Latest news with #Radio4
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
My £1m inheritance was stolen by crime gang scamming families with fake wills… it's shockingly easy but cops WON'T help
ENJOYING a budget break in a caravan, hard-up mum Lisa was suddenly bombarded by a string of calls from 'heir hunters' informing her that she was in line to inherit her late aunt Christine's house in an exclusive road in leafy Wimbledon, worth a million pounds. 'I thought it was a scam at first, but after about 10 or 12 different heir hunters called I realised it was true, even though it was hard to believe,' Lisa tells The Sun. Advertisement 13 Christine Harverson passed away without leaving a will - something that was exploited by a Hungarian crime gang Credit: Supplied 13 Tamas was described as Christine's "dear friend" on her will - despite her neighbour having no idea who he was Credit: Supplied 13 Journalist Sue Mitchell has exposed the ease with which millions can be stolen Credit: supplied 'It felt like I had won the lottery.' But just as Lisa and her younger sister Nicole excitedly discussed what they might do with this unexpected windfall, their dreams were shattered when a mysterious Hungarian man named Tamas Szvercsok produced a Advertisement It named him sole executor and beneficiary of her entire estate. Despite clear signs that the will, which contained glaring mistakes and misspellings, was a scam, the probate service and police informed Lisa and Nicole that there would be no investigation. The inheritance has been frozen ever since – which will be two years in August. An investigation by BBC journalist Sue Mitchell in Radio 4 podcast Shadow World: The Grave Robbers reveals that what happened to Lisa and Nicole was part of a massive operation by a Hungarian criminal gang, taking advantage of an archaic legal system, racing to beat respectable heir hunting teams by producing fake wills to steal people's inheritance. And it could be happening to you. Advertisement 'It's a story of criminals who have found a way to steal other people's inheritance,' says Sue. 'To steal the homes of the dead. Robbing them and their rightful heirs. "It relies on fake wills filed really quickly before the rightful heirs can get a chance, and you won't believe how simple it is. It's going on right now and no one is stopping these thieves.' Family row Shameless moment crook counts £30k in cash he swindled from vulnerable pensioners 'We never had much, growing up,' says Lisa. 'The house in Russell Road, Wimbledon belonged to my grandparents. "My mum and her sister Christine were brought up there. It was their family home. Advertisement 'Mum died from cancer when I was five, and my sister was one, and my aunt moved in with us for a while to help my dad bring us up. It's a story of criminals who have found a way to steal other people's inheritance. To steal the homes of the dead. Robbing them and their rightful heirs Sue Mitchell 'But there was a family argument. I don't really know what it was about, because dad didn't talk about it, but it may be that Christine didn't think he was bringing us up properly. 'She left us after about a year and we never heard from her again. It was very sad because she and my mum were very close and she was also close to dad, who passed away about nine weeks ago. 'When my mum died my dad had a bit of a breakdown because he had lost the love of his life and was left to bring us up on his own. But he did a really good job of doing that. 'When we grew up and had families of our own, my sister went to the house to offer Christine an olive branch, posting a letter to say we hoped she was alright and to get in contact, but we never heard from her.' Advertisement Probate problem 13 Christine was looked after by her devoted husband until she died in 2020 Credit: Supplied 13 Sue has described the current system as a 'crook's charter' Credit: supplied 13 Despite apparently being her 'dear friend', Tamas didn't even get her name right when contacted Credit: Supplied Christine continued to live in the house after her parents died and, as she got older, became ill and bed-ridden. She was looked after by her devoted husband until he died in 2020. Advertisement A year later Christine moved to a care home, and she died soon afterwards. Because of the estrangement, Lisa and Nicole didn't know that at the time, and it wasn't until heir hunting company Anglia Research Services made contact with the sisters that they knew she had passed away. Christine had no children of her own, so the process of passing the estate onto her nieces should have been relatively simple. Instead it has caused heartache and stress. If you die intestate (without a valid will) and with no known relatives, your estate and everything you own eventually passes to the government. Before that happens, your name and some of your details go on what is called the Bona Vacantia list, a Latin term meaning ownerless property. Advertisement The most alarming thing was his age. Christine died at a very good age, so to have her living in an extremely affluent area in Wimbledon and having a 'dear friend Tamas Szvercsok' in his early thirties does make you want to investigate a little further Matt Boardman 'This list was set up over 50 years ago,' says Sue. 