Latest news with #Krays:LondonGangsters
Irish Independent
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Today's top TV and streaming choices: Untamed, Gone Baby Gone and Fake or Fortune?
Planning a night on the couch? Here are today's top TV and streaming picks: Only Connect BBC Two, 8pm Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the 21st series of TV's most baffling quiz, in which connections must be made between seemingly random items. Fake or Fortune? Fake or Fortune? BBC One, 9pm Fiona Bruce joins forces with art expert Philip Mould for the 13th run of the show in which they try to figure out if various items could be long-lost treasures. They begin with a 1916 painting of a summer garden believed to be the work of future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Last Irish Missionaries RTÉ One, 9.35pm The final episode follows Dearbhail McDonald and Bryan Dobson to Kenya and the Philippines, where they talk to priests now in their eighties who remain dedicated to their work. The presenters also investigate the impact the missionaries have had, as well as who — if anybody — will replace them. Gone Baby Gone TG4, 9.30pm Directed by Ben Affleck and starring his brother Casey, this crime drama, based on a Dennis Lehane novel, follows the efforts of two Boston private eyes to find a missing girl. Amy Bradley is Missing Amy Bradley is Missing Netflix, streaming now In 1998, Amy Bradley vanished from a cruise ship without a trace. Decades later, sightings and speculation still swirl. This three-parter explores this haunting cold case and her family's fight to bring her home. Krays: London Gangsters Krays: London Gangsters Prime Video, streaming now Twins Reggie and Ronnie ruled London's underworld for two decades — and had their story portrayed by the Kemps to boot. Through prison recordings, this documentary reveals the powerful bond behind their dubious legacy. Untamed Untamed Netflix, streaming now If you've already mainlined all three series of Sneaky Pete, it's OK — Netflix has teed up this new Eric Bana and Sam Neill (both looking suitably at home in rangers uniforms) vehicle for you. Set in Yosemite, the National Parks agents are caught between a brutal crime, the wilderness, and themselves. Ironically, in Trump's America, they'd have probably been laid off. Surf Girls: International Prime Video, streaming now From breakout star Ewe Wong to Olympian Sol Aguirre, follow four female surfing athletes as they face personal hurdles, cultural expectations, and fierce competition. Wall to Wall Wall to Wall Netflix, streaming now Imagine saving enough to buy an apartment only to face financial ruin while sandwiched between mysteriously noisy floors. It's South Korean, so Woo-seong's neighbourinos could be anyone (or anything).
Metro
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
What happened to the Kray Twins as Amazon Prime drops gripping crime series?
Ronnie and Reggie Kray were two of the most notorious gangsters in British history – and a new Amazon Prime true crime special is set to lift the lid even more on their reign of terror. The Kray twins, born in Hackney in 1933, were prominent criminals, involved in several arson attacks, bribes, robberies, illegal gambling rackets, and even murders. Known for being as fascinating as they were frightening, the Krays have been the subject of countless documentaries over the years, including Amazon Prime's new documentary Krays: London Gangsters. While their private lives were full of dark secrets, their public exploits saw the pair become London celebrities, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dame Joan Collins, Dusty Springfield, and many more. As part of the Swinging Sixties scene in London, the Krays also gained enough of a reputation to establish links with the New York mafia over the years. London Gangsters, available on Amazon Prime Video from July 19, charts the Krays' rise and fall and features interviews with those who knew them best. Ronnie and Reggie Kray were identical twins, born on October 24, 1933 in Haggerston, Hackney, East London. Reggie arrived 15 minutes before his brother. The sons of wardrobe dealer Charles and mother Violet Annie Lee, they grew up in the East End with older brother Charles. Another sibling, sister Violet, was born in 1929 but died in infancy. The pair took up boxing as youngsters, being encouraged to do so by their maternal grandfather, Jimmy 'Cannonball' Lee, and later turned professional. However, this ended after Ronnie and Reggie were called up to do National Service in 1952, only to be given a dishonourable discharge from the Army after assaulting a corporal and going absent without leave. They were subsequently arrested and imprisoned, where their behaviour became only worse, with the pair dumping a latrine bucket over a sergeant and handcuffing a prison guard to the bars of their cell. Their criminal records and dishonourable discharges ended their boxing career, and saw them turn towards a life of crime instead. They bought a run-down snooker club in Mile End, from which they started their criminal gang, The Firm, and became involved in several crimes, including armed robberies, assaults, and murder. Keeping their dealings secret, the Krays hit celebrity status in the 50s and 60s as trendy nightclub owners, running the Knightsbridge venue Esmerelda's Barn. It was there that they became friends with key figures in the House of Lords, prominent MPs, London socialites, and famous faces including Barbara Windsor, and Judy Garland. The twins' life of crime eventually caught up with them after Ronnie shot George Cornell dead at the Blind Beggar Pub in Whitechapel in March 1966. It was the first murder either of the Krays committed. Cornell belonged to a rival gang, the Richardsons, who ran a scrap metal business in public but were also a secret criminal organisation behind closed doors. Although nobody was convicted of Cornell's murder at the time, the Krays soon turned one killing into another – their next victim was Firm member Jack 'The Hat' McVitie in October 1967. After McVitie failed to follow through on a contract to kill their financial adviser, Leslie Payne, the pair lured him to a flat in Stoke Newington where Reggie stabbed him to death. Many members of the Firm believed that McVitie did not deserve to die and, upon hearing about the killing, began to wonder if they would befall the same fate. The Krays were arrested in 1968 after an investigation by Detective Leonard 'Nipper' Reed, who had slowly built up enough evidence against them after two previous investigations in 1964 and 1967. After having previously been met with a 'wall of silence' when investigating the pair, some Firm members began to talk, and the pair were detained in May 1968. In March 1969, the two were eventually sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for 30 years for the murders of Cornell and McVitie. Ronnie was a paranoid schizophrenic and was committed to Broadmoor Hospital in 1979, where he remained until his death from a heart attack in 1995, aged 61. Five years later, Reggie was eventually released from Wayland Prison in Norfolk on compassionate grounds – he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and died weeks later. The Krays' life story has been told and retold across various TV shows, documentary series, books, and feature films over the last 50 years. In 1990, The Krays – the first of several films about the criminal twins – was released, starring Spandau Ballet brothers Gary and Martin Kemp as the two Kray twins. More Trending 15 years later, Tom Hardy starred as both Reggie and Ronnie Kray in the 2015 biopic Legend, which was based on the 1972 book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins, by John Pearson. A low-budget two-part film series, titled The Rise of the Krays and The Fall of the Krays, was released in 2015 and 2016 after receiving funding from West Ham board members David Sullivan and Terry Brown. The Krays: Dead Man Walking was released in 2018 and focused on the death of Kray associate Frank Mitchell, while 2021 film Code of Silence focused on the investigation by Nipper Read. View More » A sequel to Dead Man Walking, titled New Blood, focusing on the suicide of Reggie's wife Frances, was planned for release, but is yet to see the light of day. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: TV fans have less than two weeks to binge on 'brilliant' free streamer MORE: This horny book adaption's cast guarantees everyone will be obsessed with the film MORE: Shadow Labyrinth review – Pac-Man meets Metroid
