Viv Graham: 6. Legacy

It’s New Year’s Day 1994 and Tyneside is waking up to the news of Viv Graham’s brutal murder. There is tension in the air and nobody knows what is going to happen next. What follows is a spiral of repercussions and tragedies which have spanned the decades and are still being felt to this day. In the final episode, presenter Livvy Haydock meets pathologist Dr John McCarthy, who walked the scene of Viv Graham’s murder hours after his death, before carrying out his autopsy. It was the start of one of the most high profile murder investigations in Northumbria Police’s history. The killing happened just off a bustling street on one of the busiest nights of the year. Hopes were high that someone must have seen what had happened. More than 1,000 people were interviewed, hundreds of homes were searched and there were countless arrests but they couldn’t make a breakthrough. Meanwhile, Tyneside’s criminal underworld was manoeuvring to capitalise on the opportunities which had opened up to them. Racketeers began trying to move in on some of Viv Graham’s former pubs while his lucrative clubs were unguarded and up for grabs too. For Viv Graham’s family, his murder had catastrophic consequences and sparked a spiral of tragedy, which is still being felt to this day.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