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Gangster

Gangster

BBC Radio 5 Live 89 Episodes Apr 19, 2021

How did a small-time carpenter with a minor and fumbled role in a 1963 violent heist become Britain's most famous fugitive and - for many - an unlikely folk hero? From gangland tea boy to Brazilian playboy, this series recounts the controversial rollercoaster life of Ronnie Biggs in his own words, through previously unheard recordings. Actor Daniel Mays, who portrayed the Great Train Robber in a major ITV drama, hosts the podcast, marking the 25th anniversary of Biggs' return to Britain to face justice after 36 years on the run.

Episodes

Paul Massey: 1. Made in Salford Apr 19, 2021 1807 From the tough streets of Salford, Paul Massey begins his rise in the criminal underworld. While in jail, he hatches a plan to bring the gangs together and take over the city.This podcast includes strong language and descriptions of violence.Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Paul Grant Producer: Oliver Newlan Assistant Editor: Ciaran Tracey Technical Production and Sound Design: Craig Boar
Paul Massey: 2. Code of Silence Apr 19, 2021 1744 Manchester is at the centre of a cultural revolution. The Hacienda. Acid house. Ecstasy. Paul Massey makes a moves on the drug scene and enforces his own style of justice on the streets.This podcast contains strong language and descriptions of violence.Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Paul Grant Producer: Oliver Newlan Assistant Editor: Ciaran Tracey Technical Production and sound design:
Paul Massey: 3. Steak Night Apr 19, 2021 1736 Paul Massey is on a wild night out. He's being filmed by a TV crew, but the evening will change his life forever. A rival threatens to muscle in on his territory, but Massey is having none of it. And he spots a new money making venture.This podcast contains strong language and descriptions of violence.Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Paul Grant Producer: Oliver Newlan Assistant Editor: Ci
Paul Massey: 4. The Serpent Apr 19, 2021 1476 Massey sets his sights on the top political job in Salford, but he's facing pressure on all sides. The police are out to get their man and he finds himself caught up in a violent gangland feud.This podcast contains strong language and descriptions of violence.Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Paul Grant Producer: Oliver Newlan Assistant Editor: Ciaran Tracey Technical Production and sound
Paul Massey: 5. The Assassination Apr 19, 2021 1468 An assassin lays in wait. The aftermath takes the gang war to new levels of violence, leaving a young innocent victim seriously hurt and hardened criminals shocked at the callous brutality.This podcast contains strong language and descriptions of violence.Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Paul Grant Producer: Oliver Newlan Assistant Editor: Ciaran Tracey Technical Production and sound desi
The Black Widow: 1. Spinning the Web Aug 8, 2025 1852 Linda Welford was raised in London's East End in the 1960s; a tight and tough community with a reputation for a thriving criminal underworld, ruled with an iron fist by gangsters like the Kray twins.One of nine children, Linda lived a sheltered life with her family in Stepney until she met armed robber Mickey Calvey. This was the so-called golden age of armed robbery and Mickey was making a fortun
The Black Widow: 2. A Widow's Vow Aug 15, 2025 1710 Linda, Mickey and the kids are living the high life when he agrees to take on a job with a new gang - a raid on a cash collection at a London supermarket just before Christmas.As Linda waits at home, armed police are lying in wait outside the supermarket. When the police rush towards them, the rest of Mickey's team flee, leaving him alone on the crowded street clutching his weapon. He is shot dead
The Black Widow: 3. Cops and Robbers Aug 22, 2025 1823 Linda discovers Ronnie's dark side as he lets slip a shocking secret about the day Mickey died.She can't leave Ronnie, because he's too dangerous. But luckily for Linda, the police solve that problem for her - catching Ronnie red handed trying to pull off a million pound heist.With Ronnie out of the way, Linda begins her mission to become an armed robber in an underworld ruled by men.Credits Prese
The Black Widow: 4. The Two Minute Rule Aug 29, 2025 1708 A partial fingerprint at the scene of a violent robbery puts the flying squad on Linda's trail. While they watch, she continues to live the high life funding by a spate of terrifying armed raids.A team of officers recall the day they caught Linda red handed at yet another Post Office heist, and when Linda finds herself at the wrong end of the barrel of a gun, she knows her time is up.But her time
The Black Widow: 5. Spilt Milk Sep 5, 2025 1854 After being released from prison, Linda's living the quiet life catching up on lost time with her two kids.Trouble soon finds her again as Ronnie Cook's sentence also comes to an end. When Linda brings Ronnie home for a visit, the couple are confronted by a hitman and Linda's small kitchen is turned into a brutal murder scene.But as police begin to question Linda, they discover that the 'The Black
The Black Widow: 6. Til Death Do Us Part Sep 12, 2025 1759 Linda spends the next 18 years behind bars with some of the UK's most notorious female killers. She shares stories of a life inside, a shock prison wedding and returning back to reality and a life on the straight and narrow.With her criminal past behind her, Linda reflects on the effect of her crimes both on the victims, and on her two children left to grow up without their parents.Credits Present
Trailer Nov 10, 2025 721 The story of the biggest prison smuggling plot ever busted in the UK - and the love story at the heart of it. Journalist Amber Haque untangles what happens when mental health nurse Amy Hatfield meets convicted criminal Joe Whittingham. Her investigation leads into a world of blackmail and manipulation, where you never quite know who to trust or who's watching.Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Be

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