'It's an old-fashioned system now available online and has formed the basis for TV shows like Heir Hunters, who use genealogy and detective work to search for the recipients of unexpected windfalls in exchange for a small share of the estate.' Lisa and Nicole were happy to let Anglia Research Services apply for a grant of probate – the legal will to deal with the deceased's estate – on their behalf. But when they did so, they found that the claim could not proceed. Without anyone knowing, Tamas Szvercsok, in his thirties, had beaten them to it and had registered a will he said was written in 2016, five years before Christine died, leaving him everything. Former policeman turned heir hunter Matt Boardman, who had contacted Lisa, managed to get a hold of a copy of the will, and what he saw made him feel uneasy. Advertisement 'It said, 'To my dear friend, Tamas Szvercsok,'' he says. 'It's quite easy to run a check to see who this person is. "The most alarming thing was his age. Christine died at a very good age, so to have her living in an extremely affluent area in Wimbledon and having a 'dear friend Tamas Szvercsok' in his early thirties does make you want to investigate a little further.' 'Crook's charter' 13 Christine's neighbour Sue was confident she hadn't written the will Credit: Joe Dixey/BBC 13 The crook also misspelt Russell Road with only one 'l' Credit: Google Earth To Matt's surprise, when he rang the telephone number he found for Tamas Szvercsok, he picked up. Advertisement 'He answered and I explained what the matter was about," Matt recalls. "When I mentioned it was to do with the estate of Christine, he didn't know what I was talking about at first. "If somebody is your 'dear friend' and they have passed away and you don't immediately recognise their name, it is very fishy. "He then went on the back foot and said I would have to speak to his lawyer. Later Mr Szvercsok emailed me to say he is sole executor of 'Mary's' will and had never heard of any family of hers. He spelt Russell Road with one 'l'.' Sue points out: 'Mary is Christine's middle name and she never used it. I think he called her that because Hungarians write their surname followed by their first name." Advertisement Matt explains how an executor of a will used to have to attend their local probate registry to swear an oath and sign that document in person, which allowed the registrar who was dealing with the matter to evaluate every single case on its own merit. But when the system went online in 2017, it removed that 'over-the-counter' service, effectively eliminating the chance to talk to someone about their knowledge of the deceased and to question their demeanour or behaviour. If somebody is your 'dear friend' and they have passed away and you don't immediately recognise their name, it is very fishy Matt Boardman The current system is what Sue describes as 'a crooks' charter.' 'All they need to do is to look at the Bona Vacantia list online and come up with a will and no one is checking it," she says. "The crooks simply tick a box on the form saying there is no inheritance tax to be paid because the property is worth under £325,000, without providing any proof. Advertisement 'Those applications tend to go through more quickly. It's what Tamas Szvercsok did on the million pound Wimbledon home. Since going online it's become a free for all.' Lisa, Nicole and the heir hunting team have been frustrated that neither the probate service nor police have been willing to investigate. 'The probate office says that we have to prove who we are in a civil court case, but that would take years and thousands of pounds, and we don't have that money,' says Lisa. 'When we reported it to Action Fraud - which they forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau - we received an email saying there was no line of enquiry that they could pursue. "I might have to get a no-win, no-fee solicitor or someone else to help. I don't know. I hope it doesn't come to that.' Advertisement Fake signatures 13 Christine's neighbour Sue said she would not have been able to have disinherited her husband from the property Credit: Joe Dixey/BBC 13 Handwriting expert Christina Strang confirmed that the witness signatures were fake Credit: Supplied During her investigation Sue spoke to Christine's neighbour, a retired head teacher also named Sue, who was confident that her friend Christine had never written that will. 'She was disabled and reclusive at that time in 2016 and cared for by her husband, to whom she was devoted,' Sue says. 'Also, she could not disinherit her husband from the real estate because they were married and joint tenants of the property. Advertisement "For the two witnesses to have signed it would have meant her husband opening the door to them and leading them upstairs to where she was in the bedroom, and then him having to stay out of the room while she asked them to sign the will in which she disinherited him.' Sue Mitchell tracked down the son of one of the signed witnesses. His mother has since died, but he is sure it is not her signature and that she did not know Tamas Szvercsok. The will also misspelt Russell Road with one 'l', as it did in Tamas's email. Handwriting expert Christina Strang confirmed that the witness signatures were fake and had likely been copied from the internet by the same man. Christine's neighbour Sue turned detective herself to discover that the address given for Szvercsok on the will was a block of flats that was not built until 2021 - five years after the alleged date of the will. Advertisement I think in any other area, you steal a million pounds, someone will be doing something. But this is punishment-free. They have no intention of going after these people. No one takes it seriously Sue Mitchell With all this seemingly overwhelming evidence of forgery, Sue Mitchell presented it to the probate service. 