Introducing Gangster: The Story of Paul Massey

Gangster · 2021-04-19

Gangster is the extraordinary story of Paul Massey - labelled Salford's Mr Big. It charts his rise and inevitable fall from a young tearaway on the streets of Salford to the head of an organised crime group controlling drugs, security and nightclub doors in Manchester.

It’s a story told not only by some of those close to him – but uniquely by Massey himself – though excerpts from an interview most of which has never been broadcast before.

Presenter Livvy Haydock enters the secretive underworld to speak to hardened criminals who reveal how Massey climbed his way to the top through violence and extortion.

But Massey was unlike many other gangland bosses. He wasn’t just in it for the money, he also saw himself as a community leader. To many in his neighbourhood, he was seen as a Robin Hood figure – looking after their interests, promising to keep hard drugs off the streets and enforcing his own style of street justice.

Gangster

Former boxing champion and proud Evertonian Tony Bellew delves into the brutal world of football hooliganism. At its height in the 1970s and 1980s, it was labelled 'the English Disease,' a time when violence on the terraces was as much a part of the game as a half-time Bovril. Bellew hears from those who lived for the trouble, the men and women whose Saturdays weren't complete without a brutal punch-up.

He speaks to the innocent victims caught up in the mayhem, the families of those who lost their lives at the hands of thugs, and the undercover police officers who risked everything to infiltrate some of England's most notorious firms.

He also explores how government crackdowns, tougher laws, and the introduction of all-seater stadiums helped bring an end to widespread hooliganism.

Presenter: Tony BellewSeries Producer: Emma FordeProducer: Patrick KiteleyTechnical Producer: Nicky EdwardsDevelopment Producer: Holly ClemensProduction Co-ordinator: Ellie DoverAssistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah GreenCommissioning Editor: Louise KattenhornEditor and Executive Producer: Carl Johnston

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