0:00:02 > 0:00:04Pubs have been at the heart of Britain for hundreds of years.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Cheers, mucker!
0:00:06 > 0:00:09- In city taverns... - ..And village inns...
0:00:09 > 0:00:12..Landlords have pulled pints for locals, travellers
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and, well, the odd king or two -
0:00:14 > 0:00:15meself included.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Try and have a drink now!
0:00:19 > 0:00:20LAUGHTER
0:00:20 > 0:00:22But with 30 pubs closing every week,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25our historic taverns need defending.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Step! Step!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We're heading out to discover amazing stories
0:00:30 > 0:00:32linked to the nation's watering holes.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36- Not far to go.- How far? - Oh, a couple of miles.- What?!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38From the Wars of the Roses...
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..to shipbuilding on the Clyde...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44we've ditched our bikes so that we can sample an ale or two.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Get in!
0:00:46 > 0:00:48This is very good!
0:00:49 > 0:00:50'So join us for...'
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Today's historic pub crawl takes us to the East End of London
0:01:01 > 0:01:03and the borough of Tower Hamlets.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09It's bustling and bohemian, but it has a dark history.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19In the 1960s, two shady characters ruled these mean streets
0:01:19 > 0:01:21and its local boozers.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25It wasn't long before everyone knew the names
0:01:25 > 0:01:27of these infamous gangsters -
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Reggie and Ronnie Kray.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Chicago had Al Capone.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37New York had Lucky Luciano.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42But London had double trouble - the Kray twins.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44But they all made a killing out of booze.
0:01:46 > 0:01:501960s Britain was riding a wave of optimism
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and Central London was in full swing.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02But on the streets of London's East End, poverty was still rife,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06which created the perfect breeding ground for criminal gangs.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Top of the pile were the Krays.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12The twins grew up in Bethnal Green
0:02:12 > 0:02:16and were often in trouble with the law.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Throughout the '60s, their gang The Firm wreaked havoc,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21and pubs like the Blind Beggar in Whitechapel
0:02:21 > 0:02:25were perfect castles for these gangster kings.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34The Blind Beggar - one of London's most notorious rub-a-dubs.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39It was the Kray brothers' haunt in the 1960s
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and the scene of a particularly nasty affair.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- Do you fancy a beer then, Dave? - Oh, pig's ear!
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Are you going to keep this up all day?!
0:02:46 > 0:02:49- Wotcha!- Oh, Gawd!
0:02:52 > 0:02:54The Blind Beggar was built in 1894
0:02:54 > 0:02:56on the site of an old inn.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Named after a 13th-century knight who was blinded in battle
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and forced to resort to begging,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08the pub is infamous for its gruesome link to the Krays.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15We're meeting criminologist Dr Ruth Penfold to find out why.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17- Hello, Ruth.- Hiya.- Dave. - Good to meet you.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20- Ruth, hi, I'm Si. Nice to meet you. - I've got the drinks in already.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- Oh, cheers!- Ruth, do you think the Krays came here quite a lot?
0:03:23 > 0:03:26They did, they used to come in here drinking.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28This was their territory, this was their patch.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30So, yeah, they were drinking in here.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31So were they proper East Enders?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Oh, yes. Born in the area in 1933,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38they grew up just round the corner in Valance Road.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40This was their home.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Ruth, so...how did the Krays build their empire
0:03:43 > 0:03:46in what, in essence, was a really kind of poor community, wasn't it?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Mm-hmm. They knew that if they wanted to have any level of success
0:03:49 > 0:03:53they needed to sort of survive on the streets.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56That involved actually starting to become businessmen.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- Right.- They bought some pubs, they bought some clubs, snooker halls,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and it slowly built up and it was from these that they would
0:04:02 > 0:04:05actually run their sort of protection rackets.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09So it was very much a sort of legitimate business empire
0:04:09 > 0:04:12with the sort of darkness underneath.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16The Krays extorted protection money
0:04:16 > 0:04:19from local businesses across the East End.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And if you didn't pay up, the consequences were swift and brutal.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30So how come within the media, they rapidly became
0:04:30 > 0:04:33what was possibly the most famous twins in the world?