'Weeks later a reply comes back,' she says. 'It's three short sentences. It looks computer generated. The probate service just repeats the initial advice that Lisa should challenge the will through the civil court. "I feel so frustrated when we have demonstrated how a serious crime has been perpetrated. No one wants to investigate. "I think in any other area, you steal a million pounds, someone will be doing something. But this is punishment-free. They have no intention of going after these people. No one takes it seriously.' 'Tip of the iceberg' During the course of her investigation Sue, along with the heir hunting team, discovered many other fraudulent wills benefiting various young Hungarian men. Advertisement When contacted, like Tamas Szvercsok, they are initially uncertain as to whose will is being questioned - suggesting that they are conducting multiple frauds. 'What we've exposed is the tip of the iceberg,' says Sue. 'We're getting more and more cases coming in. "It looks like one big criminal network, based in Hungary, who appear to have been snatching people's inheritances dating back to at least 2019. 'That is a lot of people. They have also created hundreds of bogus companies across the country to launder the money, and I think it is linked to other crime including cannabis farms and ID fraud.' We're getting more and more cases coming in. It looks like one big criminal network, based in Hungary, who appear to have been snatching people's inheritances dating back to at least 2019. That is a lot of people Sue Mitchell Meanwhile the long frustrating wait for their inheritance continues for Lisa and Nicole, and others. Advertisement But there are signs that, at last, the legal system is being tightened up. The publicity that Sue's investigation has attracted has prompted the 'I welcome that, but there needs to be a proper system put in place,' says Sue. 'You should have to provide ID when you take probate and have checks on whether inheritance tax is due or not. 'Insurance companies, for example, have systems to flag up things such as whiplash claims, and they can cross reference claimants. Advertisement "The probate service needs to be modernised. It's an awful thing losing relatives without having to go through all this stress.' Lisa admits that the whole experience has brought her down, but she is feeling more optimistic since Sue got involved. 'She's worked really hard and made a hell of a difference for us,' she says. 'I was feeling quite low about it because you can't talk to anyone. Nobody seems to want to really sit down and help, apart from Sue and Anglia Research. "It's just so frustrating. But I really do hope we will get there in the end.' Advertisement 13 Further investigations have uncovered other fraudulent will statements Credit: Supplied 13 Sue's investigation has led to the open list of unclaimed wills being shut down 13 "Heir hunting" is big business and has even been turned into a popular BBC series, Heir Hunters (pictured) Credit: BBC
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
My £1m inheritance was stolen by crime gang scamming families with fake wills… it's shockingly easy but cops WON'T help
Lisa is convinced she is far from the only person this shocking scam has happened to - and what this investigation exposes is the tip of the iceberg GRAVE ROBBERS My £1m inheritance was stolen by crime gang scamming families with fake wills… it's shockingly easy but cops WON'T help ENJOYING a budget break in a caravan, hard-up mum Lisa was suddenly bombarded by a string of calls from 'heir hunters' informing her that she was in line to inherit her late aunt Christine's house in an exclusive road in leafy Wimbledon, worth a million pounds. 'I thought it was a scam at first, but after about 10 or 12 different heir hunters called I realised it was true, even though it was hard to believe,' Lisa tells The Sun. Advertisement 13 Christine Harverson passed away without leaving a will - something that was exploited by a Hungarian crime gang Credit: Supplied 13 Tamas was described as Christine's "dear friend" on her will - despite her neighbour having no idea who he was Credit: Supplied 13 Journalist Sue Mitchell has exposed the ease with which millions can be stolen Credit: supplied 'It felt like I had won the lottery.' But just as Lisa and her younger sister Nicole excitedly discussed what they might do with this unexpected windfall, their dreams were shattered when a mysterious Hungarian man named Tamas Szvercsok produced a will from Christine Harverson, in which she described him as her 'dear friend'. Advertisement It named him sole executor and beneficiary of her entire estate. Despite clear signs that the will, which contained glaring mistakes and misspellings, was a scam, the probate service and police informed Lisa and Nicole that there would be no investigation. The inheritance has been frozen ever since – which will be two years in August. An investigation by BBC journalist Sue Mitchell in Radio 4 podcast Shadow World: The Grave Robbers reveals that what happened to Lisa and Nicole was part of a massive operation by a Hungarian criminal gang, taking advantage of an archaic legal system, racing to beat respectable heir hunting teams by producing fake wills to steal people's inheritance. And it could be happening to you. Advertisement 'It's a story of criminals who have found a way to steal other people's inheritance,' says Sue. 