Organised crime membership might be an open secret, but there’s always a golden rule that dictates you can never reveal the true nature of this work to people beyond the circle.
So, when one Salford criminal decided to unabashedly wrap himself in the flag for gangland and parade it around his city with bravado, it made for quite the story.
Paul Massey – the man who came to be best-known by the swaggering moniker ‘Mr Big’ – was raised in the rough-and-tumble surroundings of Ordsall in the sixties; moving from rapscallion to crime kingpin during the dawn of Madchester.
His blood-splattered story – which culminated in his murder in 2015 – sounds like it was lifted from the pages of an airport paperback, and has proven a popular subject for crime media over the years. But the latest in a long line of investigations, a BBC podcast called Gangster, has ambitiously attempted to go further than the documentaries that have come before it.
The new series – whichlaunched on streaming platforms last week – offers unprecedented access to Salford gangland; serving as a compelling new addition to the ever-expanding library of content on one of the region’s most infamous crime lords.
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‘I know the stakes’ – Gangster charts the rise and fall of Salford crime kingpin Paul Massey / Image: BBC
Led by experienced investigative journalist Livvy Haydock (VICE, BBC), Gangster is chopped up into five chapters each dedicated to a moment in Massey’s life; covering his time as a tearaway on Salford’s streets, running security at The Hacienda, and his bid for local Mayor, right up to his final moments when he was gunned down on his own doorstep.
With each episode clocking in at less than 30 minutes, Gangster rips along at the kind of binge-worthy pace required to carry a true crime doc, and host Livvy – who has made a living out of interviewing dangerous figures on camera – said she relished the chance to pursue a podcast as it offered an opportunity to “explore things with much more depth.”
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“Doing a podcast…. we got to explore the logic behind the chaos,” she explains.
“And [learn] how this man was born out of this situation.”
Mentions of The Godfather and The Sopranos frequently pop up throughout the podcast, and Gangster does indeed share some similarities to these seminal pieces of crime media – not least the fact there’s so much character to unpack beyond the barbaric surface.
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But despite suffering a predictably bloody downfall like many of his peers, Massey’s legacy is more multifaceted than the title of the podcast suggests. It’s also very real – unlike Michael Corleone’s or Tony Soprano’s.
Mr Big said he “knew the stakes” of living a life of crime. But, fascinatingly, he also had another reputation outside of gangland – one that cast him as a community champion. Many in his local neighbourhood looked up to him, considering him something of a Robin Hood figure.
“He did become a little bit of role model,” one resident explains in the podcast.
“Y’know… you’re kind but you take no shit.”
Massey built a criminal empire and later ran for Mayor / Image: BBC
People remain at loggerheads as to whether Massey was a force for good or evil. But what remains undeniable is his influence – which seemingly continues today despite his death in 2015.
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Some believe Massey may be pulling strings from beyond the grave – an idea amplified by Mr Big’s appearance in the Gangster podcast (a previously unheard interview from the archives).
Creating the series came with challenges, and producers said that the criminals’ code of silence was a serious obstacle in opening doors into Massey’s past. Mr Big might be gone – but he left a world behind that’s still very much alive. One that’s fraught with danger for outsiders.
“It’s so hard to navigate [this world] and pull info out of these experiences and the people you meet without causing danger to yourself,” Livvy admits.
“It’s a very careful line you walk. But we’re always transparent with people. We say: ‘Let’s talk if you’re comfortable, if not we’ll leave it, that’s fine.’
“What you need to remember is this is someone else’s environment – it impacts their lives. So, making sure someone was comfortable with talking was essential to getting the stories.”
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Series producer Paul Grant also said it felt necessary to bring in people from the other side of the law for the podcast – including the Police Chief Constable in power whilst Mr Big ruled the roost on city estates – so they could “get a good perspective from all sides.”
But convincing the story’s main characters to appear on the pod was only half the battle. The other side of production involved finding a way to re-create the sensory atmosphere of the period – and doing it a convincing enough way to lure listeners right in amongst the action.