0:04:33 > 0:04:36The big part about the Krays is their twinness -
0:04:36 > 0:04:38the oneness that they were.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41They dressed the same, they were always together.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43It kind of amplified their image.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47They were special, and they really seemed to believe that specialness.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51The grim thing is though underneath this, there is the dark side.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Yeah, because they were hurting people, seriously hurting people.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- Yeah, I know, I know. - It's remarkable.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03And it was this very pub that was the scene of a brutal crime.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06It demonstrated the power the Krays wielded over the East End.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10On the 9th of March, 1966,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Ronnie Kray walked into the busy pub
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and shot dead rival gang member George Cornell.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- What we've got here is basically a crime scene.- Right.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28- We've got George Cornell, who was from the Richardson gang...- Yeah.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29He was sat around here.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32In fact, I've got the photos and the crime report here for you.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And Ronnie Kray came in,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39saw a rival gang member that he'd had fights with before.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42There'd been rumours that he'd insulted Ronnie Kray.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Came in and he shot him.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47That's the bloodstains on the floor.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50So that's the end of... Ah, I see.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- So Cornell roughly was sat about here.- Mm-hmm.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Ronnie walked in, shot him...- Yep.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Bloodstains on the floor, here.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Good grief!
0:06:07 > 0:06:10The pub would almost certainly have been full of regulars
0:06:10 > 0:06:11when the murder took place.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14But when the police came looking for witnesses,
0:06:14 > 0:06:15the silence was deafening.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20It says here as well in the police report,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23"Did not reveal any person who had actually witnessed the shooting.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26"However, a large number of used glasses
0:06:26 > 0:06:30"were found on the bar counter and tables in the saloon bar."
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Now, I mean, there must have been witnesses.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I mean, did everybody just scarper?
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Pretty much. They were frightened by what they had seen.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42So what is it then that led Ronnie Kray to believe
0:06:42 > 0:06:45that he could get away with cold-blooded murder
0:06:45 > 0:06:47in broad daylight?
0:06:47 > 0:06:52Ronnie really was believing in his own invincibility.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55He believed he was untouchable - they both did.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58And to an extent they were right.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02There was a wall of silence that the police hit with this investigation.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03It became a cold case.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06That's the community just closing ranks, full stop.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Absolutely.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12All across their East End manor,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15the Krays revelled in their notoriety.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20And we're still fascinated by the infamous twins today.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29John Bennett takes visitors from all over the world on his East End
0:07:29 > 0:07:34walking tours, and the Blind Beggar is an unmissable stop on the route.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38It's probably the most famous pub in the East End, it's synonymous
0:07:38 > 0:07:40with crime, and the East End and things like that.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Even A-list celebrities have come to hear about
0:07:43 > 0:07:47the pub's gruesome history - and no, I don't mean us.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49I believe Brad Pitt, Jerry Springer have been here,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51probably amongst others.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53So, you know, lots of people come in here from all the world
0:07:53 > 0:07:57wanting to hear what has become a very notorious story over time.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- Hello, John. Dave. Pleased to meet you.- Hello.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Hi, I'm Simon. Nice to meet you. How are you?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04John, why do you think it is after all these years that people
0:08:04 > 0:08:08are still fascinated with the Krays and the murder in this pub?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10I don't suppose it's just the murder in the pub,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13but, I mean, the Kray Twins themselves being twins and having
0:08:13 > 0:08:15this very glamorous image, you know, regardless of what...
0:08:15 > 0:08:18the fact that they were criminals and things like that,
0:08:18 > 0:08:19you've got these two sides to them.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22You know, people are fascinated by them because
0:08:22 > 0:08:24no matter who you listen to, everyone's got a different story.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27On one side - the two extremes - you've got people who say
0:08:27 > 0:08:30they were lovely boys, you know, and they were kind to children
0:08:30 > 0:08:32and old people, like Robin Hood figures, you know?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34And on the other side you would have people who would say
0:08:34 > 0:08:37they were terrifying, you know, they were evil and things like...