'To steal the homes of the dead. Robbing them and their rightful heirs. "It relies on fake wills filed really quickly before the rightful heirs can get a chance, and you won't believe how simple it is. It's going on right now and no one is stopping these thieves.' Family row Shameless moment crook counts £30k in cash he swindled from vulnerable pensioners 'We never had much, growing up,' says Lisa. 'The house in Russell Road, Wimbledon belonged to my grandparents. "My mum and her sister Christine were brought up there. It was their family home. Advertisement 'Mum died from cancer when I was five, and my sister was one, and my aunt moved in with us for a while to help my dad bring us up. It's a story of criminals who have found a way to steal other people's inheritance. To steal the homes of the dead. Robbing them and their rightful heirs Sue Mitchell 'But there was a family argument. I don't really know what it was about, because dad didn't talk about it, but it may be that Christine didn't think he was bringing us up properly. 'She left us after about a year and we never heard from her again. It was very sad because she and my mum were very close and she was also close to dad, who passed away about nine weeks ago. 'When my mum died my dad had a bit of a breakdown because he had lost the love of his life and was left to bring us up on his own. But he did a really good job of doing that. 'When we grew up and had families of our own, my sister went to the house to offer Christine an olive branch, posting a letter to say we hoped she was alright and to get in contact, but we never heard from her.' Advertisement Probate problem 13 Christine was looked after by her devoted husband until she died in 2020 Credit: Supplied 13 Sue has described the current system as a 'crook's charter' Credit: supplied 13 Despite apparently being her 'dear friend', Tamas didn't even get her name right when contacted Credit: Supplied Christine continued to live in the house after her parents died and, as she got older, became ill and bed-ridden. She was looked after by her devoted husband until he died in 2020. Advertisement A year later Christine moved to a care home, and she died soon afterwards. Because of the estrangement, Lisa and Nicole didn't know that at the time, and it wasn't until heir hunting company Anglia Research Services made contact with the sisters that they knew she had passed away. Christine had no children of her own, so the process of passing the estate onto her nieces should have been relatively simple. Instead it has caused heartache and stress. If you die intestate (without a valid will) and with no known relatives, your estate and everything you own eventually passes to the government. Before that happens, your name and some of your details go on what is called the Bona Vacantia list, a Latin term meaning ownerless property. Advertisement The most alarming thing was his age. Christine died at a very good age, so to have her living in an extremely affluent area in Wimbledon and having a 'dear friend Tamas Szvercsok' in his early thirties does make you want to investigate a little further Matt Boardman 'This list was set up over 50 years ago,' says Sue. 'It's an old-fashioned system now available online and has formed the basis for TV shows like Heir Hunters, who use genealogy and detective work to search for the recipients of unexpected windfalls in exchange for a small share of the estate.' Lisa and Nicole were happy to let Anglia Research Services apply for a grant of probate – the legal will to deal with the deceased's estate – on their behalf. But when they did so, they found that the claim could not proceed. Without anyone knowing, Tamas Szvercsok, in his thirties, had beaten them to it and had registered a will he said was written in 2016, five years before Christine died, leaving him everything. Former policeman turned heir hunter Matt Boardman, who had contacted Lisa, managed to get a hold of a copy of the will, and what he saw made him feel uneasy. Advertisement 'It said, 'To my dear friend, Tamas Szvercsok,'' he says. 'It's quite easy to run a check to see who this person is. "The most alarming thing was his age. Christine died at a very good age, so to have her living in an extremely affluent area in Wimbledon and having a 'dear friend Tamas Szvercsok' in his early thirties does make you want to investigate a little further.' 