The thumping tunes that soundtracked The Hac during Massey’s heyday whirl around interviewees, with blaring sirens and grungy guitars circling criminal subjects like vultures.
“For me, it was [important] to get the vibe right,” Livvy explains.
“The production, the music. We wanted to immerse people in this world and give a 360-point of view.”
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Paul adds: “As well as the story itself and the narrative arch is this sense of time and place. It’s very much a Manchester music soundtrack. We tried to give it a northern feel.”
Massey’s influence led to him running many areas of Salford and beyond / Image: BBC
Massey was a larger-than-life figure who appeared to revel in the camera lens when all evidence suggested he should be palming it away with fury. He was one-of-a-kind in that way, and is described in Gangster as a “walking contradiction”. There may not be another like him.
Livvy states: “Massey is quite unique in that when you look at other big name criminals – The Krays, The Richardsons etc – they’re things of the past. [Massey’s] story stretches to 2015 and is still kind of going on now.
“He was almost the last of his kind before this new generation came up. ‘Massey’ is still a household name and people are on the opposite ends of the spectrum on their opinions on him.”
Paul adds: “Here’s a guy who was a criminal but also stood to be Mayor.
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“Whether you’ll see that in modern criminals… I’m not so sure.”
Whilst investigating how Massey exerted influence over his area, Gangster also analyses the impact that criminal enterprises have on local communities – including how residents respond to living under these regimes.
Whilst Massey was an anomaly and the product of a very particular era, Livvy believes the patterns that led to his rise through the ranks – and how he recruited members into his entourage – remain the same.
“The impact [Massey had] on Salford as an area – it taught me a lot about the young gang members I’m interviewing on the streets today. I think the stories are very similar.
“Massey’s story is unique with the rave scene and The Hacienda, that will never happen again. But I think the things behind ithow communities can be forgotten and then exploited… I see that happening all the time in the work I do.
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She pauses for a moment or two.
“We can learn an awful lot by looking at a story like this: Why communities are distanced from the authorities… and perhaps how we can get them back.”
Gangster is available to stream and download from BBC Sounds now.
We rediscovered an old Boddingtons advert and now we’re gasping for ‘the cream of Manchester’
Danny Jones
If you’re from Greater Manchester, the name Boddingtons likely needs no introduction, but if you’re new to the area or part of the generation that’s young enough to have never clocked the legendary logo before, the ‘Cream of Manchester’ was known for making a good advert or two.
Answers on a postcard? Yes, we of course are referring to the classic ice cream van ad that featured a young Melanie Sykes serving an ice-cold pint of Boddingtons to a thirsty athlete, played by former EastEnders actor Ken George.
In fact, the recognisable TV presenter and British household name went on to feature in a few of them, including a contemporary recreation back in 2017, but it isn’t any of her appearances that recently re-captured our attention.
The old ‘Boddies’ ad that we stumbled across in 2025, more than 30 years on from when it originally aired, is the Gondola/’Just One Cornetto’ spoof filmed right here in the city centre along Manchester’s famous canal network.
Circa 1993. Recognise where it is?
Just as beautiful as Venice, if you ask us – and that’s just the pint…
As you can see, not only did the once beloved Boddingtons advert capture a glimpse of the River Irwell near the old Granada Studios and how Manchester’s waterways used to look back in the day, but it was also a pretty modern, ironic take for the time.
Inspired by arguably one of the most famous ads of all time, the Boddies marketing team and director Jeff Stark didn’t just imitate or poke fun at Wall’s Cornetto ice cream: they played on the genuine nickname and imagery drummed up by locals who drank it week in, week out.
The famous frothy white head and the ‘do you want a Flake with that?’ is the kind of joke you still hear to this day when someone overdoes it with a Guinness, but turning the glass into a golden ice cream was a bit of genius.
In fact, the old Boddies ad even helped launch the career of stingy ‘Gladys Althorpe’ herself, Anna Chancellor, who went on to appear in What A Girl Wants, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and many more.
She and Sykes weren’t the only ones either; another admittedly sexually-charged campaign released roughly a year later featured another familiar face in Sarah Parish (Doctor Who, Trollied, The Wedding Date) – again, always ending with a stereotypically Manc, if not at least Northern, punchline.
