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And now, a choice of viewing
on BBC television.
Just started on BBC2, the semi-final
of episode 3 of "Kierkegaard's Journals"
starring Richard Chamberlain,
Peggy Mount and Billy Bremner.
And on BBC1, "Ethel the frog".
Good evening. On "Ethel the Frog" tonight we look
at violence. The violence of British Gangland.
Last Tuesday a reign of terror was ended
when the notorious Piranha brothers,
Doug and Dinsdale, after one of
the most extraordinary trials
in British legal history were sentenced to
400 years inprisonment for crimes of violence.
Tonight Ethel the Frog examines the rise
to power of the Piranhas...
the methods they used
to subjugate rival gangs...
and their subsequent tracking down
and capture by the brilliant Superintendent...
Harry "Snapper" Organs of Q Division.
Doug and Dinsdale Piranha were born,
on probation, in this house in Kipling Road
the eldest sons in a family of sixteen.
Their father, Arthur Piranha,
a scrap metal dealer and TV quizmaster...
was well known to the Police
and a devout Catholic.
In January 1928,
he had married Kitty Malone...
an up-and-coming EastEnd boxer.
Doug was born in february 1929
and Dinsdale two weeks later...
And again a week after that.
Their next-door neighbour
was Mrs April Simnel.
Kipling Road was a typical sort
of East End street.
People running out of each other's houses
with each other's property all day long.
- They were a cheering lot though.
- Was it a terribly violent area?
Oh... Yes, cheerful and violent.
I remember Doug was very keen on boxing,
until he learned to walk...
Then he took up putting the boot in the groin;
oh he was very interested in that.
His mother used to have such trouble
getting him to come in for his tea.
He'd be out here, putting his little boot in,
you know... Bless him.
Kids were very different then, they didn't have
their heads filled with all this cartesian dualism.
At the age of 15, Doug & Dinsdale started attending
the Ernest Pythagoras Primary School in Clerkenwell.
You taught the Piranha brothers English.
What do you remember most about them?
Anthony Viney.
When the Piranhas left school,
they were called up but they were found
by an Army Board to be too mentally unstable
even for National Service.
Denied the opportunity to use their talents
in the service of their country
they began to operate what they called
"The Operation".
They would select a victim
and then threaten to beat him up...
if he paid them the so-called
"protection" money.
Four months later, they started another operation
which they called "The Other Operation".
They selected another victim and threatened
not to beat him up if he didn't pay them.
One month later, they hit upon
the "Other Other Operation".
In this the victim was threatened if he didn't
pay them, they would beat him up.
This, for the Piranha brothers,
was the turning point.
Doug and Dinsdale Piranha now formed a gang
which they called "The Gang"...
and used terror to take over night clubs,
billiard halls, gaming casinos and race tracks.
When they tried to take over the MCC,
they were, for the only time in their lifes,
slit up a treat.
As their empire spread however, we in Q Division
were keeping tabs on their every move...
by reading the color supplements.
A small time operator who fell foul of
Dinsdale Piranha was Vince Snetterton-Lewis.
Well one day I was sitting at home
threatening the kids...
I look out through the hole in the wall
and I saw this tank driver.
One of Dinsdale's boys gets out.
He comes up all nice and friendly-like and says
Dinsdale wants to have a talk with me.
So he chains me to the back of the tank,
and takes me for a scrape round at Dinsdale's..
And Dinsdale's there,
in a conversation pit with Doug...
and Charles Paisley, the baby crusher,
and a couple of film producers...
and a man they call Kierkegaard,
who just sat there biting the heads of whippets
and Dinsdale says, "You've been
a naughty boy, Clement."
And he splits me nostrils open
and saws me leg off, and pulls my liver out.
And I say "my name's not Clement."
And... Then he loses his temper
and nails my head to the floor.
- He nailed your head to the floor?
- At first, yeah.
Another man who had his head nailed
to the floor was Stig O'Tracey.
Stig, I've been told Dinsdale Piranha
nailed your head to the floor.
No, no, never, never.
He was a smashing bloke.
He used to give his mother flowers and that.
He was like a brother to me.
But the Police have film of Dinsdale
actually nailing your head to the floor.
- Oh yeah, well - he did that, yes.
- Why?
Well he had to, didn't he? I mean...
Be fair, there was nothing else he could do.
- I had transgressed the unwritten law.
- What had you done?
Er... He never told me that.
But he gave me his word that it was the case
and that's good enough for me with old Dinsy.
I mean he didn't want to nail my head
to the floor, I had to insist.
He wanted to let me off.
There's nothing Dinsdale woulnd't do for you.
- And you don't bear him any grudge?
- A grudge! Old Dinsy? He was a real darling.
I understand he also nailed
your wife's head to a coffee table.
- Isn't that right Mrs. O'Tracey?
- Oh no, no, no.
Yeah well, he did do that, yes.
He was a cruel man...
But fair.
Vince, after he nailed your head to the floor,
did you ever seen him again?
Yes, after that I used to go round to his flat
every Sunday lunchtime to apologize.
And we'd shake hands, and then
he'd nail my head to the floor.
- Every Sunday?
- Yes, but he was very reasonable about it.
I mean one Sunday, when my parents were
coming round for tea
I asked him if he minded very much
not nailing my head to the floor that week.