'Crook's charter' 13 Christine's neighbour Sue was confident she hadn't written the will Credit: Joe Dixey/BBC 13 The crook also misspelt Russell Road with only one 'l' Credit: Google Earth To Matt's surprise, when he rang the telephone number he found for Tamas Szvercsok, he picked up. Advertisement 'He answered and I explained what the matter was about," Matt recalls. "When I mentioned it was to do with the estate of Christine, he didn't know what I was talking about at first. "If somebody is your 'dear friend' and they have passed away and you don't immediately recognise their name, it is very fishy. "He then went on the back foot and said I would have to speak to his lawyer. Later Mr Szvercsok emailed me to say he is sole executor of 'Mary's' will and had never heard of any family of hers. He spelt Russell Road with one 'l'.' Sue points out: 'Mary is Christine's middle name and she never used it. I think he called her that because Hungarians write their surname followed by their first name." Advertisement Matt explains how an executor of a will used to have to attend their local probate registry to swear an oath and sign that document in person, which allowed the registrar who was dealing with the matter to evaluate every single case on its own merit. But when the system went online in 2017, it removed that 'over-the-counter' service, effectively eliminating the chance to talk to someone about their knowledge of the deceased and to question their demeanour or behaviour. If somebody is your 'dear friend' and they have passed away and you don't immediately recognise their name, it is very fishy Matt Boardman The current system is what Sue describes as 'a crooks' charter.' 'All they need to do is to look at the Bona Vacantia list online and come up with a will and no one is checking it," she says. "The crooks simply tick a box on the form saying there is no inheritance tax to be paid because the property is worth under £325,000, without providing any proof. Advertisement 'Those applications tend to go through more quickly. It's what Tamas Szvercsok did on the million pound Wimbledon home. Since going online it's become a free for all.' Lisa, Nicole and the heir hunting team have been frustrated that neither the probate service nor police have been willing to investigate. 'The probate office says that we have to prove who we are in a civil court case, but that would take years and thousands of pounds, and we don't have that money,' says Lisa. 'When we reported it to Action Fraud - which they forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau - we received an email saying there was no line of enquiry that they could pursue. "I might have to get a no-win, no-fee solicitor or someone else to help. I don't know. I hope it doesn't come to that.' Advertisement Fake signatures 13 Christine's neighbour Sue said she would not have been able to have disinherited her husband from the property Credit: Joe Dixey/BBC 13 Handwriting expert Christina Strang confirmed that the witness signatures were fake Credit: Supplied During her investigation Sue spoke to Christine's neighbour, a retired head teacher also named Sue, who was confident that her friend Christine had never written that will. 'She was disabled and reclusive at that time in 2016 and cared for by her husband, to whom she was devoted,' Sue says. 'Also, she could not disinherit her husband from the real estate because they were married and joint tenants of the property. Advertisement "For the two witnesses to have signed it would have meant her husband opening the door to them and leading them upstairs to where she was in the bedroom, and then him having to stay out of the room while she asked them to sign the will in which she disinherited him.' Sue Mitchell tracked down the son of one of the signed witnesses. His mother has since died, but he is sure it is not her signature and that she did not know Tamas Szvercsok. The will also misspelt Russell Road with one 'l', as it did in Tamas's email. Handwriting expert Christina Strang confirmed that the witness signatures were fake and had likely been copied from the internet by the same man. Christine's neighbour Sue turned detective herself to discover that the address given for Szvercsok on the will was a block of flats that was not built until 2021 - five years after the alleged date of the will. Advertisement I think in any other area, you steal a million pounds, someone will be doing something. But this is punishment-free. They have no intention of going after these people. No one takes it seriously Sue Mitchell With all this seemingly overwhelming evidence of forgery, Sue Mitchell presented it to the probate service. 'Weeks later a reply comes back,' she says. 'It's three short sentences. It looks computer generated. The probate service just repeats the initial advice that Lisa should challenge the will through the civil court. "I feel so frustrated when we have demonstrated how a serious crime has been perpetrated. No one wants to investigate. "I think in any other area, you steal a million pounds, someone will be doing something. But this is punishment-free. They have no intention of going after these people. No one takes it seriously.' 'Tip of the iceberg' During the course of her investigation Sue, along with the heir hunting team, discovered many other fraudulent wills benefiting various young Hungarian men. Advertisement When contacted, like Tamas Szvercsok, they are initially uncertain as to whose will is being questioned - suggesting that they are conducting multiple frauds. 