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:10,360
when I went to that Evening Standard
thing, right? I was in the tux.
470
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:10,840
when I went to that Evening Standard
thing, right? I was in the tux.
471
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:12,520
Yeah. And I FaceTimed you
472
00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:16,080
and was on the phone with you, like,
in the venue for how long? Yeah.
473
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:18,600
And you stayed on the phone
and talked with me
474
00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,080
because you
knew that I was uncomfortable. Yeah.
475
00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:22,920
And I just kind of wanted to go
home.
476
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:26,000
In the beginning, when we first
started dating and stuff,
477
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:27,560
I would bring you to events with me
478
00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:29,680
because I didn't know how to
have small talk.
479
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,840
Like, I found it really difficult
480
00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:34,360
to just strike up conversations
with people,
481
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:36,160
and I just know Dan is a talker.
482
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,560
I'll talk to anyone. Yeah,
and she can always break the ice.
483
00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,840
So just having my back like that...
484
00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,200
And I have to go, "Babe,
it's all right. It's OK." True.
485
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:46,720
"It's just fine."
486
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:54,560
Are those oyster beds over there?
487
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:55,960
Yes, they are. Yeah.
488
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,520
This is apparently the biggest
oyster farm in Europe.
489
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:01,760
They're world famous.
490
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,400
You can find them
in America sometimes.
491
00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,320
What? Whitstable Oysters?
Yeah. Whitstable Oysters.Yeah.
492
00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:15,120
You all right? Can I get a portion
of scampi? And half a dozen? Dozen?
493
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:15,560
You all right? Can I get a portion
of scampi? And half a dozen? Dozen?
494
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,000
Get a dozen.
A dozen oysters, please.
495
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,120
I want a bit of everything.
496
00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:21,640
Bit of lemon juice?
497
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,960
Yeah. Yeah. Why not?
498
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,680
Cheers.Cheers.
499
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,440
Mm-nm.
500
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,800
Look at your face. Whoa.Did you
chew it? That's tangy.
501
00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:35,840
Taste one.
Are you out of your mind?
502
00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,440
OK. I nearly threw up the last time
I had an oyster.
503
00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:44,240
There's an oyster hater over here.
504
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:45,600
MAN NEARBY:
505
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:47,360
Well, let him have it, then.
506
00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,480
I only eat like 1,200, 1,200,
507
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:57,120
1,250 calories a day.
508
00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,640
So when I do have oysters,
509
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:03,120
it's like my calorie intake is
pretty much over.
510
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,000
I didn't have you pegged
as a calorie-counter.
511
00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:08,080
Well, I am at times.
512
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,840
I am at times when I need to,
when I need to lose weight.
513
00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,520
Ashley was saying that he's stopped
drinking,
514
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:19,200
and that's been a positive.
515
00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:20,880
Big positive.
516
00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:22,240
A different person.
517
00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,880
It caused arguments between us
unnecessarily.
518
00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,600
Just didn't need it in his life.
519
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,280
Do you do meetings?
520
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,440
Yeah. Do you?Yeah, I do a lot of
meetings.
521
00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:38,280
I mean, my life is pretty much
based on recovery at this point
522
00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,720
because I put it first.
523
00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:44,760
Because whatever I put before that,
I was pretty much going to lose,
524
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:46,720
if I'm honest with you.
525
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,600
So I stay close to recovery,
526
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:52,920
I stay close to my fellowship.
527
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,360
It's important to me.
528
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,560
What made you decide
to finally get married?
529
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:17,160
My dream woman.
530
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,360
Oh, I was hoping you weren't
going to say that.
531
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:21,840
Yeah, well.
532
00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,040
Like, I loved her to death.
533
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:28,240
And then I wanted to,
like, hang up my boots.
534
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,240
Had you been
a bit of a Casanova in the past?
535
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:33,040
I wouldn't say a Casanova.
536
00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:34,840
That's not, that's not me.
537
00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,600
Don't get me wrong.
I didn't shy away.
