Original version

BBC Radio 5 Live

Gangster

Podcasts

Factual: Crime & Justice: True Crime

The boxer turned bouncer who was gunned down on Tyneside in 1993

Viv Graham ran a pub and club protection empire which spanned Newcastle and beyond.

How did he build his fearsome reputation, and what led to his brutal, unsolved murder?

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.

The Story of the Burger Bar Boys

Gangster: The Story of the Burger Bar Boys: The Burger Bar Boys: 2. The Yardies

Introducing Gangster: The Story of The Burger Boys

The Burger Bar Boys: 2. The Yardies

BBC Radio 5 Live - Gangster, The Story of the Burger Bar Boys, The Burger Bar Boys: 2. The Yardies

Tensions in Birmingham escalate with the arrival of the Yardies.

The story now takes us from the aftermath of the Handsworth riots in 1985 to the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, where we learn how violence in Birmingham was about to escalate to a whole new level. As the fires were extinguished and the shattered glass was repaired, there was relative calm for the remainder of that decade. The local homeboys of the Handsworth and Lozells districts of Birmingham quietly made their living through low-level crimes such as dealing weed and selling stolen car stereos. At the same time, the younger generation united to combat racism in their respective districts, but a new threat loomed on the horizon. A band of ruthless, fearless gangsters, who shared the same roots as the homeboys, were arriving in the UK, starting in London and then spreading to areas like Handsworth. They were the Yardies, and they aimed to muscle in on the action. Their brutality knew no limits, and with a life expectancy of less than 30, they were in a hurry. To counter this new threat, the homeboys decided to fight fire with fire and began to take up arms.

In this episode, we will take you from the streets of Handsworth to the infamous Tivoli Gardens district of Kingston, Jamaica, as we reveal just how terrifying the Yardies' methods were. We will also explore how the police, through their newly formed Operation Trident, and the homeboys of Birmingham responded. It was during this period that the fledgling Johnson Crew began to emerge. Simultaneously, a more ruthless offshoot of the homeboys was taking shape, and one brutal murder ignited the fuse for the war that would follow, as the Burger Bar Boys first flexed their muscles. With crack cocaine flooding the streets, the sound of gunfire began to fill the city nights...

Presenter – Livvy Haydock
Series Producer – Hayley Mortimer
Technical Producer – Nicky Edwards
Producer – Patrick Kiteley
Researcher – Megan Jones
Archive Researcher – Nicola Han
Fixer in Jamaica – Nick Davies
Journalism Assistant – Tim Fernley
Commissioning Executive – Louise Kattenhorn
Assistant Commissioners – Lorraine Okuefuna and Natasha Johansson
Editor and Executive Producer – Carl Johnston

Gangster: The Story of the Burger Bar Boys

The UK’s home of live news and live sport.

The UK’s home of live news and live sport. With live Premier League and FA Cup football, and Formula 1, Olympics and cricket coverage.

Birmingham's notorious Burger Bar Boys - a gang born out of the Handsworth riots.

The story of Birmingham's notorious Burger Bar Boys - a gang born out of the Handsworth riots in 1985.

A brand new series of Gangster tells the story of Birmingham's notorious Burger Bar Boys - a gang born out of the Handsworth riots in 1985.

Named after the fast food joint where they met, they were described as more ruthless than the Jamaican Yardies. They fought a bitter and bloody war with their rivals the Johnson Crew for control of the crack cocaine trade in the West Midlands. They controlled their turf in the suburb of Handsworth with threats, intimidation and sub machine guns. But when they killed two innocent girls in a drive-by shooting, they were brought down by their own community and a team of fearless detectives determined to stem the body count.        

Presenter - Livvy Haydock
Series Producer - Hayley Mortimer
Technical Producer - Nicky Edwards
Producer - Patrick Kiteley
Researcher - Megan Jones
Archive Researcher - Nicola Han
Fixer in Jamaica - Nick Davies
Journalism Assistant - Tim Fernley
Commissioning Executive - Louise Kattenhorn
Assistant Commissioners - Lorraine Okuefuna and Natasha Johansson
Editor and Executive Producer - Carl Johnston

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Gangster

The Story of the Burger Bar Boys

The Burger Bar Boys: 2. The Yardies

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC Radio 5 Live

About BBC Radio 5 Live