British Gangsters: Faces of the Underworld - First Season

VILLAINS, GANGSTERS OR FACES,

AS THEY PREFER TO BE CALLED,

ARE THE MEN THAT HAVE BEEN MAKING NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS.

SOME ARE INSTANTLY RECOGNISABLE,

BUT MANY ARE NOT.

IF I STICK A GUN IN YOUR FACE,

YOU'RE GONNA OPEN UP THE DOOR, I'VE GOT NO WORRY.

BUT EVEN IF THE GLASS IS BULLETPROOF AND YOU KNOW

IT'S BULLETPROOF, YOU'RE STILL GONNA OPEN UP THAT,

BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA TRUST YOUR LIFE

AGAINST A BIT OF GLASS.

MEN LIKE EDDIE RICHARDSON, PAUL FERRIS,

FRANKIE FRASER, AND WALTER NORVAL,

WHO HAVE INSPIRED FEAR AND RESPECT IN EQUAL

MEASURE FOR DECADES.

PEOPLE DID FEAR ME, YEAH,

BECAUSE I WAS DANGEROUS.

IN THIS NEW SERIES,

SOME OF BRITAIN'S MORE INFAMOUS AND INFLUENTIAL

CHARACTERS HAVE AGREED TO GO ON CAMERA

AND TELL IT HOW IT WAS AND IS.

ALL OF A SUDDEN I WENT...

I WENT, YOU MOVE I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF.

OBVIOUSLY, RIGHT, I DIDN'T KNOW THEN,

HE PUT A BIG GUN IN ME HEAD LIKE THAT.

I WENT

SO I'VE TOOK A DIVE WHEN THE SHOT

WENT OFF, OBVIOUSLY, TO GET BEHIND ME MOTOR,

AND AS I GOT BEHIND ME MOTOR,

I'VE WAITED TWO SECONDS AND I'VE TOOK A DIVE FOR

THE FRONT DOOR, AND I SLAMMED THE FRONT DOOR

BEHIND US AND GOT BEHIND THE BRICKWORK,

AND THAT'S WHEN THE BULLETS START COMING

THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR.

I'VE HAD AGGRAVATED BURGLARY,

TORTURE, PEOPLE BEING KIDNAPPED AND BROKEN LEGS,

BROKEN ARMS, BLACKMAIL, RACKETEERING, EXTORTION.

I'VE BEEN DONE FOR EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF.

I'M NO A ELECTRICIAN OR A

PLUMBER OR A DENTIST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

I'M A CROOK AND I GET BACK INTO SERIOUS CRIME AND

IT PAID DIVIDENDS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

MY NAME IS BERNARD O'MAHONEY.

I WAS A FRIEND OF THE KRAY TWINS AND A MEMBER OF THE

INFAMOUS ESSEX BOYS FIRM.

I KNOW THIS WORLD.

I KNOW THE FACES, AND I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A NO

HOLDS BARRED HISTORY OF THE BRITISH CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD

THINK OF BONNY SCOTLAND,

AND THE MIND CONJURES UP IMAGES OF BAGPIPES,

KILTS AND BREATHTAKING SCENERY.

BUT THE REALITY IS GRIM.

VIOLENCE METED OUT ON THE STREETS OF GLASGOW HAS

RESULTED IN THE CITY HAVING THE HIGHEST MURDER

RATE IN WESTERN EUROPE.

BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS SO.

BACK IN THE 1940S, 50S AND 60S,

VILLAINS LIKE GLASGOW'S FIRST GODFATHER,

WALTER NORVAL, ATTEMPTED TO GO ABOUT THEIR

UNSAVOURY BUSINESS WHILST ADHERING TO

A NOW REDUNDANT CODE.

SO HOW DID YOU SORT OF DESCEND

INTO CRIME?

I WAS IN AT AN EARLY AGE.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, AS I SAY,

MY MA WAS NEVER ABOOT, AND I GET INTO A WEE CROWD O'

PALS, AND WE STARTED OFF, AS I SAY,

JUST BREAKING WINDOWS AND THAT,

AND JUST STEALING AT THE WINDOWS AND THAT, YOU KNOW.

BUT WHEN THE WAR CAME, THAT WAS A CANCER,

BECAUSE THERE WAS A BLACKOUT THEN.

BY THIS TIME, THE POLICE KNEW WHO WE WERE.