538
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,640
Like, I still managed to end up
with eight kids.
539
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,400
Eight kids.
540
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:45,760
I think it's just three
relationships.
541
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:47,840
Is that right?
Yeah. Three's enough.
542
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,600
You had your first
when you were just 17.Mm.
543
00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,280
That's very young.Mmm.
544
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:55,960
And then you became a grandfather?
545
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,560
Yeah.
546
00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:59,640
When you were, what, 36?
547
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,240
30... 38...8. Yeah.
548
00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:06,400
Do you think you were able to be
a good dad to the eight kids?
549
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:10,000
Try my best. Try my best.
550
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,800
They may not have the desired
relationships
551
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:15,880
that they want with me.
552
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:20,080
I think mainly, I think mainly,
that's with my older kids.
553
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:20,680
I think mainly, I think mainly,
that's with my older kids.
554
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:22,680
Do you know what I mean? Yeah.
555
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:24,360
I know, there have been moments
556
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,400
where I haven't been the best dad,
because I couldn't be.
557
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,680
I wasn't around, or wasn't
in the right place to be, right?
558
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:35,440
I feel like with my dad,
I held his past against him.
559
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,960
I think my kids can
sometimes do the same.
560
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,960
Ashley's father died in 2005,
but before that,
561
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,640
he'd been an intermittent
presence in Ashley's life.
562
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:56,640
What was preventing him
from seeing more of you
563
00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:57,880
when you were growing up?
564
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,400
I think his own demons
that he was battling with.
565
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:06,000
He led quite a crazy lifestyle,
you know, a lot of different women.
566
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:07,800
A lot of different kids?
567
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:09,200
Yeah. Yeah.
568
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,920
Brushes with the law as well,
maybe?Brushes with the law.
569
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,600
Yeah. He sat down with the Queen
quite a bit.
570
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,960
You said 17 times in one interview.
571
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,440
Yeah. Is that really possible?
572
00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:19,880
Yeah.
573
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:21,720
He spent a lot of time...
574
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,120
He spent a lot of time in prison.
575
00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,320
Do you feel like you had reached
576
00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:31,360
a point of mutual love and
understanding
577
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,880
by the end before he died?
578
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:37,320
Maybe not mutual.
579
00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:39,080
I was angry.
580
00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:41,080
Very, very angry.
581
00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:43,080
Very angry with him.
582
00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:44,920
And that made me angry
with the world, man.
583
00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:48,760
It's taken me to some dark places.
584
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,040
I've done some really stupid things.
585
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:56,640
And I've hurt some people,
you know, people close to me,
586
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:57,000
And I've hurt some people,
you know, people close to me,
587
00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:03,800
but all of that anger and pain
588
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:04,760
but all of that anger and pain
589
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,720
and hurt that I had,
590
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:12,040
and the resentment that I had
against him gave me fire.
591
00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:12,680
and the resentment that I had
against him gave me fire.
592
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:16,920
If I haven't got talent
in anything else,
593
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,720
I've always been able
to use my pain for good use.
594
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,040
Ashley had arranged for us to visit
his mum.
595
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:34,440
She lives in Hackney,
596
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:38,720
not far from some of the most iconic
locations featured in Top Boy.
597
00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:38,840
not far from some of the most iconic
locations featured in Top Boy.
598
00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:40,760
And so, en route, I'd asked
599
00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,600
if we could take a short
detour to see the sights.
600
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:45,480
Yes, chum. Yes, bro.
601
00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:48,160
With the new series just launched,
602
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:52,160
featuring a controversial
and bloody final episode,
603
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:56,200
it would be a chance to get some
in-person audience feedback.
604
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:01,360
I can't tell you, bro.
605
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:03,440
Within minutes,
the verdicts were coming in.
606
00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:07,640
They take it so seriously.
607
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:10,240
I rate it, though. Appreciate it.
608
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,520
But one thing I didn't like. What?
609
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,440
Yeah, I hear you man. I hear you.
610
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,120
Would I be able to get
a quick snap with you, please?
