Gangster

BBC Radio 5 Live

A new series of Gangster tells the story of Viv Graham, a man who ran a protection empire which spanned Newcastle and beyond.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.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.

  • 26 minutes 34 seconds
    The Daniels and the Lyons: 5. The Pushchair Assassin

    After his public assassination in a supermarket car park, the hunt for Gerbil's killers begins. A death in the Daniel family heralds a brutal new chapter in the never ending feud.

    With such a high profile murder, police are under pressure to catch Kevin Carroll's killers and the manhunt takes an international twist. A high profile member of the Daniel family dies and after a period of relative calm, the dispute between the two crime groups reignites in a series of brutal attacks. One man is even targeted as he drops his child off at school.

    For a who's who, please visit this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4Czgw23hf0tqsb855CcPKPJ/who-s-who-in-the-story-of-the-daniels-and-the-lyons

    Presenter Livvy Haydock Series producer: Paul Grant Producer: Patrick Kiteley Journalism assistant: Tim Fernley Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

    24 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 26 minutes 52 seconds
    The Daniels and the Lyons: 4. The Digger

    Gerbil is recruited for a kidnapping plot which doesn't go to plan. Meanwhile, he continues his reign of terror as he seeks to build his drug empire - leading to a growing number of enemies out to get him.

    Gerbil's reputation is such that he is recruited to carry out a kidnapping by a Liverpool drug gang. Meanwhile, he doubles down on his efforts to take control of the drug trade in parts of Glasgow - taking dealers hostage and threatening them with violence. He gives one dealer an ultimatum and arranges a meet in a supermarket car park. But things take an unexpected and deadly turn.

    For a who's who, please visit this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4Czgw23hf0tqsb855CcPKPJ/who-s-who-in-the-story-of-the-daniels-and-the-lyons

    Presenter Livvy Haydock Series producer: Paul Grant Producer: Patrick Kiteley Journalism assistant: Tim Fernley Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

    17 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 29 minutes 25 seconds
    The Daniels and the Lyons: 3. Pay the Piper

    Gerbil is on the warpath after being seriously injured in a drive by shooting. What followed next takes the feud to another level of violence and the police searching for answers.

    Kevin Carroll is out for revenge, but seriously injured he has to enlist others to exact retribution. This time, however, innocents are caught in the crossfire and detectives have to employ all the tricks in the book to catch those responsible. The lid is lifted on the murky world of hitmen for hire.

    For a who's who, please visit this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4Czgw23hf0tqsb855CcPKPJ/who-s-who-in-the-story-of-the-daniels-and-the-lyons

    Presenter Livvy Haydock Series producer: Paul Grant Producer: Patrick Kiteley Journalism assistant: Tim Fernley Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

    10 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 30 minutes 54 seconds
    The Daniels and the Lyons: 2. Ollie and Mr Green

    As Jamie Daniels' drug empire continues to grow, a violent feud begins with a rival crime family - one that will lead to an all out bloody war on the streets of Glasgow.

    After serving time for heroin smuggling, Jamie Daniel is back in business. But a road rage incident involving a family member and a rival leads to a murder unlike any seen before in Glasgow. And there's more trouble on the horizon, this time with a family from the neighbouring Milton estate - the Lyons. What starts as a dispute over drugs leads to a series of increasingly violent tit-for-tat attacks and shootings. At its centre is a Daniel enforcer with his own vicious crew - someone who is known in the underworld as Gerbil.

    For a who's who, please visit this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4Czgw23hf0tqsb855CcPKPJ/who-s-who-in-the-story-of-the-daniels-and-the-lyons

    Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series producer: Paul Grant Producer: Patrick Kiteley Journalism assistant: Tim Fernley Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

    3 December 2024, 6:05 am
  • 33 minutes 30 seconds
    The Daniels and the Lyons: 1. King of the Jungle

    Jamie Daniel begins his rise from the tough streets of Possil in north Glasgow - first as a scrap metal dealer and then as a major player in the city's flourishing drug trade.

    One of ten children, Jamie followed his brothers into the family scrap metal business. But as heroin took hold in the city, he spotted a business opportunity that would catapult him into the big league - importing large quanitities of the drug into the country.

    The city's underworld was changing too. From the razor wielding street gangs of the 1930s to the postcode turf wars, drugs would mark a step change in the criminal landscape. But as business boomed for Jamie, danger was on the horizon.

    Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Paul Grant Producer: Patrick Kiteley Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley Editor and Executive Producer: Carl Johnston

    3 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 2 minutes 56 seconds
    Introducing Gangster: The Story of the Daniels and the Lyons

    A bloody and bitter feud between two of Glasgow's most notorious crime families which has raged for more than two decades, leading to violence and murder.