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Capable of doing really, really awful things including the murder
0:08:40 > 0:08:42in this pub in 1966.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46So that's why they've become legendary, because no-one can really
0:08:46 > 0:08:49agree on what's true, really, and what isn't, that's the main thing.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Do you think it's because of the strength of the image
0:08:51 > 0:08:53that they managed to create for themselves?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55It's managed to, you know, last decades,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57long after they finished round here.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Yes, regardless of how many times they appeared in the newspapers
0:09:00 > 0:09:03when they were in prison, they were sort of set in stone
0:09:03 > 0:09:05really in the '60s - that's the image... You know, you don't
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- think of them as the grey-haired men and all the rest of it.- No.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11That's the image they had - that sort of hard, cold, gangster image.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17The Krays were out of control, and getting away with murder.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23But The Blind Beggar killing would eventually come back to bite them.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- Well...- You know, Si, it's not that long ago,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32but it does seem to be part of a different world altogether.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Right, it's like... It was a world of saints and sinners, wasn't it?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Here, here's a bit of trivia for you, mate.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Right at this very spot in 1865,
0:09:41 > 0:09:42William Booth stood right here,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46who was the founder of the Salvation Army,
0:09:46 > 0:09:47and gave a speech to the locals
0:09:47 > 0:09:50to save their souls from the demon drink.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Well, do you know, it's a pity he wasn't there
0:09:52 > 0:09:54to sort the Krays out, ain't it?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00And there's some great yarns behind our pub signs, too.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Here's three of our East End faves.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Nice and gory for you!
0:10:08 > 0:10:13The Bleeding Heart Tavern is home to a 17th-century murder mystery.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18The story goes that the body of a young woman was found outside,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22torn limb from limb, with her heart still pumping blood.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Bleargh!
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Down the road, The Ten Bells rings alarm bells.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Two of Jack the Ripper's victims were supposedly stalked
0:10:30 > 0:10:32in this very pub.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And close to Tower Hill is The Hung Drawn and Quartered,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41where in medieval times traitors were, you've guessed it,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43hung, drawn and quartered.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Back on the mean streets, we're still on the trail of the Krays.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55The East End pubs were central to their criminal deeds,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and the locals knew to keep their mouths shut.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05Ere, you fancy a ball and chalk? It'll keep us out of Barney Rubble.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08If you keep that up, Myers, we're going to end up brown bread - dead.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- Here.- What?
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I don't wish to worry you, but there's a fellow in there
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- following us in a Jag.- Is there?
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Oh, no, no, this is me lift! This is Bernie, associate of the Krays.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- I've two words to say to you.- What?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Concrete wellies.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26'Cool your jets, mucker, it's only Bernie -
0:11:26 > 0:11:27'the Krays' former mechanic.'
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Hi, Bernie! All right?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33'The twins flaunted their wealth.'
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- Oh, what a lovely motor! - HE LAUGHS
0:11:35 > 0:11:37'And especially loved flash cars.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'Bernie Fineman is giving me the inside story.'
0:11:46 > 0:11:49So, Bernie, how did you get to know the twins?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I was introduced to them when I was drinking one night
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- in The Blind Beggar by a pal of mine called Jimmy Nunn.- Right.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56It was put to them that I was an honest guy.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I was only young - I was only 19,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00but I was a good mechanic even at 19,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and they felt comfortable with me
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and I used to repair all their cars for them.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Today's East End is nothing like it was in the '60s,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11but Bernie, for one, is a bit nostalgic.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15It's modernised completely.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17In my old days people never had any money.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20You never saw hundreds of cafes and, you know,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22there was always a pub,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25because a pub was a place where the family went.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32The pubs were also at the heart of the Krays' criminal operations.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37But some of their "business" was carried out in less cosy locations.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41I want to show you where the boys sometimes used to hang out,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and one particular place where they would deal with due diligence
0:12:45 > 0:12:46if you really upset them,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and they would either beat you up,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50or maybe even worse.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57These dimly lit railway arches were well-hidden from prying eyes.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04- SI EXHALES - This is one of them.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06You wouldn't want to be left down here...