611
00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:31,680
Um, all right, cool.
612
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:34,400
But because we've stopped...
I hear that...
613
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:37,920
Nice one, brother, bless.
No worries, brother.
614
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,760
Nah, nah, I'm filming, bro.
615
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:50,600
Thank you very much for making me,
bro.
616
00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:52,360
Yes, big man.
617
00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,240
Just off the market was
another well-known Top Boy location
618
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,240
and hang spot for local characters.
619
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,440
Yeah, yeah, I know that.
620
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:10,800
Are you a fan?
Did you watch Top Boy?
621
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:12,440
Yeah, bro, me watch the thing, man,
622
00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:14,800
but me doesn't like the ending
of the thing, you know?
623
00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,160
You didn't like the ending?
No, me don't like the ending.
624
00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,240
I couldn't sit by
and watch a story
625
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,840
where they succeeded after
everything that they've done.
626
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:37,240
Everyone's got a different opinion.
627
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,200
I hear you. Good point. Point taken.
628
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,720
My name's Jared. Good to meet you,
brother. I'm a Rasta man.
629
00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:51,320
Let me say, you know, for the world.
630
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,320
I'm from Montserrat.
631
00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,040
Who's taking the picture? Ah, there.
632
00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:57,440
What does that mean?
That's the trinity sign.
633
00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,720
The trinity?Yes. Rastafari.
634
00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,480
It's blessed. Guys, take care.
Thank you so much, yeah.
635
00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:03,720
Thank you.Bless man.
636
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,720
Ashley had told me about wanting
Top Boy
637
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,320
to honour its real-life
counterparts,
638
00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:12,880
and so there was something
heartening
639
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,080
about everyone's
enthusiasm for the new season.
640
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:17,440
Have you seen Top Boy?
641
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:20,200
Yes. I think it's a great show.
Have you seen the new...?
642
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:22,880
He used to be slim. He used to be
slim. He's still slim!
643
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:24,320
What are you talking about?
644
00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:26,520
Thank you very much. Sorry!
645
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:30,400
You head-butted me as well. You
used to be slim. Let me get some...
646
00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:34,760
What a way to just destroy me!
647
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:36,320
Sorry. You're still slim.
648
00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:38,840
Don't you listen.
It's all good, man.
649
00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:40,640
I love my size.
650
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:49,200
A short walk away was the house
belonging to Ashley's mum, Pam.
651
00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:58,080
Hello. She lives with Ashley's
stepdad and former manager, Richard.
652
00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:58,600
Hello. She lives with Ashley's
stepdad and former manager, Richard.
653
00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:03,120
Is it Richard?Yes. Louis.
654
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,080
Sorry, Richard. Louis. Lovely to
meet you.
655
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,400
How are you doing? Can we come in?
656
00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:10,520
Yeah, of course you can,
don't be silly.
657
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,640
Little slice of heaven.
658
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:13,960
The family manor.
659
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,120
Hello. Hi, Pamela.Hiya, hi.
660
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:19,520
Sorry. Louis. How are you?
Your house is beautiful.
661
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:21,200
Oh, thank you.
662
00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:23,120
Hi, son.
663
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,120
Ashley had grown up
Pam's only child.
664
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:28,840
With his dad not often around
665
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:33,040
and his mum holding down a full-time
job with the council,
666
00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:33,320
and his mum holding down a full-time
job with the council,
667
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,920
he'd been
enrolled in a weekend drama school.
668
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:39,000
What have you got there?
It's a folder.
669
00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,840
This is a folder that I've
kept for some time
670
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,560
of bits and bobs of Ashley's work.
671
00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:47,880
What are you hiding in there?
Here we go.
672
00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:49,800
Remember that?
673
00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:51,160
Yeah. Oxford Street, yeah.
674
00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,640
A play by Levi David Addai.
675
00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,440
You stole that off the wall
in the theatre.
676
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:59,160
I mean, this is an odd question,
isn't it,
677
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:00,640
but would you say you're a fan?
