About this episode
The episode explores the violent video rental trade in Britain's Chinatowns, focusing on the control exerted by Wo Shing Wo and the murder of restaurant owner Philip Wong.
A video war is raging across Britain’s Chinatowns, fuelled by a booming market for Hong Kong films and soaps, copied and rented out for huge profit. In Manchester, Wo Shing Wo quickly seizes control, establishing a near-monopoly on the lucrative video rental trade. But where money flows, so does violence. In Glasgow, restaurant owner Philip Wong is brutally murdered by contract killers wielding machetes. Police suspect his death came after he refused to cooperate with Wo Shing Wo, who demanded a share of his profitable Chinese video business. Despite investigations, the three men wanted for the murder have never been traced. 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 Executive Producer: Clare Fordham Archive: The Cook Report: Meet The Triads (Central Television, ITV)
People in this episode
Host: Livvy Haydock
Topics covered
- video wars
- Chinatowns
- Hong Kong films
- video rental trade
- violence
- murder
- investigation
Keywords
- video wars
- Chinatowns
- Hong Kong films
- Wo Shing Wo
- Philip Wong
- murder
- violence
- video rental
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Wo Shing Wo, BBC Radio 5 Live
Books & works: The Cook Report: Meet The Triads
Places: Manchester, Glasgow
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