Gangs of London is a British actioncrime drama television series very loosely based on the video game of the same name, produced by Pulse Films & Sister, following struggles between rival gangs and other criminal organisations in present-day London. All nine episodes were aired in the UK on the 23 April 2020 on Sky Atlantic. The series was created by Gareth Evans, best known for The Raidaction crime films, along with Matt Flannery.
Premise
Set in the heart of London, one of the world's most dynamic and multicultural cities, Gangs of London tells the story of the city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that's created when the head of London's most powerful crime family is assassinated. For 20 years, Finn Wallace was the most powerful criminal in London. Billions of pounds flowed through his organization each year. But now he's dead – and nobody knows who ordered the hit. With rivals everywhere, it's up to the impulsive Sean Wallace, with the help of the Dumani family headed by Ed Dumani to take his father's place. If the situation wasn't already dangerous enough, Sean's assumption of power causes ripples in the world of international crime within the streets of London, which consists of the Albanian Mafia headed by Luan Dushaj, as well as the Kurdish freedom fighters, Pakistani Drug Cartel, Welsh travellers and various other criminal elements. In the middle of this is newcomer Elliot Finch, who appears to be a low-level employ of the Wallace family & opportunist, secretly is an undercover policeman building a case against the Wallace Family organization.
Cast and characters
;Wallace family
Joe Cole as Sean Wallace, oldest son of Finn and Marian Wallace and heir to his criminal empire.
Michelle Fairley as Marian Wallace, the wife of Finn Wallace.
Valene Kane as Jacqueline Robinson, the pregnant daughter of Finn and Marian Wallace and an A&E doctor. She distances herself from the Wallaces due to their links to organised crime which she fears could affect the future safety of her unborn child.
Brian Vernel as Billy Wallace, a recovering heroin addict and the youngest son of Finn and Marian Wallace.
Orli Shuka as Luan Dushaj, the leader of the Albanian mafia.
Neb Basani as Tarik Gjelaj, Luan’s right hand man, Albanian henchman.
;Pakistanis
Asif Raza Mir as Asif Afridi, a Pakistani heroin kingpin and the father of Nasir Afridi.
Parth Thakerar as Nasir Afridi, a politician running for Mayor of London and the son of Asif Afridi.
;Welsh travellers
Mark Lewis Jones as Kinney Edwards, the leader of a group of Welsh travellers.
Richard Harrington as Mal, a lieutenant of Kinney Edwards.
Aled ap Steffan as Darren Edwards, the son of Kinney Edwards
;Other characters
David Bradley as Jim
Ray Panthaki as Jevan Kapadia
David Avery as Anthony
Constantine Gregory as Molotok
Scott James as Scott
Aksel Ustun as Hekar
Taye Matthew as Danny
Arta Dobroshi as Floriana
Mads Koudal as Leif
Production
During filming production visited in Kent to stage a Traveller site and Dartford to film a speed boat scene near Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. A driving scene was also featured on Pilgrim's Way.
Release
The first season was co-produced with American pay network Cinemax which was expected to air the series alongside Sky. However, following an announcement in January 2020 by executives with parent company WarnerMedia that they would be winding down Cinemax's original programming, its producers began negotiating to move the series to another U.S. outlet, with Cinemax's blessing. AMC subsequently announced a deal to take over U.S. broadcast rights and became co-producer for a newly-commissioned second season.
Episodes
Reception
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 83%. GQ said it is "a strong early contender to be the best show of the summer." The series became Sky Atlantic's second-biggest original drama launch of all time, with a 7-day cumulative audience of 2.23 million viewers for the opening episode.
