Viv Graham: 1. King of the Ring

On New Year's Eve 1993, Viv Graham, a 17-stone man mountain, stepped out of a Tyneside pub and walked a few yards towards his Ford Sierra Cosworth. But he never made it. Lurking in the shadows was a gunman who fired three shots at him from close range. Viv, who ran a pub and club protection empire which spanned Newcastle and beyond, dragged himself back to the pub but his life was slipping away. The murder of Viv Graham, right in the middle of his heartland territory, sent shockwaves through Tyneside which echo to this day. In this podcast series Livvy Haydock delves into one of the country’s most notorious unsolved murders. It’s a story of brutal violence, drugs, guns, love, loyalty and betrayal. She investigates how a charming boy from a village in the country, grew to become one of the most fearsome enforcers in the country, ruling over Newcastle’s nightlife with an iron fist. What made Viv Graham stand out? How did he rise to the top? And who was he really? In episode one, Livvy travels back to Viv Graham’s roots and discovers a young man trying to find his way in an era when the heavy industries, which had dominated the North East for generations, were fast dying out. Employment opportunities and future prospects looked bleak and many people were leaving the North East in search of work. But Viv Graham took a very different approach. Through a relentless regime of boxing and weightlifting, he set about transforming himself into a one-man wrecking machine. The sort of person who could come in very handy on the doors in Newcastle at the very moment the city was emerging as one of Europe’s party capitals.

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

Archive credits: Get Carter - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios. Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Central Independent Television and Witzend Productions. Discovery Museum, Newcastle Upon Tyne.