大象传媒

Viv Graham is released from prison following a vicious assault on rival bouncer Stu Watson. He needs to make up for lost time and remind everyone who is boss. But while he鈥檚 been away in jail, Tyneside鈥檚 nightlife has been transformed in an explosion of ecstasy. This is one fight Viv Graham won鈥檛 be able to win.

In this episode, we follow Viv Graham as he tried to reassert his dominance on Tyneside鈥檚 nightlife, following his spell in prison. His services were in just as much demand as ever among pub and club owners but the arrival of ecstasy had raised the stakes. Now controlling nightclub doors was more lucrative than ever because it meant criminal gangs could also control the supply of the drugs into the venues. The problem for the gangs was Viv Graham protected many of the most lucrative bars and clubs and he played by his own rules. With every week that passed the threats to Viv Graham鈥檚 life were getting more serious. Graham himself knew he didn鈥檛 have long left and told his partner Anna he wouldn鈥檛 live to see 40. And he was right. On New Year鈥檚 Eve 1993, Viv Graham stepped out of the Queen鈥檚 Head pub in Wallsend and walked a few yards to a corner shop. Moments after leaving and walking towards his car, a gunman fired three shots at him from close range. He staggered back to the pub but his life was slipping away. Those three shots rang out across the city and through the decades.

Presenter - Livvy Haydock
Series Producer - Ben Robinson
Technical Producer - Richard Hannaford
Producer - Patrick Kiteley
Archive Researcher - Jackie Mccoy
Journalism Assistant - Tim Fernley
With assistance from Jamie Boyle
Commissioning Executive - Louise Kattenhorn
Assistant Commissioner - Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green
Editor and Executive Producer - Clare Fordham