Secrets of the Krays - Original BritBox factual commission

London, December 15th: BritBox UK today unveiled a new Original landing exclusively on the platform in spring 2021. Secrets of the Krays (working title), BritBox’s first Original factual commission, will take an in-depth look at the most famous gangsters in British history 60 years on from their infamous reign as the kings of a criminal underworld.

Secrets of the Krays will be produced as a three part documentary series by ITN Productions and will paint an in-depth picture of Britain in the 60s; the decade when England won the World Cup, Harold MacMillan was PM, Elvis and the Beatles topped the charts and Coronation Street came to our screens... and Ronnie and Reggie Kray created a criminal empire built on menace and violence. 

The series will examine key events in the brothers' lives; their upbringing in the East End with their violent and abusive father, their deeply dysfunctional relationship with each other, their rise to infamy, violence and eventual demise. It will also look at how their criminal world collided with the cultural revolution in Britain in the 1960s stretching into showbiz, politics and the media. 

The series will focus on revelatory interviews with those who knew the Krays personally, including extended family members, former prison guards, fellow gangsters and journalists amongst others. 

It will be Executive Produced by Ian Rumsey and Nathaniel Lippiett.

Will Harrison, Managing Director BritBox UK said: "For BritBox UK's first factual commission we're excited to be investigating the extraordinary story of the Krays’ rise and fall - an explosive British tale waiting to be told.”

ITN Productions Managing Director of Television Ian Rumsey added: "We're delighted to be working with Britbox and excited to be able to tell the most definitive version of the Krays story. It's a tale which is both fascinating and terrifying."

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Editor notes:

About BritBox

BritBox is a digital video subscription service created by the BBC and ITV. The service brings the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place for £5.99 per month in HD. British TV boxsets from All 4 and British films from Film 4 are also available. The service includes high quality factual and entertainment content from Channel 5 plus original British comedies from Comedy Central UK. BritBox features the biggest collection of British content available on any streaming service, and brand new commissions for British production companies specifically created for BritBox. BritBox also offers expert curation and playlists that will enable viewers to easily find programmes they know and discover new favourites  via web, mobile, tablet, connected TVs and streaming devices including Fire TV, Apple TV, Freesat & Chromecast. Content on BritBox can be downloaded and viewed offline where rights allow.

About ITN Productions

Formed in 2010, ITN Productions is ITN’s Oscar-nominated, multi-award-winning in-house production company producing non-fiction content for UK broadcasters and networks around the world. 

It is the world leader in fast-turnaround documentaries, topical debate programmes, hard-hitting current affairs and high-rating popular factual series for major international broadcasters such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky, Discovery, Netflix and CBS.

Recent ITN Productions commissions includes: BAFTA Award-winning For Sama, a co-production with Channel 4 News for Channel 4 and PBS Frontline; Harry and Meghan: An African Journey for ITV and ABC; Channel 5 two-parter, Michael Palin in North Korea; observational series for BBC One Inside the Supermarket and Live: Britain's Next PM - The Channel 4 Debate for Channel 4.