The Kray twins' path through robbery, violence and murder to their arrival as high-profile celebrities following their move into the West End in 1964 is documented in a new three-part factual series.
Secrets of the Krays features exclusive interviews with friends, former gangsters and relatives of Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who were born in Haggerston in Hackney, in 1933.
Rarely seen archive footage is interwoven with glimpses of items like Reg Kray’s personal scrapbook, charting their crimes and court appearances as if they were prized milestones.
The first episode of ‘Secrets of the Krays’ - which aired on ITV last week and can now be viewed on the online digital video subscription service Britbox - charts Ronnie and Reggie’s rise to becoming prominent criminals in the East End in the 50s and 60s, through protection rackets, armed robberies, arson and thuggery.
The second episode which broadcast on Monday, and is available to view on Britbox, documents their rise to the height of their power, before murder leads to the downfall of their criminal empire.
The third and final episode airs on ITV at 9pm on February 15, and will then also be accessible on Britbox.
Despite their infamy, as West End nightclub owners the twins mixed with politicians and some of the most famous entertainers of the day, like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Diana Dors.
The first episode includes discussions with Kray family friend Maureen Flanagan, Kim Peat - the twins’ neighbour and cousin, former gangster Chris Lambrianou, who was sentenced to 15 years alongside the Kray, 89-year old Nemone Lethbridge, who was the Krays’ barrister and Fred Dinenage, who co-wrote the twins autobiography.
It also tells the story of Ron’s imprisonment in 1956 and his confinement in a mental hospital where he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic – and of his extraordinary escape after he and Reg exploited their identical appearance to deceive hospital staff.
Tom Mangold, journalist and one time friend of the Krays in the mid-60s, makes an appearance in the second episode along with Pat Read, wife of police officer Leonard “Nipper” Read who was tasked with bringing the Krays to justice.
Sir Ivan Lawrence, who defended the Krays on charges of blackmail with threats of violence at the Old Bailey, and Michael Emmett, who befriended Reggie Kray in prison in the 1990s also feature.
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