678
00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:02,400
I'm his biggest fan.
679
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:08,000
The only thing I would say,
I'd prefer him to do more stage.
680
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:09,920
The only thing I would say,
I'd prefer him to do more stage.
681
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,760
That was a good pivot.
682
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,720
We didn't stay very
long on the positive.
683
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:16,800
Yeah, yeah, I know.
684
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:18,600
But this has been my life.
685
00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:20,120
Trust me.
686
00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:23,720
I feel what you're trying to say is,
you enjoy when I'm on stage,
687
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:27,080
but I'm also very good in my TV
shows and films and stuff?
688
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,560
No, but... You don't want to leave
it?
689
00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:32,600
LAUGHTER
690
00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:37,160
Amazing. Amazing.
691
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,240
I like your dynamic.
You kind of...
692
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,360
It's sort of like watching
conversation tennis.
693
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,920
Yeah, no, this is how I've grown up.
694
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:50,000
I had to explain everything,
being questioned.
695
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:53,200
"I rebelled against my strict
upbringing."
696
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,920
It was strict.
Was it? In what way?
697
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:57,160
It was definitely strict.
698
00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:01,400
Look, most of those things
like stage school, like piano,
699
00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:03,200
Look, most of those things
like stage school, like piano,
700
00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:05,880
like home tutoring,
701
00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:09,760
I didn't want to do.
702
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:11,520
LAUGHTER
Right.
703
00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,440
But I would never sit here and go,
704
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:15,920
"That was the worst thing
she ever did for me",
705
00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:18,520
because it was amazing...
Look at all the opportunities.
706
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:20,600
Look at all the opportunity
came from that.
707
00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:22,520
It was about trying to ensure
708
00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:27,120
that his time was properly
and meaningfully occupied.
709
00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:27,200
that his time was properly
and meaningfully occupied.
710
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:31,840
We lived in a place where if young
people are not fully occupied,
711
00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:33,600
then what are they doing?
712
00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:38,160
They're hanging around and maybe
getting themselves into trouble.
713
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:44,440
It was only when I got to, like,
maybe 16, I changed as a kid.
714
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,200
In those years is when I went out
and I got in trouble,
715
00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:51,080
it's when I got arrested, it's
when I... Do you know what I mean?
716
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:52,400
I joined So Solid.
717
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:56,440
I was doing, you know, it's not,
like, rebelling against my mum,
718
00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:58,280
but it was rebelling against, like,
719
00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,680
all of those things that
she'd built up for me
720
00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:02,560
and how safe
she kept me and whatever.
721
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,320
Can I ask about... I know from
reading your book
722
00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:07,720
and also from looking at the back
of your neck
723
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,440
that there was a there was a time
when you were attacked as well.
724
00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:12,920
How old were you?
725
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:16,560
15. 15. Maybe. Yeah,
something like that.
726
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,120
And it was just people...
It wasn't people you knew, was it?
727
00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,360
It was just like a couple of...No.
728
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,680
It was a couple of men who
were in their, like, mid-thirties,
729
00:35:25,720 --> 00:35:27,440
It was a couple of men who
were in their, like, mid-thirties,
730
00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:29,000
something like that,
731
00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:33,800
Eastern European guys that were
just drunk outside the off-licence.
732
00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,480
And one of my friends
got into an argument,
733
00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,840
if I remember correctly,
with these guys.
734
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:44,080
I mean, to be fair, it wasn't
even my fight to fight,
735
00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:47,520
but I was carrying a knife.
736
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,040
These are two big men.
Right? And we're kids.
737
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:51,680
We're babies.
738
00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:54,840
So they would have literally took
the knife out of my hand,
739
00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:57,960
threw it and started throwing us
about, man.
740
00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,400
But, yeah, in the end,
741
00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,200
they just broke a bottle
and just stabbed me in my neck.
742
00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:04,760
But I didn't realise
I'd been stabbed.
743
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:07,120
I just thought I'd been punched.
