The Black Widow: 3. Cops and Robbers

Gangster

BBC

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Linda discovers Ronnie's dark side as he lets slip a shocking secret about the day Mickey died.

She can't leave Ronnie, because he's too dangerous. But luckily for Linda, the police solve that problem for her - catching Ronnie red handed trying to pull off a million pound heist.

With Ronnie out of the way, Linda begins her mission to become an armed robber in an underworld ruled by men.

Credits Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series Producer: Kate West Producers: Patrick Kiteley and Matthew Bone Journalism Assistants: Tim Fernley and Ellie Dover Drama Writer: Paul Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Assistant Commissioner: Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock Editors and Executive Producers: Carl Johnston and Clare Fordham

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Rory Stewart and I grew up wanting to be a hero and I'm still fascinated by the ideas of heroism.
0:09.0	In my new series, I'm taking in the long sweep of history from Achilles to Zelensky and asking, what is a hero?
0:16.0	Simply doing your job, being a decent human being.
0:20.0	A true hero is someone who just kind of shines by
0:23.1	their own light and that light is to be recognised by others. The long history of heroism with me,
0:28.6	Rory Stewart. Listen on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts. You're about listen to Gangster, the story of the Black Widow.
0:41.7	Episodes will be released weekly wherever you get your podcasts.
0:45.8	But if you're in the UK, you can listen to the full series right now, first on BBC Sounds.
0:53.4	A quick warning.
0:54.9	This episode contains strong language and some descriptions of violence.
1:04.9	You'd have it rolled up on your edge of scheme.
1:06.9	I'd pull it down over your face, reach in, get your gun.
1:09.6	I would stand out in the middle of the hall and show him the gun and say, do what you're told, nobody will get hurt. But I pop to scream it, you know, I mean, or you'll all be going home with body bags. Then the bag man would load that into his bag. He's the only one who touched the money. I'd be the first in and the last out. Everyone's out as we get out, going across the
1:28.4	pavement, pull the scheme mask off into the getaway car and away. Meet Noel Razor Smith,
1:38.0	responsible for more than 200 bank robberies during his criminal career. He started early, appearing before the old
1:46.1	Bailey for armed robbery, when he was just 16. I'd done three robberies in one day when I was
1:52.2	on the run in 1992, three Midland banks. I thought myself, yeah, you know, this is something to do. I was
1:58.2	only about 28. Noel got his razor nickname after being attacked with a knife.
2:03.6	He grabbed his dad's cut-throat razor and slashed his attacker across the face.
2:08.6	He's been an out of prison his whole life,
2:11.6	but says he went straight when he was last released in 2010.
2:16.6	But he hasn't forgotten the tricks of the trade. went straight when he was last released in 2010.
	...

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