Hooligans: 2. The Darkest Night

Gangster

BBC

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

1985 saw some of the biggest and bloodiest hooligan riots in British football history. In March, Luton hosted Millwall in an FA Cup tie. Millwall’s notorious mobs rioted before, during and after the game. The Kenilworth Road ground was ripped to pieces, and the town was trashed. Police officer Andy Clarke was left fearing for his life as pieces of concrete and plastic seats were used as missiles.

Just two months later, Leeds and Birmingham’s mobs clashed at St Andrews. Hundreds were injured, and a 15-year-old football fan later lost his life.

But then came one of the darkest nights in football history. On 29 May 1985, 39 people were killed at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. The tragedy led to English clubs being banned from European football for five years.

Presenter: Tony Bellew Series Producer: Emma Forde Producer: Patrick Kiteley Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Development Producer: Holly Clemens Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Dover Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna & Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Louise Kattenhorn Editor and Executive Producer: Carl Johnston

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:04.8	You're about to listen to Gangster Presents, Hooligans.
0:08.0	Episodes will be released weekly wherever you get your podcasts,
0:11.3	but if you're in the UK, you can listen to the full series right now,
0:15.5	first on BBC Sounds.
0:17.6	A quick warning, this podcast contains strong language and descriptions of graphic violence.
0:22.7	From BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 live, I'm Tony Bellew, and this is Gangster Presents, Hooligans.
0:31.0	Episode 2, The Darkest Night.
0:34.4	Everybody knows us, we call Millwall them come let them come let them come
0:40.3	it's Saturday on the Isle of Dogs in London's East End
0:45.3	we're on a millwall history and heritage walking tour
0:52.3	Rob Woodford and Mike George are our guides.
0:55.9	Just for the record, my first game at the Old Den was in 1964.
1:00.7	It was a fourth division game.
1:02.3	You remember the fourth division, anybody?
1:04.8	I've got an interesting question for you.
1:07.6	Who started football hooliganism?
1:10.4	Well, it is now conventional wisdom that football hooliganism
1:13.5	began with Millwall. All right? We invented the damn thing. Back in the 70s and 80s,
1:20.1	Millwall's hooligans had a formidable reputation. Firms such as F-Troop, Treatment and
1:25.4	bushwhackers were some of the most feared in England.
1:28.5	In 1977, the club opened its doors to the BBC programme Panorama.
	...

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