On the smog-filled streets of industrial Birmingham, groups of ‘Peaky Blinders’ earned a reputation as Britain’s most feared gang, terrorizing anybody who stepped in their paths with bats, blades and whatever else they could get their hands on. They ruled the UK’s second city until the turn of the century. Led by Anglo-Irish prizefighter Billy Kimber, what f ... Show More
Jul 8
The Shaman-Gangsters Who Built Indonesia
For centuries, brigands, gangsters and street toughs ruled the island of Java so thoroughly that they were woven into local myths. But in the 20th century, when the world bounded towards war, mob bosses in Jakarta spotted a chance to turn underworld kudos into an independent nati ... Show More
1h 7m
Jun 24
Cocaine, Camorra, Call Girls: Maradona's Downfall
In 1987, Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona was on top of the world. He’d just handed his nation a World Cup, and his club side Napoli its first league title in over 60 years. But Maradona’s hard-partying lifestyle and underworld friends would soon take their toll - and before ... Show More
1h 9m
Jul 2021
Crime World Extra: The warring factions behind the Drogheda gangland feud
It’s just three years since a hitman attempted to murder gang boss Owen Maguire, leaving him paralysed and dividing a town’s underworld into two feuding sides intent on wiping each other out.
Since then, six assassination attempts, four brutal murders - including the torture and ... Show More
27m 39s
Dec 2020
Peaky Blinders - Carl Chinn MBE
Historian, professor, author, Carl Chinn joins us this week to delve into the history of the infamous Peaky Blinders gangs. Carl was born and bread in Birmingham, is a former bookmaker and the great grandson of a Peaky. He splits fact and fiction from the famous T.V series and ex ... Show More
23m 21s