96. The Tommy Ball Shooting

Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling

BBC

True Crime, Comedy

4.3 • 922 Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s November 1923 when a young Aston Villa player is shot to death by his neighbour. Iain looks at what happened between Tommy Ball and George Stagg and explores why their dispute turned deadly.

Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling is available twice a week on BBC Sounds. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Email us at lauraandiain@bbc.co.uk

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.
0:06.5	The party is raging.
0:09.8	Drinks flowing, laughter echoing.
0:12.8	But this isn't your standard night out.
0:17.0	It's all happening inside prison.
0:20.2	Join me, Amber Hack, for a shocking case of forbidden love,
0:25.0	hidden corruption and a million pound drug bust.
0:28.7	You don't think it can happen to you, but it does.
0:31.0	Gangster presents sex, drugs and cell block parties.
0:35.7	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:42.9	It's November the 11th, 1923 and we're in Birmingham.
0:45.8	Or as people from Birmingham say, Birmingham. Lovely.
0:47.1	It's one of its rural suburbs called Perry Bar.
0:50.5	Or as Birmingham people call it, Perry Bar.
0:54.0	We're at a pub called the Church Tavern
0:56.6	and it's 9.30pm in 1923
1:00.1	this means it's turfing out time.
1:03.8	Out of the pub's front doors walk
1:05.8	23-year-old Thomas Ball and his wife, Beatrice.
1:10.1	Thomas or Tommy, as most people call him,
1:12.3	is a promising young football player.
1:14.2	He currently plays as the starting centre half for Aston Villa.
	...

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