Always Winning

An unconventional memoir filled with brave and inspiring stories, hard-earned wisdom, and the keys to discovering true success from the award-winning star of Adolescence and Top Boy.

From the star of the phenomenal Netflix show, Adolescence, comes a powerful memoir, packed with inspiring stories and hard-earned wisdom for life's most challenging moments.

"I wanted to write this book for that person who feels like the world doesn't understand what life is like for them. I want to be honest about where I have been and how I have got to where I am. Because we can't be what we can't see." — Ashley Walters

An icon of British and wider Black British culture. — GQ

A raw and inspiring testament to resilience. — Steven Bartlett

A deeper truth that speaks to our whole time and culture, and offers us all a way forward. — Afua Hirsch

An important and powerful read. — Ian Wright

From Adolescence and Top Boy to So Solid Crew, Ashley Walters' explosive on-screen performances and trailblazing music have always explored the same conflicting forces that have governed his life. Born and raised in Peckham, his father in and out of prison, Ashley found the gang culture in inner-city London inescapable. At 15, he was stabbed in the neck and left for dead. At 18, he had a gun held to his head as he cradled his newborn son. At 20, he was sentenced to eighteen months in prison.

In this brave and inspiring book, Ashley opens up about his turbulent past. He writes candidly about his battles with identity, addiction, family, and fame, and the realisation that, after years of struggle, only he could change his future.

Always Winning is the framework Ashley developed to turn his life around. Revealed for the first time in this book, explored through powerful stories from his life and career, he shares the principles of this philosophy and shows how anyone can use them to overcome their own challenges, helping them to align a true sense of purpose with inner happiness and personal success and fulfilment.