The first two series of the epic saga plotting the course of one family against the backdrop of a revolution in crime
'Magnificently detailed' The Stage
1951. With the Festival of Britain in full swing, the country is looking forward to a brighter, more prosperous future. But young Brian Oldman cannot forget the past. Traumatised by a murder he witnessed when he was just six, he holds a terrible secret; but there is a more devastating secret he has yet to discover. Falling under the spell of his mother, Cath, he is drawn into London's criminal underworld, where territory battles are raging between the old guard and the new.
Brian idolises his uncle, Jack Braden, who dreams of becoming a boxing champion. But when his ambition is thwarted by the army and the Kray twins, Jack's bitterness and anger turns him towards crime. Meanwhile, the head of the family, Joey Oldman - a Russian Jew with a talent for business and a love of money - is building an empire. Growing rich with the help of venal bankers, he and Cath join Macmillan's Conservative Party, and move in increasingly influential circles.
They try in vain to keep their son Brian away from Jack, who has taken the 'firm' from running illicit clubs to armed robbery. Battling to escape the law, the Krays and their rivals the Richardsons, Joey finds himself so steeped in depravity, even his lawyer struggles to help him survive...
Adapted by award-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own bestselling books, this thrilling series spans six decades, following the fortunes of the Oldmans as they are sucked into a web of corruption reaching to the heart of the Establishment. Weaving fiction with real historical characters, it reveals the nexus of crime, business and politics woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed. Toby Jones stars as Joey, with Denise Gough as Cath, Tom Weston-Jones as Jack, Joe Armstrong as Brian and Ross Kemp as the Narrator.
NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place
Created by G. F. Newman
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4
Cast
Narrator - Ross Kemp
Joey Oldman - Toby Jones
Cath Oldman - Denise Gough
Young Brian - Rory McMenamin
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Jack Braden - Tom Weston-Jones/Luke Allen Gale
Gracie Braden/Violet Kray - Ruth Gemmell
Billy Hill/Keffo - Robert Glenister
Bobby Brown/Eddie Richardson/Selwyn Carruthers/Lambert/John Bindon - Charles Davies
Watling/Mr Thompson/Tom Driberg - Nigel Cooke
Win Booker - Lotte Rice
Frank Cockain/Tiger Braden/Tinkerbell - Michael Eaves
Spotty/Sammy Cohen/Capt Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
DI Drury - Tom Weston-Jones
Ronnie Kray/Mr Booker/CSM/Basil Jones/Harold Wilson/Alfie - Lewis MacLeod
Bank Manager/DI Bulmer - Matthew Townshend
Stephen Ward/Shop Owner/Policeman/Fenwick/John Bloom/Paul Raymond - Theo Fraser Steele
Alice/Gladys Brown - Catherine Henderson
Driver/Charlie Richardson/Dealer - Oliver Mawdsley
DI Drury/Fat Cecil/Rikki the Malt - Matthew Marsh
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde
Joshua/Pongo - Chinna Woddu
Ruth Sutton/Martha Baines/Student - Kellie Shirley
Arnold Goodman - Edward Max
Tony Wednesday - Petrice Jones
Judge Stevenson - David Shaw Parker
Other parts played by members of the cast
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 21 October-1 November 2013 (Series 1), 19-30 January 2015 (Series 2)
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
- ISBN10 1529134404
- ISBN13 9781529134407
- Publish Date 28 April 2022
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House
- Imprint BBC Digital Audio
- Edition Unabridged edition
- Format Audiobook (WAV)
- Duration 14 hours and 33 minutes
- Language English