Gangster

BBC Radio 5 Live

<p>A new series of Gangster tells the story of Viv Graham, a man who ran a protection empire which spanned Newcastle and beyond.</p><p>Viv Graham, a 17-stone man mountain, a man feared and revered in equal measure, came to dominate Tyneside’s nightlife through brutal and uncompromising violence.</p><p>His murder, in an organised hit on New Year’s Eve 1993, sparked recriminations and repercussions which echo to this day. It remains one of the country’s most notorious unsolved murders.</p>

  • 27 minutes 57 seconds
    Enter the Godfather

    In 1970s Britain, Chinese-heritage migrants worked long hours in restaurants and takeaways to build their new lives. But as the diaspora established itself, the gangs they thought they’d left behind in Hong Kong began to follow, quietly feeding off the very people they claimed to protect.

    Back in Hong Kong, Georgie Pai was already a senior member of Wo Shing Wo, one of the most feared Triad societies operating in the city’s underworld. Known for its rigid hierarchy, blood-sworn loyalty and a reputation for ruthless enforcement. He travelled to the UK on a tourist visa and began working at his parents’ takeaway in Glastonbury. From there, he united scattered Triad factions around the country and recruited loyal foot soldiers. He soon built an extortion network targeting Chinese communities, with business owners ordered to pay protection cash. Those who refused were brutally punished.

    Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Hayley Mortimer Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Producers: Patrick Kiteley & Matt Toulson Fixer in Hong Kong: Michelle Chan Music: Andy Simms and Reliable Source Music Journalism Assistants: Hattie Valentine & Ellie Dover Commissioning Producer: Sam Proffitt  Commissioning Executive: Lorraine Okuefuna and Louise Kattenhorn Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock Editor and Executive Producer: Clare Fordham Archive: The Cook Report: Meet The Triads (Central Television, ITV)

    6 March 2026, 12:01 am
  • 3 minutes
    Introducing Gangster: The Story of Georgie Pai

    From the back alleys of Hong Kong to the neon-lit Chinatowns of Britain, Georgie Pai built a nationwide criminal empire through his Triad gang Wo Shing Wo. With a network of protection rackets, gambling dens and an army of loyal followers, he controlled his turf with threats, violence and machetes. Gangster steps inside the world of the Triads. A brotherhood bound by secret handshakes and elaborate rituals, where loyalty is sworn in blood. For decades, Georgie Pai’s name alone caused absolute terror amongst Britain’s Chinese community. He was deported back to Hong Kong several times, but with police unable to pin him to a single crime, it was left to a team of journalists to bring him down.

    Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Hayley Mortimer Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Producers: Patrick Kiteley & Matt Toulson Fixer in Hong Kong: Michelle Chan Music: Andy Simms and Reliable Source Music Journalism Assistants: Hattie Valentine & Ellie Dover Commissioning Producer: Sam Proffitt  Commissioning Executive: Lorraine Okuefuna and Louise Kattenhorn Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock Editor and Executive Producer: Clare Fordham

    4 March 2026, 12:01 am
  • 39 minutes 32 seconds
    6. Starcrossed Lovers

    Amy and Joe had been planning a future together, outside — but now they’re stuck behind bars, facing the consequences of their actions.

    In this final episode, host Amber Haque unpicks how their story ends - and finds there’s still love, but also loss.

    And for Amy, the question that lingers - was any of it ever real?

    Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Becca Bryers Sound design: Ivor Manley Story and music consultant: Emma Weatherill Development by: Rob Byrne, Rhiannon Nevada and Emma Shaw Production management: Gaelan Davis-Connolly and Debbie Wadell Executive producer: Joe Kent A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live Commissioning producer: Sam Proffitt Commissioning executive: Louise Kattenhorn and Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioning editor: Richard Maddock

    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    19 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 33 minutes 56 seconds
    5. “Love You”

    Amy knows this is the final run - just one more package of drugs to smuggle in, one more drop-off before Joe walks free and maybe they can leave crime behind.

    But this time, someone is watching.

    Will the couple stay loyal to each other, as a wider conspiracy begins to unravel?

    Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Becca Bryers Sound design: Ivor Manley Executive producer: Joe Kent A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    Details of information and support with addiction is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    12 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 35 minutes 3 seconds
    4. Illegal Highs

    Highly-addictive, relatively cheap and easy to smuggle, Spice is running rampage through Britain’s prisons.

    And Spice is the reason Amy finds Joe zombie-like in his cell, eyes rolled back in his head.

    The reason, he’s in debt with other prisoners.

    The reason he’s asking her to smuggle something in for him. Again.

    Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Becca Bryers Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Joe Kent A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    Details of information and support with addiction is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    5 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 33 minutes 9 seconds
    3. Just This Once

    Smuggle one package of drugs into prison for her boyfriend Joe and he’ll be able to pay off his debts. That’s what Amy needs to do and then she can concentrate on planning their future together, or so she thinks. It’s not long till he’ll be released and then they can have the proper relationship she dreams of.

    Joe insists the smuggling is just a one-off, but will Amy do what he's asking?

    Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Becca Bryers Sound design: Ivor Manley Executive producer: Joe Kent

    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    28 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 34 minutes 48 seconds
    2. The Boy From Bradford

    Amy is risking it all for a relationship with career criminal Joe - but who is the boy from Bradford she’s falling in love with.

    Host Amber Haque delves deep into his past and jumps down the rabbit hole of #prisontok as she attempts to make sense of the illicit affair and who’s really in control.

    Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Becca Bryers Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Joe Kent

    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    Details of information and support with addiction is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    21 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 33 minutes 13 seconds
    1. When Amy Met Joe

    The last thing mental health nurse Amy expected to encounter when she took a job at Lindholme prison was someone offering romance.

    Then she met Joe - cheeky, brimming with charisma and a career criminal.

    But surely she knows better than to listen to his relentless attempts to charm her….

    Credits Host: Amber Haque Producer: Becca Bryers Sound design: Ivor Manley Executive producer: Joe Kent

    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    14 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 12 minutes 1 second
    Gangster Presents... Sex, Drugs &amp; Cell Block Parties

    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: Becca Bryers Sound design: Ivor Manley and Andy Fell Story and music consultant: Emma Weatherill Development by: Rob Byrne, Rhiannon Nevada and Emma Shaw Production management: Gaelan Davis-Connolly and Debbie Wadell Executive producer: Joe Kent Commissioning producer: Sam Proffitt Commissioning executive: Louise Kattenhorn and Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioning editor: Richard Maddock A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live

    10 November 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 29 minutes 19 seconds
    The Black Widow: 6. Til Death Do Us Part

    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 Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Kate West Producers: Patrick Kiteley and Matthew Bone Journalism Assistants: Tim Fernley and Ellie Dover Drama Writer: Paul Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock Editors and Executive Producers: Carl Johnston and Clare Fordham

    12 September 2025, 5:00 am
  • 30 minutes 54 seconds
    The Black Widow: 5. Spilt Milk

    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 Widow' could have her boyfriend's blood on her hands in more ways than one.

    Credits Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Kate West Producers: Patrick Kiteley and Matthew Bone Journalism Assistants: Tim Fernley and Ellie Dover Drama Writer: Paul Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock Editors and Executive Producers: Carl Johnston and Clare Fordham

    5 September 2025, 5:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App