A new six-part podcast series explores the attempt by two notorious East London gang leaders to escape their criminal past by making a feature film.
Shadow World: Breakin’ the Cycle follows Colin and D, founders of the Love of Money gang, as they try to reinvent themselves through cinema after years at the top of London’s underworld.
The series begins when Lewis Albrow, an aspiring film editor, is hired to work on a low-budget gangster movie.
He soon discovers that the film’s creators are not just telling a story – they are living it. For Colin and D, armed robbery, drug deals, gun violence and corrupt police officers have been part of daily life.
While serving time in prison, Colin discovers a talent for writing and completes a screenplay in just two weeks.
The story, inspired by their own lives, focuses on loyalty, love and the struggle to break free from crime.
After being released, Colin and D set out to turn the script into a successful film, hoping it will offer them a new future.
However, as production progresses, the distinction between fiction and reality becomes increasingly blurred, and their past threatens to draw them back in.
Produced by RAW for BBC Radio 4, the podcast features first-hand testimonies from those involved in making the film, including some well-known figures.
The series provides a rare and sometimes humorous insight into Britain’s criminal underworld, while questioning whether it is ever truly possible to escape one’s past.
Shadow World: Breakin’ the Cycle also uncovers a long-lost black British gangster film, predating mainstream stories like Top Boy.
The podcast examines how poverty, racism and postcode rivalries shaped Colin and D’s choices, and what it takes to walk away from a criminal empire.
As the pair try to leave their old lives behind, they face real gang violence, a fatal shooting and a major drugs bust. The series asks whether their film will ever reach the big screen.
Lewis Albrow said: “Producing and presenting ‘Breakin’ the Cycle’ has been a labour of love for me, filled with new discoveries and revelations.”
Dan Clarke, Commissioning Editor, added: “Shadow World: Breakin’ the Cycle is a powerful example of Radio 4’s commitment to bold, unexpected storytelling.
“It offers audiences a fresh perspective on a rarely heard world, told with honesty and depth, while asking bigger questions about identity, creativity, and the possibility of change.”
Shadow World: Breakin’ the Cycle will be available as a boxset on BBC Sounds from 29 July, with the first episode airing on BBC Radio 4 at 9:30am the same day.
