Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain
Editor: Jonny Lennard (episodes 3 and 4 of 5)
Airing: Tuesdays in September at 9pm on Sky History
Jonny Lennard edited episodes 3 – Colombia and 4 – Costa del Crime, of this 5 part series.
Ross Kemp investigates Britain’s surprising and deep-rooted links with the mafia dating as far back as the 1920s. Mafia bosses, capos and hitmen have lived all over the UK, some in the most unlikely of places, from caravan parks to shoe shops, semi-detached houses to coffee shops. Ross Kemp goes on a global journey to follow a trail of illegal money and drugs along an intricate path where history meets globalisation to reveal the true reality of Britain’s historical relationship with the mob.
Ross learns about Britain’s role in establishing the mafia through British exports of alcohol during prohibition to the relationship between the five families and the notorious Kray Twins and gambling in the 1960s; the fall of the US mob to RICO and the impact that had on the Colombian drug cartels. This intricate investigation unveils the hidden reality of how the mafia quietly entrenched itself in Britain’s criminal underworld, leaving a lasting mark on history.
Jonny shared his thoughts on editing 2 of the episodes in the series;
‘Wow, this was a fun one! Although I worked on every episode in the series, Ep03 set in Colombia was the one I really got to craft. The challenge in the edit really came from how multifaceted the programs were, with action sequences, interviews, actuality, multiple languages and an investigative story arc that spanned the series as well as the narratives contained within each episode. Balancing these elements and getting the right pacing and structure was the hardest part but a really enjoyable challenge.
I feel like I learned a lot from this edit and it has improved all my work since, especially my script writing and sound design. I was aiming to tell the story of some of the most notorious Colombian drug traffickers of all time and their relationship to Britain in an engaging and entertaining way, but without sensationalising or glamourising them or their crimes and I hope we got close to achieving that.
As ever, thanks to Ed and Ros at Honey Bee for placing their trust in me, Sam for his writing masterclasses and Matt for his help and advice as the senior editor on the series.’
The Guardian Review: “it’s astounding he gets gangsters to open up this much”