THEY USED TO CHASE US AWAY FRAE THE CORNERS, AND THAT.

BUT THEY ACTUALLY KNEW WHO WAS BEHIND IT ALL,

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS YOUR... MOB USED TO RUN ABOUT TOGETHER.

AND WHILE THE BLACKOUT WAS ON YOU COULD BREAK A

WINDOW, YOU KNOW, AND PEOPLE NEVER BOTHERED WHEN

THEY HEARD THE NOISE LIKE THAT.

THEY WERE JUST STEALING TEA AND SUGAR;

IT WAS ALL RATIONS.

WE USED TO SELL IT AT THE BOOKMAKERS,

BECAUSE THEY USED TO BUY ANYTHING OFF OF YOU,

EVERYTHING WAS RATIONED.

SO WE GOT TEA AND SUGAR AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

THAT WAS THE MAIN THINGS.

IF WE WERE LUCKY, IF WE COULD GET EGGS.

YOU ONLY GOT ONE EGG A MONTH ON THE RATIONS,

SO IF WE GOT A WEE CASE OF EGGS AND THAT,

WELL THE BOOKIE GAVE YOU A FORTUNE FOR IT.

AFTER SEVERAL SHORT TERMS OF

IMPRISONMENT, WALTER'S CAREER ACCELERATED FROM

COMMITTING PETTY CRIME TO BEING INVOLVED

IN MORE SERIOUS MATTERS.

BY THIS TIME I'D DONE A COUPLE OF

SENTENCES, YOU KNOW, WEE ONES,

AND I MET PEOPLE FRAE GOVAN AND THAT,

BOYS THAT KNEW PEOPLE AND THAT, YOU KNOW,

AND WE DECIDED THAT WE'LL START TRYING SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

SO WE USED TO GET, LIKE, SAY,

YOU GO AND WATCH PLACES, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE THEM.

A WATCHMAN RUN THIS PLACE, USED TO SIT IN THIS PLACE

AND THE WAGES USED TO GET DELIVERED TO HIM.

SO WE DECIDED TO WATCH WHEN THE WAGES GET

DELIVERED AND WE SAT IN A CAR UP THE ROAD AND WE

WATCHED IT, AND WE SAW THE WAGES GOING IN,

AND THERE WAS ONLY THE MAN IN THE PLACE WITH A BIG

TRAY O' WAGES.

SO WE HIT THAT FIRST, AND WE GOT THEM.

IT WAS SO EASY.

I SAYS, 'OCH, THIS IS BETTER THAN EVER,

' SO WE JUST STARTED IN PLANNING WEE ROBBERIES AND

HITTING BANKS AND DIFFERENT THINGS.

WE WENT FRAE ONE TO ANOTHER, YOU KNOW,

AND THE WEE GANG WERE TOGETHER.

BUT THEY WERE ALL FRAE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.

ONE OF THE GUY, I REMEMBER,

WOULD SAY SO-AND-SO'S GAME BOY.

HE'LL WORK FOR A BIT OF PIE,

SO THEY'D BRING HIM UP.

I'D STAY LIKE IN A FLAT IN THE WILLOWBANK CRESCENT,

A THROUGH ROOM AND KITCHEN,

AND WE USED TO MEET THERE, AND WE'D BE SAT IN THERE

AND WE USED TO DISCUSS WHAT WE WERE GONNA DAE NEXT.

SO ONE OF THE BOYS WOULD MAYBE,

I'LL LET HIM TAKE MY PLACE FOR A WHILE,

AND I'D LET THEM GET A BIT OF PIE,

IT ENDED UP EVERYBODY WAS GETTING A WEE WAGE.

THE MORE SUCCESSFUL WALTER BECAME,

THE MORE RESENTMENT HE ATTRACTED FROM HIS FELLOW VILLAINS.

I WAS IN THE HOOSE ONE DAY,

ME AND THE WIFE, AND I'D HAD A GOOD DRINK,

IT WAS A FRIDAY NIGHT, AND THE DOOR WENT,

AND IT WAS WALLY WHITE, AND TONY QUEEN, THE BOOKMAKER.

HIS WIFE WAS STAYING WITH BIG WALLY WHITE.

BIG WALLY WHITE WAS THE BRITISH WELTERWEIGHT

CHAMPION, YOU MAYBE HEARD O' HIM,

AND HE CAME TO OUR DISTRICT.