744
00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,160
I didn't realise. It was only when
my friends were like,
745
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,080
"Bro, you are bleeding."
746
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,200
And then I was like...
Everything just faded to black.
747
00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:17,080
I was gone.
748
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:19,840
I think that's the first and only
time in my life
749
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,240
that I thought, "I'm dead."
750
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,480
I thought I was going to die
751
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:26,800
because I think it started to get
black really slowly.
752
00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:28,640
You know, it's like...
753
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:31,160
So I thought, "Ah, that's it."
754
00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,040
But then I woke up.
755
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:38,000
Mum was there...crying.
756
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:43,160
So I actually thought
they were going to come in there
757
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:44,480
and tell me that he had died.
758
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:46,600
I said to myself,
"This only happens on the TV.
759
00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:48,320
"This is not real."
760
00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:50,480
So it was harrowing.
761
00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,600
I'll never forget that day.
762
00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:54,680
Erm...
763
00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:00,240
It still sends shudders down my
spine now thinking about it.
764
00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:01,080
It still sends shudders down my
spine now thinking about it.
765
00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:03,840
We don't talk about...
We've not really talked about this
766
00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:05,360
because I've not really...
767
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:08,680
Hearing it from your perspective
just sheds a new light on it for me.
768
00:37:08,720 --> 00:37:12,800
I've just never heard
you express that emotion.
769
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:19,080
I think you narrowly escaped death.
770
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,440
Yeah, I did. I did. I did.
771
00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:25,720
Yeah.
772
00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:29,000
It would be, erm, disrespectful
773
00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:31,720
if I didn't make
the most of my life, to be fair.
774
00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,400
Ash! Yo. Good on Hannah.
775
00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:54,960
All right, let's shoot.
776
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,000
All right. Lovely. Thank you.
777
00:37:57,040 --> 00:38:00,200
Excited, energy, guys.
778
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,760
In West London, Ashley was shooting
a scene
779
00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:08,040
on the Disney+ historical drama
A Thousand Blows.
780
00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:08,200
on the Disney+ historical drama
A Thousand Blows.
781
00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:10,720
Here he is. Are we staying out of
your way?
782
00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:13,840
I want to see you in work mode.
How are you doing? You all right?
783
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:15,920
Yeah. All good, man.
Thanks for coming in.
784
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:20,000
This is a very big operation.It is
a bloody big operation! It's major.
785
00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:21,320
Yeah. Yeah, that frame's good.
786
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,800
Well, let's do those two shots.
787
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:27,600
Looking on at Ashley,
788
00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:31,800
immersed in the pressures of his
first big budget directing gig,
789
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:33,920
I had a moment to reflect on him,
790
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:35,960
the long journey he's been on,
791
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,520
his challenges and coming back
and imbuing his work
792
00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:42,600
with everything
he's learned along the way.
793
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,080
Hey! All right, Stephen. Louis.Hi.
794
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,280
Yeah. I've met you, but it was very
brief. Yeah, yeah.
795
00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:52,960
Nice to meet you.
796
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:56,000
Among the actors are two of
the show's executive producers,
797
00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:59,040
Ashley's friends,
Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham.
798
00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:01,560
How is it that you connected
with Ashley on this?
799
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:04,480
And what was it about Ashley
that you thought would work?
800
00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:07,160
Obviously, when we offered him
the role,
801
00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:10,560
to watch his - like I just said
then - his dedication,
802
00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:11,840
his preparation,
803
00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:16,680
the amount of work
he puts in off set is phenomenal.
804
00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:18,200
Do you know what I mean?
805
00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,880
And I think that's, knowing Ashley
the way I do, I think
806
00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:22,880
that was his own little thing
to prove to himself
807
00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:24,800
and to prove
to other people when he got on set
808
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:26,160
that he knew what he was doing.
809
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,440
I'm not just saying it's
because we're working class,
810
00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:30,720
but it's that kind of impostor
syndrome that I think
811
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,200
many of us have in this industry.
Do you know what I mean? 100%, yeah.
812
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:37,120
And we'll cut there.