'What we've exposed is the tip of the iceberg,' says Sue. 'We're getting more and more cases coming in. "It looks like one big criminal network, based in Hungary, who appear to have been snatching people's inheritances dating back to at least 2019. 'That is a lot of people. They have also created hundreds of bogus companies across the country to launder the money, and I think it is linked to other crime including cannabis farms and ID fraud.' We're getting more and more cases coming in. It looks like one big criminal network, based in Hungary, who appear to have been snatching people's inheritances dating back to at least 2019. That is a lot of people Sue Mitchell Meanwhile the long frustrating wait for their inheritance continues for Lisa and Nicole, and others. Advertisement But there are signs that, at last, the legal system is being tightened up. The publicity that Sue's investigation has attracted has prompted the Ministry of Justice to remove the Bona Vacantia list online earlier this month. 'I welcome that, but there needs to be a proper system put in place,' says Sue. 'You should have to provide ID when you take probate and have checks on whether inheritance tax is due or not. 'Insurance companies, for example, have systems to flag up things such as whiplash claims, and they can cross reference claimants. Advertisement "The probate service needs to be modernised. It's an awful thing losing relatives without having to go through all this stress.' Lisa admits that the whole experience has brought her down, but she is feeling more optimistic since Sue got involved. 'She's worked really hard and made a hell of a difference for us,' she says. 'I was feeling quite low about it because you can't talk to anyone. Nobody seems to want to really sit down and help, apart from Sue and Anglia Research. "It's just so frustrating. But I really do hope we will get there in the end.' Advertisement 13 Further investigations have uncovered other fraudulent will statements Credit: Supplied 13 Sue's investigation has led to the open list of unclaimed wills being shut down
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Huge 80s star stages astonishing comeback after shock realisation about world'
The godfather of alternative comedy Alexei Sayle has lost none of his Marxist zeal or rage against the establishment – and says his firebrand act is needed more than ever to resist what he calls an 'assault on free speech and comedy'. After over 30 years delivering acidly funny rants at the state of the nation, the 72-year-old veteran of The Comic Strip and The Young Ones is more troubled than ever about the widening gap between the rich and poor – and there's no chance of him getting off his soapbox. 'I would like to retire – but the world keeps getting worse,' he says with a chuckle. 'So what am I supposed to do?' Politics has always been his schtick, and even now, he takes his alternative comedian job spec seriously. He believes comedy is one of the first casualties of an authoritarian society. 'They don't like a laugh,' says Alexei. 'But healthy ones encourage criticism. Comedy is a pressure valve – it's a way to let off steam about the injustice of the world. And comics should also point out injustice.' We meet in a park near his house in Bloomsbury, the literary quarter of central London, where he lives with his wife Linda and their beloved 18-year-old Maine Coon cat, Wilf. The bald, bovver-booted tight-suit wearing bouncer look has gone and been replaced by a slightly avuncular look. Completely white haired and with a beard trimmed into a Lenin point (his barber's idea), he's also wearing a Panama which gives him the air of a professor on his holidays, especially as he's waving a wooden stick. 'It's my martial arts staff – I do Tai chi,' he says, twirling it around expertly. Apparently it's not a peaceful hobby at all. 'No, it's a way of killing people very slowly,' he deadpans. It's been a while since Alexei has been on the stand-up comedy circuit after his comeback tour in 2022 was rudely interrupted by the pandemic. But his delightful travels around the UK with his Strangers On A Train series last year on Radio 4 has found him a whole new audience. He also hosts a monthly podcast with co-host Talal Karkouti, and has even gone viral with the youngsters with his TikTok videos where he explains Marxist theory through interpretative dance. Bringing his surreal side to a brand new medium, Alexei demonstrates the 'bourgeoiose boogie' followed by 'cornered beast' while teaching about how capitalists steal the profits of workers' hard work. 'I mean they're proper viral – we're up to about seven million views,' he says. 'We're going to do more of those, more internet stuff, hopefully another series of Imaginary Sandwich Bar, and maybe some live gigs.' And, Alexei reveals, he's waiting for 'Jeremy to get the new party together'. Always a committed Corbynist, there's no love lost between the comic and the current Labour line-up. 'When Jeremy has finally talked to everybody in the country, and the new party, people's popular front emerges, then I will also throw myself into that until they stop me.' He twirls his Tai chi staff ominously – then accidentally drops it. 