0:13:06 > 0:13:07There never used to be lights down here,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- there was only ever one light which was lit up.- Right.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Things used to go on here, illegal gambling clubs,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18people taught a lesson.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21People being taught a lesson meant a good hiding.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It is a fearsome place. I mean, you know, when you see it,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31and you stand there, and you walk down past those arches, it...
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I tell you something, I still get a shiver down my spine,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36- there's something... - Something not right.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39There's something not quite right about it.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41'I tell you what, Dave,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44'you had to be a tough character to survive in the old East End.'
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And for many it started here, at the Repton Boxing Club.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00This is where Ronnie and Reggie first learned to use their fists.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Writer Jeff Edwards has come to the club to tell me more.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Hello, Dave.- Hello, nice to see you. - Nice to meet you.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Some atmosphere this place has got, some history.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Hey, this is the most famous boxing club in Britain, I would think.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22More champions out of this club than any other - hundreds of them.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24500, I think, you know, in its history.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- And part of the club was the Kray twins.- Well, they were very much.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31In the 1940s, 1950s this was part of their growing-up world.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35They were very young into boxing and this was just round the corner
0:14:35 > 0:14:36from where they lived.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37If they hadn't become gangsters,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40do you think they could have made it as professional boxers?
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Oh, yeah, they could have made it as pros.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45They did turn pro for a little while, but of course the trouble was
0:14:45 > 0:14:47that they also tended to get into fights and trouble
0:14:47 > 0:14:48outside of the ring, and that...
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Once they came to the attention of the police, they weren't able
0:14:51 > 0:14:53to keep their, you know, professional boxing licences,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55so really that scuppered their career.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57But had they kept on the straight and narrow,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00a lot of experts on boxing from that period
0:15:00 > 0:15:04say they could have gone on to be champions, yeah.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06The teenage Krays were gaining fearsome reputations
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and using them to their advantage.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14They were all street-fighters.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16There were gangs round here then,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18and there was a great tradition of fighting, you know,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21in a docklands community. This was a tough place to grow up.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24You had to fight. You know, if you couldn't fight
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- then you wouldn't achieve a place in society - local society.- Right.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31So violence really, you know, was second nature to them.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Mmm. Well, the only kind punch I'm fond of
0:15:39 > 0:15:42'is one you get, like, in a crystal bowl.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:46'But, you know, I'm willing to give boxing a go.'
0:15:46 > 0:15:48I'm going to fight like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Put your dukes up!
0:15:51 > 0:15:53'Weighing in at... Well, none of your business!'
0:15:53 > 0:15:57'..it's Dave "the Rave" Myers.'
0:16:00 > 0:16:03'They've trained countless champions here, and it's time for me
0:16:03 > 0:16:05'and Gary to get ready to rumble!'
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Over here, over here, Dave.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Mind me tash, me glasses.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Stick 'em up, away you go.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Take a step. Give yourself room.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19Move round.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20Not too far!
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Get your hands up there, just up there.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26One-two!
0:16:26 > 0:16:28- Hup!- Hup! Hup!
0:16:30 > 0:16:33'Personally, I think I'd rather be in the pub.'
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I bet Kingy's having an easier time,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37sitting there in the back of his Jag.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Oi, come on! Less of that, let's go.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44'It's not just a jaunt in a Jag, you know!'
