In 1963, a multimillion-dollar heist forever changed England’s history. The thieves called the job the train, the papers called it the Great Train Robbery, and the police called it the crime of the century. Since then, there have been books, articles, movies, plays, even tours of the site where the robbery took place. But how the villains pulled it off—now that’s a story that’s never been told. At least not the way host William Green tells it, because he has access to perhaps the last surviving man who may or may not have been involved: His dad.
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This episode explores the life of Freddie Foreman, a pivotal figure in London's mid-20th-century crime scene, often referred to as "The Guv'nor." It delves into his unique blend of cunning and charm, contrasting him with more brutal figures like the Kray twins and Mad Frankie Fraser. The narrative highlights the socio-economic conditions that shaped these villains and features a dramatic recounting of an attempted murder and the pursuit of revenge, offering a glimpse into the complex underworld dynamics.
In part two of our interview with actor and ex villain Tamer Hassan, we hear how Tamer got his start as a London villain and then worked his way up the criminal ranks — then he’ll talk about how difficult it was to walk away from it all and start over. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
After the train, the life of a villain became a lot more treacherous. In this exclusive interview with actor and ex villain Tamer Hassan, we get his take on what happened over the next few decades that led to this increase in violence. He'll share some deeply personal stories about his former street hustling and time spent in prison. Warning — you’re not going to be able to unhear this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
The Great Train Robbery with its harsh sentences and daring prison breaks changed Britain in unforeseen ways. As the story unfolds over decades many of the robbers became respectable household names, while others stepped back into a life of crime and ended up back inside, or worse. Does crime pay? We unpack this question from the viewpoint of the children of villains. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hos...
In between all the prison breaks, botched plastic surgeries, international kidnappings — not to mention all that missing money — life on the run was not a life worth living, not to mention it came with a hefty price tag and everyone was running out of cash. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Scotland Yard dispatches its finest detective, Tommy Butler, and his infamous Flying Squad to hunt down the crew. This career-defining opportunity would mean that Butler would stop at nothing to bring the crew to justice - no matter whether they were guilty or not. Arrest first, prove later. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
They did it. They pulled off The Crime of the Century now they just have to get away with it. Again and again and again and every day for the rest of their lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
They’ve got an airtight plan, the tools, the uniforms, the muscle, they’ve even brought their own train driver. Now, it’s time to see if they have what it really takes to do what no other British crew has done before - steal the Queen’s train and its contents. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
To pull off the crime of the century, you need one hell of a plan. And to pull off one hell of a plan, you need a crew of villains who can follow it to a tee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Turns out that stopping a speeding train might not be as easy as Bruce Reynolds first thought. Bruce reluctantly agrees to recruit some small-time villains who happened to have some experience robbing from trains - introducing the South Coast Raiders, and one pair of cheap, black, leather gloves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
While mixing with the who’s who of London’s West End, Bruce Reynolds begins to assemble the crew who will one day rob a train. But first, there’s the little matter of an airport, an armored car, two modified Jaguars, a large box of cash, and some watches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
During the war, everyone was on the hustle, a little bit of this and a little of that was the preferred plan for surviving the streets of South London, but as he 1950s beckoned and the city recovered from the war, not everyone was ready to leave their hustle of crime behind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
London is a bombed out city and poor neighborhoods have been left flatten and desolate, but we meet some young street hooligans determined that the limitations of war will not get in the way of their future success. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the U.S. you have gangsters. In England, we have “villains.” And in the summer of 1963, over in South London, there were whispers that something big was in the works … something that would leave a defining mark on not only British crime history, but on the history of the country itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 30, 2022•2 min
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