Thank you very much.
813
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,320
One more, one more.
Do one more. One more for luck.
814
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,880
I'll tell you what I wanted to ask
about.
815
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:06,200
I was reading a profile of you
from 2001 in The Guardian.
816
00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:07,080
I was reading a profile of you
from 2001 in The Guardian.
817
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:09,480
Mm. The Guardian newspaper.
818
00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:11,160
"I just want to be safe.
819
00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:12,920
"Not mad rich.
820
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,280
"Just to be safe is good, man."
821
00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:19,360
I just thought there was
something touching
822
00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:22,960
and kind of interesting about having
the ambition of being safe.
823
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,800
Right?Mm.
It's quite a low bar, in one sense.
824
00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:30,440
Yeah? You know, it's something
I certainly take for granted.
825
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:32,400
Do you feel pretty safe now?
826
00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:34,040
I feel safe enough.
827
00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:38,120
I think, I think my energy now is
more about like...
828
00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:40,320
..trusting people.
829
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:42,560
They're not going to be kicking off
the door
830
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:45,120
pointing guns at me any more. Those
days are done.
831
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,880
What I fear is people being
manipulative.
832
00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:51,760
What I fear is people being around
me for the wrong reasons.
833
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:53,400
Do you know what I mean?
834
00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:55,680
This is why I've created a world
for myself
835
00:40:55,720 --> 00:40:58,840
that I very rarely
have to step out of,
836
00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:02,160
and I very rarely let other people
into.
837
00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:05,640
How healthy that is, I don't know.
838
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:08,480
You keep the world at a distance
a little bit.
839
00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:10,800
Yeah. Try to. Not now. Look at you
lot.
840
00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:12,520
Yeah.You know what I mean?
841
00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:14,640
It's come and found you.Mm.
842
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:17,080
That's the perils of success.
843
00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:18,640
I guess so. I guess so.
844
00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:21,280
The world beats a path to your door.
845
00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,840
And what makes you think it
might not be healthy?
846
00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:25,760
Because, I mean, being the way that
I am
847
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:27,520
means that there's no new people
848
00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:29,680
that really get to come into the
circle.
849
00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:33,800
And there's some people that
would be really cool to be around
850
00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:36,640
and, you know...
HE LAUGHS
851
00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:42,120
Yeah, like,
am I missing out on good things?
852
00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,200
How is your mental health,
would you say?
853
00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:50,120
Does it feel to you
like you're in a good spot,
854
00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:52,280
in a good place, more or less?
855
00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:55,680
I keep an eye on it every day,
Louis. Do you?
856
00:41:55,720 --> 00:41:57,560
Like, I-I have a...
857
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:01,120
..I have a messy head.
858
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:05,400
And that takes daily maintenance.
859
00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:08,000
And that takes daily maintenance.
860
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,160
That takes meditation.
861
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,840
That takes prayer. Really?
That takes connection.
862
00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:18,840
Like, that's what keeps me afloat.
863
00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:23,120
When you say you've got a messy
head, can you be more specific?
864
00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:25,400
That's how I wake up in the morning.
865
00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:28,520
Negativity? Wayward impulses?
Self-sabotage?
866
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:31,120
Maybe all of the above,
if I'm honest sometimes.
867
00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:32,840
Yeah.
868
00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:35,040
And that's still on a daily basis?
869
00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:39,200
That'll be every day for
the rest of my life.
870
00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:42,040
That'll be every day.
871
00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:53,920
CHILDREN LAUGH
872
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:55,920
Is that normal?
873
00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:01,760
How old is Max?Max is two!
He seems very affectionate.
874
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,320
Not much use as a guard dog.Mm.
875
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:06,680
I've successfully put him
in a trance.
876
00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:08,080
So embarrassing.
877
00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:11,360
They say you can judge a lot
about an owner from his dog.
878
00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:13,080
Very trusting.
879
00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,200
He is very trusting.
880
00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:17,080
He's too trusting.
881
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:18,960
HE LAUGHS