    Why the Daniel crime group and the Lyons crime group fell out isn’t clear. The story goes it was linked to the theft of a stash of drugs – or because the Lyons were encroaching on Daniel territory. Whatever the cause, the dispute exploded into a series of astonishingly violent tit for tat attacks which have cast a dark shadow over the city of Glasgow. The most high profile – the very public assassination of Daniel’s enforcer Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll. He was shot dead in a hail of bullets in front of terrified shoppers in an Asda carpark in 2010.

    Delving into Glasgow’s gangland past and it’s history of violent crime, the series hears from former gangsters, ordinary members of the public caught up in this vicious turf war and the police officers fighting to take down the mobsters.

    Many of those at the heart of the violence are now locked up in prison – or dead. But the fear is that this is a feud which is so ingrained it could go on for generations to come.

    For a who's who, please visit this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4Czgw23hf0tqsb855CcPKPJ/who-s-who-in-the-story-of-the-daniels-and-the-lyons

    Presenter Livvy Haydock Series producer: Paul Grant Producer: Patrick Kiteley Journalism assistant: Tim Fernley Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

    2 December 2024, 7:00 am
  • 33 minutes 3 seconds
    Viv Graham: 6. Legacy

    It’s New Year’s Day 1994 and Tyneside is waking up to the news of Viv Graham’s brutal murder. There is tension in the air and nobody knows what is going to happen next. What follows is a spiral of repercussions and tragedies which have spanned the decades and are still being felt to this day.

    In the final episode, presenter Livvy Haydock meets pathologist Dr John McCarthy, who walked the scene of Viv Graham’s murder hours after his death, before carrying out his autopsy. It was the start of one of the most high profile murder investigations in Northumbria Police’s history. The killing happened just off a bustling street on one of the busiest nights of the year. Hopes were high that someone must have seen what had happened. More than 1,000 people were interviewed, hundreds of homes were searched and there were countless arrests but they couldn’t make a breakthrough. Meanwhile, Tyneside’s criminal underworld was manoeuvring to capitalise on the opportunities which had opened up to them. Racketeers began trying to move in on some of Viv Graham’s former pubs while his lucrative clubs were unguarded and up for grabs too. For Viv Graham’s family, his murder had catastrophic consequences and sparked a spiral of tragedy, which is still being felt to this day.

    Presenter – Livvy Haydock Series Producer – Ben Robinson Technical Producer – Richard Hannaford Producer – Patrick Kiteley Archive Researcher – Jackie Mccoy Journalism Assistant – Tim Fernley With assistance from Jamie Boyle Commissioning Executive – Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner – Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Editor and Executive Producer – Clare Fordham

    28 June 2024, 5:00 am
  • 26 minutes 31 seconds
    Viv Graham: 5. Three Shots

    Viv Graham is released from prison following a vicious assault on rival bouncer Stu Watson. He needs to make up for lost time and remind everyone who is boss. But while he’s been away in jail, Tyneside’s nightlife has been transformed in an explosion of ecstasy. This is one fight Viv Graham won’t be able to win.

    In this episode, we follow Viv Graham as he tried to reassert his dominance on Tyneside’s nightlife, following his spell in prison. His services were in just as much demand as ever among pub and club owners but the arrival of ecstasy had raised the stakes. Now controlling nightclub doors was more lucrative than ever because it meant criminal gangs could also control the supply of the drugs into the venues. The problem for the gangs was Viv Graham protected many of the most lucrative bars and clubs and he played by his own rules. With every week that passed the threats to Viv Graham’s life were getting more serious. Graham himself knew he didn’t have long left and told his partner Anna he wouldn’t live to see 40. And he was right. On New Year’s Eve 1993, Viv Graham stepped out of the Queen’s Head pub in Wallsend and walked a few yards to a corner shop. Moments after leaving and walking towards his car, a gunman fired three shots at him from close range. He staggered back to the pub but his life was slipping away. Those three shots rang out across the city and through the decades.

    Presenter - Livvy Haydock Series Producer - Ben Robinson Technical Producer - Richard Hannaford Producer - Patrick Kiteley Archive Researcher - Jackie Mccoy Journalism Assistant - Tim Fernley With assistance from Jamie Boyle Commissioning Executive - Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner - Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Editor and Executive Producer - Clare Fordham

    21 June 2024, 5:00 am
  • 28 minutes 17 seconds
    Viv Graham: 4. Door Wars

    It’s the summer of 1989 and the atmosphere on Tyneside is febrile. The economy is shrinking and tumbling towards recession but at the same time the nightlife is bouncing. And among the criminal underworld battles are raging to control the supply of drugs into pubs and clubs. Viv Graham is right in the firing line and danger lurks on every corner.

