About this episode
The episode explores the story of Ronnie Biggs and the Great Train Robbery, delving into the factors that contribute to a criminal's legendary status.
In 1963, a small-time South London carpenter joins the biggest robbery in British history for one reason - he knows a retired train driver who is semi-competent. And yet Ronnie Biggs will, for the next fifty years, be far more famous than the man who planned it, the rest of the gang who pulled it off, the train driver who was so brutally attacked, or the Scotland Yard detectives who solved the case. How exactly is a criminal ‘legend’ born? Actor Daniel Mays delves into unheard Ronnie Biggs tapes and takes us back to the rubble of post-war London to find out … Credits: Presenter - Daniel Mays Producers - Phoebe McIndoe & Jude Shapiro Executive Producer - Jack Howson Associate Exec - Chris Pickard Mix Engineering - Will Fitzpatrick Additional Production Support - Ashley Clivery Commissioning Producer - Sam Proffitt Commissioning Executive - Louise Kattenhorn Commissioning Editor - Richard Maddock Contributors include: Professor Dick Hobbs, criminologist Nick Reynolds, sculptor and son of the Great Train Robbery gang leader Noel ‘Razor’ Smith, writer and former armed robber Brian Stone, cellmate of Biggs A Peanut & Crumb production for Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds
People in this episode
Host: Daniel Mays
Topics covered
- true crime
- robbery
- British history
- criminal legend
- post-war London
Keywords
- Great Train Robbery
- Ronnie Biggs
- Daniel Mays
- true crime
- post-war London
- criminal legend
- 1963 robbery
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 5 Live, A Peanut & Crumb
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- 3. The Land of Milk and Honey · May 21, 2026 · 32 min
- 2. The Hate Factory · May 14, 2026 · 34 min
- Introducing Gangster Presents: The Story of Ronnie Biggs · May 4, 2026 · 2 min
- 6. Losing Face · April 9, 2026 · 28 min
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