The Black Widow: 1. Spinning the Web

Gangster

BBC

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Linda Welford was raised in London's East End in the 1960s; a tight and tough community with a reputation for a thriving criminal underworld, ruled with an iron fist by gangsters like the Kray twins.

One of nine children, Linda lived a sheltered life with her family in Stepney until she met armed robber Mickey Calvey. This was the so-called golden age of armed robbery and Mickey was making a fortune sticking up banks and Post Offices with a sawn-off shotgun.

When Mickey and Linda got married she was allowed a front seat to Mickey's 'work,' as his gang begin planning robberies around their kitchen table. Not content with just making the teas, Linda starts to make suggestions and finds she has a taste for a life of crime.

Credits

Presenter Livvy Haydock Series producer: Kate West Producers: Patrick Kiteley and Matthew Bone Journalism assistants: Tim Fernley and Ellie Dover Editors and executive producers: Carl Johnston and Clare Fordham Drama writer: Paul Jones

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:04.8	You're about to listen to Gangster, the story of the Black Widow.
0:09.7	Episodes will be released weekly wherever you get your podcasts.
0:13.8	But if you're in the UK, you can listen to the full series right now, first on BBC Sounds.
0:21.4	A quick warning.
0:22.9	This episode contains strong language and some descriptions of violence.
0:29.2	It came out of nowhere.
0:43.3	They were just finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping. Police, grab your weapon.
0:46.3	What did I fucking tell you?
0:50.3	Now they're about to watch a man die. Welcome to London in the late 70s, the heyday of armed robbery.
1:16.3	Let's rewind to 60 seconds earlier on this busy street in Elton.
1:22.3	Three coppers wait inside an unmarked police car.
1:27.6	Yeah, Thomas.
1:29.2	Yeah?
1:29.7	How comes you're a Liverpool supporter anyway?
1:31.9	Best team in the league.
1:33.4	What's wrong with the Eagles?
1:34.8	Behave.
1:35.5	Never mind behave.
1:36.9	Don't see Pellish lifting the European Cup any time soon, do you?
1:40.1	Why?
1:40.8	Twice.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 11 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.