And he agreed,
and just screwed my pelvis to a cake stand.
The only friend I ever had.
I wouldn't hear a word against him.
Lovely fellow.
Clearly, Dinsdale inspired tremendous loyalty
and terror amongst his business associates.
But what was he really like?
I walked out with Dinsdale on many occasions
and found him a most charming and erudite companion.
He was wont to introduce one to many
eminent persons.
celebrated American singers, members
of the aristocracy and other gang-leaders.
- How had you met then?
- Through his work for charity.
He took a warm interest in Boys' Clubs,
Sailors' Homes,
Choristers' Associations, Scouting Jamborees
and of course the Household Cavalry.
- Was there anything unusual about him?
- I should say not!
Dinsdale was a perfecty normal person
in every way...
Except... Except in as much as he was convinced
that he was being watched by a giant hedgehog
which he reffered to as "Spiny Norman".
How big was Norman supposed to be?
Normally he was wont to be about
12 feet from nose to tail...
but when Dinsdale was very depressed...
Norman could be anything
up to 800 yards long.
When Norman was about,
Dinsdale would go very quiet...
his nose would swell up
and his teeth would start moving about
and he'd become very violent
and claimed that he'd laid Stanley Baldwin.
Dinsdale was a gentleman.
What's more, he knew how to treat
a female impersonator.
It's easy for us to judge
Dinsdale Piranha too harshly.
After all, he only did what most of us
simply dream of doing.
I'm sorry.
After all, a murder is only
an extroverted suicide.
Dinsdale was a looney, but he was a happy looney.
Lucky bastard!
Most of these strange tales
concern Dinsdale, but what of Doug?
One man who met him was Luigi Vercotti.
I'd been running a succesful escort agency
high class, no really, high class girls...
We didn't have any of that, that was right out.
And I decided... Excuse me.
Hello? No, not now. Shtoom... shtoom...
Right, we'll have the "watch" ready for you
at midnight.
The watch...
The Chinese watch.
Yes, right oh, bye bye... Mother.
Anyway I decided then to open a high class
night club for the gentry at Biggleswade
with international cuisine, cooking, top-line acts,
and not a cheap clip joint for picking up tarts,
that was right out, I deny that completely.
And one night Dinsdale walked in
with a couple of big lads
one of whom was carrying a tactical nuclear missile.
They said I had bought one of their
fruit machines and would I pay for it.
- How much did they want?
- 3/4 of a million pounds.
- Then they went out.
- Why didn't you call for the police?
I'd noticed that the lad with the thermonuclear
device was the Chief Constable for the area.
Anyway, a week later they came back,
said that the cheque had bounced
and that I had to see... Doug.
Doug. Well, I was terrified of him.
Everyone was terrified of Doug.
I've seen grown men pull their own heads off
rather than see Doug.
- Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug.
- What did he do?
He used... sarcasm. He knew all the tricks,
dramatic irony, metaphor, pathos, puns,
parody, litotes and... satire.
By a combination of violence and sarcasm,
the Piranha brothers, by February 1966,
controlled London and the Southeast.
In February, though, Dinsdale made a big mistake.
Latterly Dinsdale had become increasingly
worried about Spiny Norman.
He had come to the conclusion that Norman slept
in an aeroplane hangar
at Luton Airport.
And so on Feb 22nd 1966, at Luton Airport...
Even the police began to sit up and take notice.
The Piranhas realised they had gone too far
and that the hunt was on.
They went into hiding and I decided
on a subtle approach, viz. some form of disguise,
as the old helmet and boots were a bit of a giveaway.
Luckily my years with Bristol Rep. stood me in
good stead, as I assumed a bewildering
variety of disguises.
I tracked them to Cardiff,
posing as the Reverend Smiler Egret.
Hearing they'd gone back to London, I assumed
the identity of a pork butcher, Brian Stoats.
On my arrival in London, I discovered they
had returned to Cardiff.
I followed as Gloucester from King Lear.
Acting on a hunch, I spent several months
in Buenos Aires as Blind Pew,
returning through the Panama Canal as Ratty,
in Toad of Toad Hall.
Back in Cardiff, I relived my triumph
as Sancho Panza in Man of la Mancha,
which the Bristol Evening Post described as
'a glittering performance of rare perception',
although the Bath Chronicle
was less than enthusiastic.
In fact it gave me a right panning. I quote:
'as for the performance of Superintendent
Harry "Snapper" Organs as Sancho Panza,
the audience were bemused by his high-pitched Welsh
accent and intimidated by his abusive ad-libs.'
'Sancho Panza (Mr Organs) spoilt an otherwise
impeccably choreographed rape scene
by his unscheduled appearance
and persistent cries of "What's all this then?"'
- Never mind, Snapper, love, you can't win 'em all.
- True, constable. Could I have my eye-liner, please?
- Telegram for you, love.
- Good-oh. Bet it's from Binky.
Those flowers are for Sgt. Lauderdale
from the gentleman waiting outside.
- 30 seconds, Superintendent.
- Oh blimey, I'm on.
- Is me hat straight, constable?
- Oh, it's fine.
- Right, here we go, Hawkins.
- Oh, merde, Superintendent.
Good luck, then.
Read all about it. Piranha brothers escape.
Dinsdale? Dinsdale? Dinsdale?
Well, that's all for now.
And so until next week...