SO HE CAME UP TO SEE ME, AND QUEEN'S WIFE WAS WI'

HIM, AND THIS GUY WAS WI' THEM,

BIG GUY BUILT LIKE YOURSELF, GIBSON,

AND HE'D LANDED IN OUR ROAD.

AND TWO WEEKS BEFORE I WAS WATCHING HIM FIGHTING

THREE GUYS WHO WERE SITTING OUTSIDE THE PUB AT

MALLON AND HE'D BANNED FOR THE THREE OF THEM.

AND I REMEMBER SAYING TO THE WIFE,

'LOOK AT HIM,' I SAYS, 'HE'S A BIG TEARAWAY,

' AND I WAS WELL KNOWN, THOUGH I DON'T SAY IT

MYSELF, 'I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO TACKLE HIM.'

BUT SURE AS CHRIST, THAT NIGHT,

THROUGH THE DRINK I FELL ASLEEP AND MA WIFE WOKE ME UP,

AND SHE SAYS, "WALTER, ARE YOU GOING TAE PUT HIM OUT?"

AND I LOOKED AND BIG WHITE HAD LEFT WI' HIS WIFE,

WITH QUEEN'S WIFE, AND THIS BEGGAR'S THROWN IT DOWN.

I HAD A GOOD DRINK IN ME, AND I COME ROOND AND I

SAYS 'COME ON, YOU'LL NEED TO GET AWAY,

' AND HE SAYS "PUT ME OUT."

I SAYS, 'COME ON, DON'T ACT IT,' I SAYS

'COME ON, OUT YOU GO.'

HE SAYS, "WALTER, I HEARD YOU COULD FIGHT," HE SAYS,

"I ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY YOU OOT" AND I LOOKED AT

HIM, AND I STILL WAS NAE SOBER.

I SAYS, 'OK, LET'S DO IT,' I SAID,

'BUT DOON THE BACK.'

SO I WENT DOON THE STAIR,

AND AWAY DOON THE STAIR I MADE A BLOOMER,

I WALKED IN FRONT O' HIM, AND WHEN WE GOT DOON TO

THE THIRD FLAT HE COULD HA' JUMPED ME FROM THE

BACK, AND I'D BEEN DOON TO THIS WOMAN'S DOORSTEP

BEFORE HE, BUT I TURNED ROUND QUICK AND HE STARTED

TO JUMP ON ME, AND WE STARTED TAE FIGHT.

BUT I HAD A BLADE IN MY BACK POCKET I'D JUST

SLIPPED THROUGH BEFORE I WENT DOWN THE STAIR.

AND WE ROLLED ABOOT FOR A WHILE, YOU KNOW,

AND THEN I GO AND TAP HIM, AND I STARTED...

AND HE HAD HIS HANDS O'ER HIS EYES.

ABOVE US TWO, MY WIFE HAD STARTED SCREAMING AND A

PAL O' MINE, ROD, WHO STAYED UP THERE,

JUST DIVED IN.

HE WAS PULLING ME OFF 'IM, BUT I WAS TRYING TO TAKE

HIS EYES OUT, YOU KNOW, AND STAB HIM IN THE FACE.

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE HE MET UP WITH

GIBSON AGAIN.

BOTH MEN KNEW THEY HAD UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

I WAS PLAYING DOMINOES IN THE

PUB AND BIG WALLY WEST FRAE POSSIL COME IN.

HE WAS A BIG HARD MAN FRAE POSSIL.

HE SAYS, "WALTER, WATCH YOURSELF."

HE SAYS, "GIBSON'S UP THERE WI' THREE-HANDED.

HE SAYS "THEY'RE LOOKING FOR YOU," HE SAYS,

"WITH KNIVES THAT LENGTH."

I WENT, 'AYE,' 'CAUSE I WAS PLAYING DOMINOES WITH

TWO PALS O' MINE, DONKEY WHITE AND JOHN HARRIS.

THEY'RE DEAD, THE TWO O' THEM.

BUT I WAS PLAYING AT DOMINOES,

SO I FINISHED THE GAME AND I GOT UP AND I WALKED OOT,

AND DONKEY CAME AT THE BACK OF ME,

AND SAID "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

I SAYS, 'I'M GOING TO SEE HIM.'

HE SAID, "WE'LL WALK UP WI' YER."