YA Series Kensal Town Wraps Production

Production has wrapped on Edit6’s young adult drama series Kensal Town, set in the streets of North West London.

Based on the lives and true stories of the area’s population, Kensal Town takes place in the poorest part of the richest borough in London, a place where supermodels rub shoulders with gang members and media moguls live in multi-million-pound mansions next to struggling single moms in high-rise estates.

The series follows a diverse range of characters: Amira, a gay Moroccan runaway; Pandy, a teenage care-home worker with a dark side, a samurai sword and a Ducati motorbike; Navros, leader of the W10 gang; local drug dealers Len and Jim, who sell fruit and vegetables on the side; Navros’ childhood flame Juni and her rich parents; and Euan, an undercover policeman with split personalities.

Kensal Town‘s cast includes Tien Lebon, Liluma H-Yates, Sylvie Varcoe, Mischa Eckersley (4 O’Clock Club), Emily Carey (The Lost Girls, Anastasia: Once Upon A Time), Eric Roberts (Suits, Crash), Saffron Burrows (Mozart in the Jungle, You) and Callum McGowan (Jamestown, Instrument of War). Two of London’s grime artists, P Money and Little Dee, also make appearances.

The series features an original soundtrack from local musicians, and many of the crew members were drawn from the local community, providing jobs and training for underrepresented people aspiring to a career in television.

“I came up with the idea for Kensal Town through growing up and observing the lives of the amazing multicultural community living around me and knowing that their nefarious activities are not always what they seem,” said writer and director William Sarne. “Working with the community to develop the story and script is a thrilling opportunity to bring an underrepresented group of people onto television screens and create an authentic and unfiltered drama series. Names have been changed, events embroidered and personalities merged, but the place remains the same—Kensal Town!”

Producer Bob Clarke, who raised the finance for the project through Samahoma Media Advisors from Insight Media Fund, said, “Will’s vision for Kensal Town was an instant winner for us—a dark, funny and stylish drama unfolding across four seasons. He’s assembled a truly diverse cast of breakthrough actors, many of whom live nearby and who, along with the crew, have contributed their own experiences and stories to a series which feels totally of the moment. With its iconic location—home to the Notting Hill carnival and world-famous streets like Portobello Road and Ladbroke Grove—it’s sure to have huge international appeal.”

“I wanted Kensal Town to become a reality as quickly as possible for an audience underserved by many broadcasters, and who get their fix online rather than on TV,” Clarke added. “As a result, we will be launching season one to the market this month.”