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Bernie's taking me to the Krays' favourite cafe.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Pellicci's has been going for over 100 years.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- Oh, wow. So this is it, Bernie? - That's it, my son.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Where did they used to sit?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- Generally they were in the corner... - So they could see the door!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- So they could see the door. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Yeah, used to come here about five, six o'clock in the morning,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10because they'd always open early.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12And what's the best thing you want to do after you've been
0:17:12 > 0:17:15out on the booze all night or you've been doing business?
0:17:15 > 0:17:16- A big fry-up.- Great.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- And you can't get any better than Pellicci's.- Right, well, you're on.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I tell you what, how about a bacon and egg sandwich?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- I know...- I'm in love!- Oh, right!
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Let's have one, let's have one.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32'Anna's a third-generation Pellicci and has worked here all her life.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:34How long has the cafe been in the family?
0:17:34 > 0:17:35Oh, God, just over 100 years.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37My grandparents, those two on the wall...
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- You don't look that old! - I'm doing good for me age.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41You're doing well.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- I've had, I've had a few shots. - I'm going to get a slap in a minute.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- But my grandparents started it over 100 years ago.- Fantastic.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- My dad, God rest him... - You don't remember me, do you?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51No, I don't. My dad would remember you.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Obviously, my dad's not here but...
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I used to be Ronnie and Reggie's mechanic.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56- Really?- Yeah.- Yeah.- I remember...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Ronnie and Reggie, they were already on holiday
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- when I was born but...- I used to come here with a few of the guys -
0:18:01 > 0:18:03- a guy called Jimmy Nunn... - SI LAUGHS
0:18:03 > 0:18:06She's just gone, "Ronnie and Reggie, they were already on holiday,"
0:18:06 > 0:18:08which meant they were in the nick.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Proper East End, this. Brilliant.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- Thank you, my darling. God bless you.- No, no, that's for the tip.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- Please, young man, please. Thank you very much.- Bye-bye, sweetheart.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Nice to see you, sir. All the best. Lovely to meet you, young man.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Say hello to your other skinny mate, won't you?
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Whoa, I can't believe this, Kingy!
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I'm sweating buckets in the boxing ring and there you are
0:18:28 > 0:18:30tucking into a bacon sarnie.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I know I'm supposed to be on a diet, and it's a bacon and egg sandwich,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36but I've got to eat, haven't I,
0:18:36 > 0:18:38in Pellicci's, where the Kray twins ate?
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Pellicci's has a band of loyal customers.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And the same can be said of traditional East End pubs.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51They'd be nothing without their passionate punters.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55So let's meet an East End local who loves his local.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01You'll find The Lord Cardigan in the East End district of Bow.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Ray Gipson has been coming to this 19th-century boozer for years.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12And he's ever so fond of it.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- All right, Ray? - Right, yeah, thank you.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Pubs have always been my community centre,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and all my life it's where I've met all my friends.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31There was a time when there was a pub
0:19:31 > 0:19:34on pretty much every corner around here.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But Ray's seen 90 East End boozers close
0:19:37 > 0:19:39in the last three years alone.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42A lot of people don't realise what we're letting go.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46They don't realise it's part of our heritage.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50This pub, this little pub The Lord Cardigan, brings people together.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53When I first started coming into the pubs
0:19:53 > 0:19:57it was the place you went for everything.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01I can remember most of the publicans in the 1950s and '60s,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06when I was a young man, if you wanted your passport signed,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09they was the only people who could do it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11You went to see the publican
0:20:11 > 0:20:15because they was upright and just.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Ray and his mates, who've nicknamed themselves The Geezers,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21are campaigning to keep their boozers open...
0:20:21 > 0:20:23420.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26..and traditions like East End darts alive.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31It's played on a board where all the numbers are divisible by five.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Certainly makes the maths easier after a few pints!
0:20:35 > 0:20:38If Ray and The Geezers are anything to go by,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42the heritage of East End pubs are in safe hands for now.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I don't believe it, Tone.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51'Back on our Krays pub tour, we're right in the heart
0:20:51 > 0:20:53'of their manor, where it all began.'
