Gangster

Trailer 19.04.2021 4m

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.

Paul Massey: 1. Made in Salford 19.04.2021 30m

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 Boardman Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

Paul Massey: 2. Code of Silence 19.04.2021 29m

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: Craig Boardman Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

Paul Massey: 3. Steak Night 19.04.2021 28m

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: Ciaran Tracey Technical Production and sound design: Craig Boardman Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

Paul Massey: 4. The Serpent 19.04.2021 24m

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 design: Craig Boardman Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

Paul Massey: 5. The Assassination 19.04.2021 24m

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 design: Craig Boardman Editor and executive producer: Carl Johnston

Trailer 01.08.2025 2m

Livvy Haydock explores the extraordinary life of Linda Calvey, the woman they call "the Black Widow." She rose through the ranks of London’s criminal underworld to become the UK’s most notorious female gangster.We follow her journey from humble beginnings in East London to time served in the infamous H Wing, alongside killers like Myra Hindley and Rose West.It’s a story of love, loyalty, betrayal and murder, of a woman who fell for a bank robber and ended up leading a gang of her own.Linda was a young mum living in the East End when her husband Mickey was shot dead by police during a robbery. After his death, she stepped into his world. What followed was a descent into armed robberies and organised crime, culminating in a killing that would result in a life sentence in prison.She was nicknamed the Black Widow by a police officer, as all her husbands and lovers ended up either dead or behind bars.Now 76, Linda tells her story in her own words. And for the first time her children, Melanie and Neil, speak out about the lasting consequences of her criminal past.We also hear from detectives in the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad, aka The Sweeney, the men and women who were tasked with bringing criminals like Linda to justice.This podcast includes strong language and descriptions of violence.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

The Black Widow: 1. Spinning the Web 08.08.2025 30m

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 fortune sticking up banks and Post Offices with a sawn-off shotgun.When Mickey and Linda got married, she was allowed a front seat to Mickey's 'work,' as his gang begin planning robberies around their kitchen table. Not content with just making the teas, Linda starts to make suggestions and finds she has a taste for a life of crime.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

The Black Widow: 2. A Widow's Vow 15.08.2025 28m

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.When Linda hears of her husband's death something inside her snaps and at his graveside she makes a vow to provide for their two young kids by carrying on his "work" as an armed robber. But before she can get started, another man comes on the scene - someone altogether more deadly and dangerous.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

The Black Widow: 3. Cops and Robbers 22.08.2025 30m

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 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

The Black Widow: 4. The Two Minute Rule 29.08.2025 28m

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 inside takes an unexpected turn, as she finds a life for herself inside Holloway.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

The Black Widow: 5. Spilt Milk 05.09.2025 30m

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

The Black Widow: 6. Til Death Do Us Part 12.09.2025 29m

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

Trailer 10.11.2025 12m

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

1. When Amy Met Joe 14.11.2025 33m

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

2. The Boy From Bradford 21.11.2025 34m

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 KentA BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 LiveDetails of information and support with addiction is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

3. Just This Once 28.11.2025 33m

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

4. Illegal Highs 05.12.2025 35m

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

5. “Love You” 12.12.2025 33m

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

6. Starcrossed Lovers 19.12.2025 39m

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