4. The Northern Powerhouse

4. The Northern Powerhouse

From Gangster by BBC Radio 5 Live

March 27, 2026 · 31 min · Season 12 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode explores the rise of Georgie Pai and the violent turf wars among Triad gangs in the UK during the 1980s.

By the 1980s, Georgie Pai has been arrested in Glastonbury for overstaying a tourist visa, found guilty of terrorising Chinese communities in Southampton, and deported back to Hong Kong. But borders are no barrier for a man with the right connections. He slips back into Britain and continues to expand his empire. Manchester becomes his nerve centre as police begin building a database of suspected Triad gangsters. But with Wo Shing Wo’s growing power comes a rising tide of violence. One of Georgie Pai’s associates is brutally attacked with machetes, a warning that it is far from an isolated incident. Across the UK, violent clashes between rival Triad factions are becoming alarmingly common, each gang carving up territory in a bloody, escalating turf war. Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Hayley Mortimer Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Producers: Patrick Kiteley & Matt Toulson Fixer in Hong Kong: Michelle Chan Music: Andy Simms and Reliable Source Music Journalism Assistants: Hattie Valentine & Ellie Dover Commissioning Producer: Sam Proffitt Commissioning Executive: Lorraine Okuefuna and Louise Kattenhorn Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock Editor and…

People in this episode

Hosts: Livvy Haydock, Sam Proffitt, Lorraine Okuefuna, Louise Kattenhorn, Richard Maddock

Topics covered

  • Triad gangs
  • crime
  • violence
  • territory
  • deportation
  • turf war

Keywords

  • Georgie Pai
  • Triad
  • Glastonbury
  • Manchester
  • violence
  • turf war
  • deportation
  • crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wo Shing Wo

Places: Glastonbury, Southampton, Hong Kong, Manchester

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