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And we're heading to a pub where ultimately
0:20:58 > 0:21:00it all came crashing down.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The Krays, they didn't stray far from home, did they, Kingy?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06No, mate, they didn't. Look, over there, Vallance Road
0:21:06 > 0:21:10is where they used to live, and here is their primary school.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12DAVE EXHALES
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I wouldn't like to have been one of their teachers.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17No, I know what you mean. And here, believe it or not, is their local.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- Oh, shall we?- I think so.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23The Carpenter's Arms is closely linked to an incident
0:21:23 > 0:21:25that would eventually lead to the Krays' undoing.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29They'd been arrested a number of times,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33but the police were finding it hard to make anything stick.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Thank you, sir.- Cheers, gents. - Cheers.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Former defence lawyer James Morton has come to tell us
0:21:39 > 0:21:42how they were finally brought to justice.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43So, James, what would a...
0:21:43 > 0:21:46What would a typical night out with the Krays be like?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49These pubs round here would be sort of two-roomed,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51with the saloon bar, the public bar.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53They would occupy the saloon bar,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and it would be full of Kray supporters, friends, hangers-on,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and it wouldn't be the sort of place
0:21:58 > 0:22:02where outsiders would want to muscle in at all.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05So, James, you started life as a defence lawyer.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Yeah, I was a defence lawyer and just about the time the Krays
0:22:10 > 0:22:14were coming to the end was when I started, I qualified.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17What was the inside gossip in the chambers of barristers
0:22:17 > 0:22:18and lawyers at the time?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Well, the inside gossip was that they thought they were untouchable.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24People would say that if you went in a police station
0:22:24 > 0:22:27to make a statement about the Krays, by the time you came out
0:22:27 > 0:22:30the Krays would have a copy of your statement.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33They had a great in with certain police.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37The Krays couldn't stay untouchable forever.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43In October 1967, a brutal encounter with former associate
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Jack "The Hat" McVitie was to be the beginning of the end.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54They were in here, in fact, one Saturday night
0:22:54 > 0:22:55at the end of October.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Ronnie and Reggie somehow had a bit of a quarrel
0:22:58 > 0:23:01and the mood totally changed.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Ronnie... Reggie says, "I'm now going to have a party,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06"we're all going off to Evering Road."
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Two people were sent off to find and get McVitie
0:23:10 > 0:23:12to come to the "party".
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Another person was sent to bring a gun.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19McVitie comes down, sort of dancing down the stairs
0:23:19 > 0:23:22thinking he's actually going to a party and saying,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- "Where's the women? Where's the women?"- Mm-hmm.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And Reggie tries to shoot him.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31The gun sticks and doesn't fire properly,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and Reggie takes a knife to him.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35McVitie tried to escape through a window
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and was pulled back and stabbed to death.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43In typical Kray style, Reggie's grudge against Jack The Hat
0:23:43 > 0:23:45meant no mercy.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47The end result - cold-blooded murder.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52So they'd got to a point where they were completely out of control.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Yes, I think that's right. They were absolutely out of control,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57By 19 - what would it be? - '67,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59they thought they were God.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02It seems to me now that going out for a pint in a pub round here
0:24:02 > 0:24:04- was risky business. - Well, I think it was, yes.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07You had to choose your pub and you had to very careful
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- who you looked at and what you said.- Yes.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- Well, I'm glad it's a bit more friendly now.- Same here.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- ALL:- Cheers.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Just seven months later, in May 1968,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22the police conducted a dawn raid on a high-rise flat
0:24:22 > 0:24:25belonging to the Krays' mum Violet.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27The twins were in bed sleeping
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and were arrested on suspicion of several crimes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Witnesses were persuaded to testify,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38and the twins were at last convicted of the killing of Jack the Hat
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and the Blind Beggar murder of George Cornell.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46They spent the rest of their lives in jail.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Ronnie died in 1995.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Thousands lined the streets of the East End for his funeral cortege.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Reggie died five years later.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02He too had an extravagant sendoff.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12The final chapter of this story lies with Gary Driscoll,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16who's been singing in East End pubs for over 20 years.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18- Hello, Gary.- Hello, you all right? - Nice to see you.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Happy to see you, yeah.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25'15 years ago, he got a booking for a rather unconventional gig.'