'I've also written a poem for the Prime Minister – it's called I Hate Keir Starmer,' he announces, and starts discussing whether he should read it out to the audience when he appears on the Voices of Solidarity stage at the Troxy Theatre in East London on Saturday. Performing on the night alongside Alexei will be comedian and former heart surgeon, Bassem Youssef, singer Paloma Faith, actress Juliet Stephenson and host Jen Brister to raise desperately needed funds for health workers under siege in Gaza. Since October 2023, more than 1,580 health workers have been killed in Gaza and all proceeds from the night will go to Health Workers 4 Palestine. 'It's gonna be a great evening of music and comedy and people will be doing good by coming to see it,' he promises. There will also be a silent auction with expensive items donated by Cate Blanchett and Gary Lineker – while Alexei, naturally, is offering a pint. As a Jewish man, Alexei feels it's important to attend and 'bear witness' to what is happening on the central London protest marches over Gaza. He's spent so many years supporting the march, it's practically his social life these days. But he feels compelled to fight what he calls the creeping authoritarianism in this country. 'You know, if I say I support Palestine Action, I can go to prison for 14 years?' he casually mentions. 'I feel sympathy with younger artists who are caught in a bind about whether to speak out or not,' he adds. 'I can understand why they don't and I really admire the ones who do, like Kneecap, Paloma Faith and Dua Lipa.' Despite his view that the BBC 'has allowed itself to be intimidated' over the Kneecap incident, the veteran comic concedes the broadcaster has always been supportive. 'Radio 4 is a kind of natural home for me,' he says. He's been commissioned for a sixth series of Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar, which he says is the work he's most proud of over his entire career. 'There's a budget put aside for next year,' he confirms. 'It takes me like two years to write it. So we'll see whether I'm in prison or not!' Unlike younger artists, Alexei says he's free to speak his mind because, 'I've made my mark in my career,' but he also made his career out of ranty monologues when he was young in the 1980s. 'Yes but the situation has become more critical,' he explains. 'You see how the Labour government has reacted to Just Stop Oil for instance, closing down the space for protest. 'And that ultimately is to do with the growing gap between rich and poor. It's inequality. It's a manifestation of that really. Gaza and fossil fuel protests. It's all part of the same thing.' All that marching has clearly kept the comic fit. 'I'll be 73 in a few weeks and I'm in good shape physically.' Born in 1952 in Liverpool to fully paid-up members of the Communist Party of Great Britain, Molly and Joseph Sayle, he doesn't get back home so often these days. 'Not since my mum died,' he says. Being brought up in a Communist household by a mother who swapped her 'extreme Orthodox Jewish religion for another' certainly set him apart from his Anfield neighbours. At Christmas she even told him Lenin came down the chimney with presents. 'I embraced the difference, really,' he shrugs. 'It was like growing up in any cult. You think you've got the answers to the world's problems.' He briefly considered becoming a teacher, but his entry into the hallowed halls of stand-up is the stuff of comedy legend. He answered an advert in Private Eye in 1979 and became a compere of The Comedy Store on a tiny little stage in a Soho strip club where acts like Rik Mayall and French & Saunders started their careers. The comedy industry has changed beyond recognition since those ground-breaking days. 'It's a massive industry now, and like any industry, it's become homogenised.' Instead of coming up the hard way and being heckled on stage, many comics now start their careers on social media. In this 'old dog learns new tricks' phase of his career, Alexei could certainly teach the kids a few things. 'I've seen the odd comic who is great on social media, but if you go and see them live, it's painful,' he says, looking pained. 'Friends that I still have in the industry say that is a problem. They look great in an edited clip on YouTube, but they can't sustain anything and act really.' Beyond the stand-up and theatre work, Alexei's also a seasoned character actor and has appeared in everything from Gorky Park and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade to Carry On Columbus. But it's his time with his old Comic Strip friends when alternative comedy took over BBC Television Centre that he recalls with the most fondness. 'The Young Ones was an extraordinary time,' he says. 'It was tremendously exciting and we were all friends. 'At one point I was making my own series, and Jennifer was making the first series of ABFAB, and Nigel was working on something. It was like we almost had the run of the BBC. He adds, 'I still see Nigel and Peter a lot these days.' Still mourning the loss of Rik Mayall who died of a heart attack aged 56 in 2014, he met up with his old comedy crew at Robbie Coltrane's memorial last year. The Scottish actor, who died in 2022, was a regular on the 1980s TV show The Comic Strip Presents along with Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson and Alexei. 'Rik's death was a real shock. Terrible,' Alexei shakes his head sadly. 'I remember speaking to Dawn at Robbie memorial and saying it was a real feeling of family. I think she felt that even if we don't see each other, we've all been through something profound together.' He's never really been away, but it's great to have Alexei back where he's needed – showing us the alternative view to the mainstream. • The UK's largest cultural fundraiser for Palestine, Voices of Solidarity, which will take place at London's Troxy Saturday July 19, 2025 (7pm). Tickets from