    This episode tracks Viv Graham as he linked up with a member of the notorious Sayers crime firm. Graham was recruited to lead a vicious gang attack on another nightclub bouncer called Stu Watson. Graham pounded Watson with a relentless barrage of punches which left his victim bloodied and dazed. Stu Watson told presenter Livvy Haydock he was powerless to defend himself because he feared he would have been killed if he did. What nobody knew was the club was under police surveillance as part of a drugs operation. The whole savage incident was recorded on CCTV and witnessed by undercover officers. Moments after the attack, Graham was arrested and later sentenced to three years in jail. Graham’s spell inside was every bit as colourful as his life on the streets of Tyneside. On one occasion he earned widespread acclaim for single-handedly quelling a riot but on another he swallowed a lump of cannabis which had been smuggled in to the prison. Viv Graham was said to have slept for days. It would be the only respite he’d be getting because dark clouds were forming.

    Presenter – Livvy Haydock Series Producer – Ben Robinson Technical Producer – Richard Hannaford Producer – Patrick Kiteley Archive Researcher – Jackie Mccoy Journalism Assistant – Tim Fernley With assistance from Jamie Boyle Commissioning Executive – Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner – Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Editor and Executive Producer – Clare Fordham

    Archive credits: Nick Manners v Joe Calzaghe boxing commentary - Eurosport.

    14 June 2024, 5:00 am
  • 26 minutes 37 seconds
    Viv Graham: 3. Ecstasy and Enemies

    Viv Graham is right at the peak of his powers.

    After starting as a nightclub doorman in Gateshead, he has grown to become the most powerful figure in Tyneside’s booming nightlife, with a vast pub and club protection empire. But trouble is brewing because a new party drug is landing and it’s going to turn his world upside down.

    This episode charts the arrival of ecstasy in the North East and the dramatic changes it had on the region’s nightlife. A prominent DJ in Newcastle, Tom Caulker, remembers it all like it was yesterday - especially when the criminal gangs launched vicious battles to try to control the lucrative supplies of ecstasy in to clubs. The problem? Viv Graham had swathes of Tyneside’s most lucrative clubs and pubs sewn up - and he played by his own rules. These were dangerous times for Viv Graham and anyone associated with him. Guns were freely available among the criminal underworld and they were pointing at Viv Graham.

    Presenter – Livvy Haydock Series Producer – Ben Robinson Technical Producer – Richard Hannaford Producer – Patrick Kiteley Archive Researcher – Jackie Mccoy Journalism Assistant – Tim Fernley With assistance from Jamie Boyle Commissioning Executive – Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner – Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Editor and Executive Producer – Clare Fordham

    Archive Credits: Zulu - Diamond Films

    7 June 2024, 5:00 am
  • 31 minutes 3 seconds
    Viv Graham: 2. Whack ’Em and Catch ’Em

    Viv Graham, a young man from the country, is about to land in the city and make a very big impression. In fact he’s going to take over the town. This episode charts Viv Graham’s meteoric rise. It follows in his footsteps as he went from being a complete unknown, to single-handedly controlling a pub and club door protection empire, which spanned Newcastle and beyond. Viv’s first move was to approach one of the city’s most colourful characters – Paul Tucker Grant – a doorman and boxer, who’d later go on to have a glittering acting career. With Paul’s help Viv got his first door – a nightclub in Gateshead. Viv quickly grew a reputation for ruthless efficiency. Troublemakers would be removed and dispatched and no matter who they were they wouldn’t cross Viv Graham. He became known, feared and revered in equal measure. This was a man who would never pick up a weapon but nor would he shy away from dealing with anyone who crossed his path. More and more pub and club owners sought out Viv’s services and an empire formed – right at the moment Newcastle was exploding as a party capital. The city’s historic Bigg Market was transformed with dozens of trendy new bars and restaurants, while the Tuxedo Princess, a ferry turned nightclub moored on the Tyne, drew in revellers from far and wide. Viv was well on his way to dominating the city’s bouncing nightlife and anyone who crossed him would face the consequences.

    Presenter – Livvy Haydock Series Producer – Ben Robinson Technical Producer – Richard Hannaford Producer – Patrick Kiteley Archive Researcher – Jackie Mccoy Journalism Assistant - Tim Fernley With assistance from Jamie Boyle Commissioning Executive - Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner – Lorraine Okuefuna Editor and Executive Producer – Clare Fordham

    Archive credits Emmerdale - Yorkshire Television. Byker Grove - Zenith Entertainment. The Tube - Tyne Tees Television.

    31 May 2024, 5:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App
© MoonFM 2024. All rights reserved.