The BBC’s Gangster with a new six-part series, The Story of the Black Widow, delving into the criminal life and legacy of Britain’s most notorious female gangster, Linda Calvey.
Hosted by investigative journalist Livvy Haydock, the series features interviews with Linda, now 76, as she reflects on her rise through London’s underworld and her time inside H Wing with infamous inmates including Myra Hindley and Rose West.
For the first time, Linda’s children Neil and Mel speak publicly about growing up in a house of secrets and trauma.
Neil recalls playing outside aged three with a real sawn-off shotgun, thinking it was a toy. “My mum just said, ‘Oh, he’s got loads of guns,’” he tells Livvy.
Mel shares memories of finding stacks of cash under her mother’s bed and going on a spending spree at Hamleys. Both describe the impact of losing their father Mickey in a botched robbery, followed by Linda’s imprisonment for murder.
Mel said: “I was angry. I’d already lost my dad, then I lost my mum. I told her that. I was about 14, and I asked her, ‘Why did you do that to us?’”
Neil added: “I might have been angry with the situation, but I never blamed my mum. I’d still choose her. And my dad.”
The series explores the emotional toll of crime on children caught in its wake and offers a rare female-led perspective on organised crime.
Livvy Haydock said: “This isn’t about glamourising crime. It’s about how someone becomes ‘The Black Widow’ and what that says about Britain.”
Gangster: The Story of the Black Widow will be available on BBC Sounds from 8 August.
