Viv Graham: 5. Three Shots

Viv Graham is released from prison following a vicious assault on rival bouncer Stu Watson. He needs to make up for lost time and remind everyone who is boss. But while he’s been away in jail, Tyneside’s nightlife has been transformed in an explosion of ecstasy. This is one fight Viv Graham won’t be able to win. In this episode, we follow Viv Graham as he tried to reassert his dominance on Tyneside’s nightlife, following his spell in prison. His services were in just as much demand as ever among pub and club owners but the arrival of ecstasy had raised the stakes. Now controlling nightclub doors was more lucrative than ever because it meant criminal gangs could also control the supply of the drugs into the venues. The problem for the gangs was Viv Graham protected many of the most lucrative bars and clubs and he played by his own rules. With every week that passed the threats to Viv Graham’s life were getting more serious. Graham himself knew he didn’t have long left and told his partner Anna he wouldn’t live to see 40. And he was right. On New Year’s Eve 1993, Viv Graham stepped out of the Queen’s Head pub in Wallsend and walked a few yards to a corner shop. Moments after leaving and walking towards his car, a gunman fired three shots at him from close range. He staggered back to the pub but his life was slipping away. Those three shots rang out across the city and through the decades.Presenter - Livvy Haydock Series Producer - Ben Robinson Technical Producer - Richard Hannaford Producer - Patrick Kiteley Archive Researcher - Jackie Mccoy Journalism Assistant - Tim Fernley With assistance from Jamie Boyle Commissioning Executive - Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner - Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Editor and Executive Producer - Clare Fordham

Om Podcasten

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 Bellew Series Producer: Emma Forde Producer: Patrick Kiteley Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Development Producer: Holly Clemens Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Dover Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Louise Kattenhorn Editor and Executive Producer: Carl Johnston