Ashley Walters and Noel Clarke film high-octane robbery scene for new Bulletproof series

He recently shed 14kg in just four months as he embarked on a healthy following a brief break from work. 

And Ashley Walters and his co-star Noel Clarke were back to the working grind as filming for Bulletproof’s second series got underway in east London on Monday.

The Top Boy star, 37, jumped through a glass window in a bid to catch a robber during an intense chase scene, hours before UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson plunged Britain into a lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Taking his role as NCA detective Ronnie to new heights, Ashley displayed his athletic skills as he ran down the streets of the English capital. 

The Get Rich or Die Tryin’ actor looked effortlessly cool in a wool black coat, teamed with a burgundy sweatshirt, indigo jeans and canvas trainers.

Screenwriter Noel, 44, meanwhile, followed in his partner’s lead as he blew through the roads in an attempt to track down the thiefs, who were pictured fleeing the scene with backpacks. 

The Kidulthood filmmaker – who recently revealed the pair take on most of their stunts – cut an equally stylish look in a vibrant red jumper by Nike, a navy jacket and light-wash jeans.

Hours after filming, the British Prime Minister urged individuals to stop all ‘non-essential’ contact with others amid the global coronavirus crisis. 

Coronavirus was classed a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week, leading countries such as Italy, Spain and China implementing nationwide lockdowns. 

Sporting events, music festival and other social gatherings have been either cancelled or postponed due to the crisis.  

Nearly 200,000 people around the world have been infected and almost 8,000 have died since the outbreak began last December. It is unclear whether filming for Bulletproof will be postponed.   

The series sees Aaron Bishop (Noel) and Ronnie Pike (Ashley) join forces as detectives for the National Crime Agency in London as they tackle organised crime. 

While Ronnie was already connected to the police force through his middle-class family, Aaron fell into the occupation following a rough upbringing in foster homes.  

Last week, the pair shed light on their fitness journeys as they discussed the series on Lorraine. 

Rapper Ashley poked fun at his former ‘dad bod’ while screenwriter Noel touched on ditching the pounds ahead of the second season of their drama show – inspired by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s hit Bad Boys films. 

The actor previously admitted he ‘let himself go’ when he piled on the pounds during a break from his filming Bulletproof. 

Screen star Ashley – who has been teetotal for seven months – insisted he now ‘loves’ going to the gym as he credited his routine to becoming a ‘calmer person’. 

As he joked about his previous appearance, Kidulthood director Noel highlighted that his close pal had a toned upper body before embarking on a lifestyle overhaul, adding: ‘His before was my after!

‘I’m a bit ashamed of where I was but I’ve posted the picture to show you the results and show you that you can do it too.’ 

Boasting an impressive physique of his own, The Anomaly producer revealed losing 14% in body fat after spending 21 weeks training at Ultimate Performance Kensington has helped him take on his own stunts in the Sky One programme.  

He explained: ‘The stuntmen will get very annoyed at me acting like we do all our stunts, but due to insurance reasons, we do as much as we can do.’ 

On the creativity process of Bulletproof, Mute actor Noel explained: ‘Bad Boys was an inspiration for us, we took a lot from the banter from them, and we wanted our action levels to be just as good or better.

‘America is very good at mixing comedy with drama, so it was something that we wanted to come across.’ 

Ashley added: ‘I think we both of the view that if people still want the show, then we will continue to make it.’

On injecting their authentic relationship into the show, the Doctor Who star said: ‘We definitely bring a lot of our real life friendship into the show. 

‘Sometimes we’ll make jokes at lunch and we’ll include it on the show. It takes an hour to film a 5-min scene as we’re always laughing.’

Despite taking on hardmen roles, the pair surprisingly revealed they enjoy pampering sessions during their time away from work, with Noel insisting ‘Mr gangster Top Boy’ Ashley was the one who encouraged him to take pedicures.

Elsewhere in the interview, former So Solid Crew member Ashley – who is set to return as Dushane in hit Netflix show Top Boy in 2021 – revealed he’ll ‘branch out’ and release new solo music later this year.