It was smash hits like these that saw Boddingtons dubbed not only Manchester’s most famous beverage but ‘the Cream of Marketing‘ for a time as well.
The beer may not be as prominent as it once was, but its legacy as part of classic UK telly is up there with R Whites Lemonade, Dairy Milk, Compare The Meerkat, and so many more.
You can see a super-cut compilation of some of their retro ads HERE.
Oh yeah, and if watching all this has made you get a thirst on like it did us, you’ll be glad to hear that while it may be difficult to locate these days, there are still a few places you can find a pint of Boddies in and around the area.
Featured Images — advertarchive (screenshot via YouTube)
TV & Showbiz
Why fans are fearing cancellation of Catfish and The Bottlemen’s massive Manchester gig
Thomas Melia
Indie rockers Catfish and The Bottlemen are playing a headline show at Heaton Park in Manchester, but plenty of gig-goers have a genuine fear of a potential cancellation.
The Welsh band known for their stacked roster of hits, including ‘Cocoon’, ‘Kathleen’, ‘7’, ‘Pacifier’ and many more, are set to play Heaton Park on 13 June, but there has already been a fair amount of scepticism among fans online.
Just last year, Catfish and The Bottlemen cancelled an array of international shows, including one rather long-awaited gig in Ireland.
This Irish date would’ve marked the band’s first show in the country in five years; however, 15 minutes before doors were due to open, the Dublin date got cancelled.
Catfish and The Bottlemen are expected to play at Heaton Park on 13 June/ Credit: Supplied
No comments were made by the band as to why this decision happened, instead, all updates and communication came from the ticket company directly.
MCD Productions, who were in charge of hosting the would-be gig at Fairview Park, revealed that the reason for the abrupt cancellation of Catfish’s Ireland gig was due to ‘artist illness’, stating that all attendees would be issued and are entitled to a full refund.
The following week, Catfish also cancelled all of their US and Australia tour with no official statement from the rock group, and fans were frustrated to say the least.
Two weeks after these stark cancellations, the indie rockers announced two stadium shows: Cardiff and London, with the Manchester date in Heaton Park revealed a month later – all scheduled for this summer.
The issues don’t just lie with gig cancellations either; the band’s lineup has been in turmoil over recent years, with musicians joining and leaving this Welsh rock act.
Catfish and The Bottlemen back in 2016 ahead of Sound City in Liverpool / Credit: Supplied
Only two original members remain: Van McCann, lead singer and now the main guitarist since Billy Bibby left in 2021, and Benji Blakeway, the band’s bassist and backing vocalist.
Many have speculated on some of that behaviour, and the source behind at least some of the band’s problems is the extremely talented, charismatic, but often frenetic frontman himself; you only need to search his name on the likes of TikTok to fall down the rabbit hole.
While there are lots dismissing some of his behaviour on stage as nothing more than loose, in-the-moment ‘rockstar energy’, others have expressed concern for his well-being at times.
Catfish’s latest Instagram post reporting the fact that the Heaton Park date is now sold out has been met with hundreds of comments from fans worrying that it won’t go ahead.
One user wrote, “Are u gonna cancel this one 7 mins before doors open too?”, while another took to the comment section to say, “I’ll be there. Don’t know about van tho”.
Replies to their tweets on X (formerly Twitter) have been similar too, as one fan writes: “Don’t worry guys, it’ll be cancelled soon!”.
These are, of course, just a taste of a much larger sample size, as their ‘comeback’ in February 2024 with ‘Showtime’ – their first new song in five years – looked like it could be the start of a new album cycle, but there hasn’t been anything else since then.
Barring the 10th anniversary version of their debut LP, The Balcony, and the re-release of old single and cult favourite ‘ASA’, there’s very little to suggest that there is even a latest project that currently exists to make any progress on.
Catfish and The Bottlemen are scheduled to play Heaton Park in Manchester on 13 June – let’s hope it’s not a ‘Longshot’. For those of you going, do you have any actual doubts whether or not it will go ahead?