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Did you sing at the wake of Reggie Kray?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30That's correct, yeah, yeah. It was about 2000, it was, yeah.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31So how did that come about?
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Well, I was living in the area, in Bethnal Green here,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and I was always singing in the local pubs, you know?
0:25:37 > 0:25:40And I got a call one day from a friend of mine, the Governor,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and he said, "Look," he said. "What you doing Thursday night?"
0:25:43 > 0:25:46or whatever it was. And I said... Thursday afternoon. I said,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48"Nothing," He said, "Do you want to sing at a funeral?"
0:25:48 > 0:25:50And I said, "That's unusual, isn't it?"
0:25:50 > 0:25:52"Do they really want a crooner at a funeral?"
0:25:52 > 0:25:54He said, "It's at the wake." And I said, "Anybody I know?"
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And he said, "Reggie Kray." And I went, "All right, OK..."
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I said, "I'll have a think about that." I said, "All right, then,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04"let's do it." You know? So I went along and, yeah,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06it was like... It was mobbed with,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08well, gangsters, really, I would say.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11So what's the connection with the East End and crooning then?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- What's... What is it? - I think really, I would say...
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Years ago, like, every pub in the East End...
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I think most of London would have a joanna in the corner, you know?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And it's easy to do the crooning songs with a piano.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- I think that's really where it... - That's the tradition.- Yeah.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26There's a lot of people brought up on that, and they think of their...
0:26:26 > 0:26:29A lot of them think, like... They ask me, even the younger guys
0:26:29 > 0:26:31say, "Can you do this song, can you do that song?"
0:26:31 > 0:26:33"It reminds me of my grandad, reminds me of my dad."
0:26:33 > 0:26:36So it's still there, you know? They still like the old songs.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- It's still there in the pubs? - That's right. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42'Reggie's friends asked Gary to sing a Frank Sinatra classic
0:26:42 > 0:26:45'for the funeral, and we're hoping for a repeat performance.'
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- Oh, Gary, could you just give us a treat?- Go on!
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Just a few bars of My Way.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- Right, OK, I'll give it a go. - Got to join in, mind, right?
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- If know the words. - Yeah, please do, yeah.- Come on.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00# And now the end is near
0:27:00 > 0:27:05# And so I face the final curtain
0:27:05 > 0:27:09# My friend, I'll say it clear
0:27:09 > 0:27:15# I'll state my case of which I'm certain
0:27:15 > 0:27:20# I've lived a life that's full
0:27:20 > 0:27:26# I've travelled each and every highway
0:27:26 > 0:27:31# And more, much more than this
0:27:31 > 0:27:36# I did it my way. #
0:27:36 > 0:27:38CHEERING
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Cheers! Thank you!
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- Cheers.- Cheers, thanks for coming. Beautiful singing.
0:27:44 > 0:27:50MUSIC: My Way by Shane MacGowan
0:27:57 > 0:28:01The Krays carried out some of their most evil deeds from East End pubs.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05MUSIC: My Way by Shane MacGowan
0:28:09 > 0:28:11But the East End's got more to offer
0:28:11 > 0:28:14than just gangsters and great boozers.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18You're telling me - it's even got its own rhyming slang.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21COCKNEY ACCENT: Ere, this ain't a bad drop, this local stuff, is it?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Right, smarty-pants, you've been doing my loaf in
0:28:24 > 0:28:26all day with your mockney-cockney accent.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Here's a bit of trivia for you.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32When was the first literary reference to the word cock-ee-nee?
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Ain't got a scooby.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35SI SIGHS
0:28:35 > 0:28:39It was in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
0:28:39 > 0:28:44- Ooh! Now look who's a little smarty-pants, then!- Get off!