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
I called out BBC Radio Scotland for bias – here's how it went
As the paper notes: ECONOMIST Richard Murphy clashed with a BBC Radio Scotland presenter as he ripped into the corporation for being 'biased against the nationalist cause'. Murphy took part in the phone-in on the Mornings show presented by Connie McLaughlin on Wednesday when the pair got into a spat. Midway through an extensive discussion on impartiality at the BBC, Murphy came onto the programme to say he did not have confidence in the BBC, highlighting that the 'nationalist community' does not trust the broadcaster because it is 'so absolutely pro-Unionist'. After former BBC political editor Brian Taylor was brought back into the discussion – having spoken on the programme already – alongside ex-BBC Radio 4 presenter Roger Bolton, Murphy and McLaughlin then got into a heated back-and-forth. Eventually, after many interruptions from the presenter, who seemed totally unaware that the producer had invited me onto the programme because, apparently, they could find "no one in Scotland" who had a word of criticism to make about the BBC, I was allowed a word in edgeways and got to say: The BBC is biased in favour of big business, it is biased in favour of the right wing media because it uses that as its news sources in the main for discussion, it is biased against the nationalist cause in Scotland, it is biased against the Palestinian cause in its claim and its right to have a state, [and] it is biased in favour of Israel very clearly. The bias was staggering. In a supposed discussion on bias in the BBC, which had BBC employees or ex-employees appear one after the other to sing its praises, including the fact, as one suggested, that in 35 years he had never seen editorial bias, I was interrupted from the moment I began to criticise it, as if to prove that everything I had to say about bias was justified. READ MORE: Zarah Sultana restates 'We are all Palestine Action' in parliament Even more bizarrely, when they introduced me, they said I was a "columnist" but would not even mention The National newspaper that I write for – so biased are they against it. I had to correct them. Never doubt that the BBC is biased. And most especially, never doubt that it is very biased in Scotland, where Unionism is the only cause that it represents. No wonder no one wanted to go on: The odds were grossly unfairly stacked against me as a critic. And that, apparently, is an absence of bias in the BBC lexicon.
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Richard Murphy in huge spat with BBC presenter over 'pro-Union bias'
Murphy took part in the phone-in on the Mornings show presented by Connie McLaughlin on Wednesday when the pair got into a spat. Midway through an extensive discussion on impartiality at the BBC, Murphy came onto the programme to say he did not have confidence in the BBC, highlighting that the 'nationalist community' does not trust the broadcaster because it is 'so absolutely pro-Unionist'. After former BBC political editor Brian Taylor was brought back into the discussion – having spoken on the programme already – alongside ex-BBC Radio 4 presenter Roger Bolton, Murphy and McLaughlin then got into a heated back-and-forth. READ MORE: Media expert raises fears over BBC Gaza documentary review When Murphy was brought in to have his 'final word', he said: 'We've gone on for 40-plus minutes and all I've heard so far is pro-BBC propaganda from the BBC.' McLaughlin then interrupted to say: 'Well not really because they've allowed you to speak.' 'No, let me finish Connie please,' Murphy then said. McLaughlin then hit back saying: 'Richard, come on.' Murphy then said he had just heard a programme 'which is entirely about how good the BBC is from BBC editors and producers' which he claimed is 'bias'. McLaughlin interrupted him again saying: 'Have you not been speaking on the programme for the last eight minutes or so because I don't think then that's accurate?' (Image: Ian West/PA Wire) Murphy then said: 'Every time I do, you interrupt me Connie and you are not interrupting your BBC colleagues.' McLaughlin said it was 'not fair' for Murphy to make that accusation as she warned him that he had a minute and a half left to speak. 'The BBC is biased in favour of big business, it is biased in favour of the right wing media because it uses that as its news sources in the main for discussion, it is biased against the nationalist cause in Scotland, it is biased against the Palestinian cause in its claim and its right to have a state, it is biased in favour of Israel very clearly,' Murphy concluded. McLaughlin replied: 'Thank you for that, you've had your say and hopefully you think you had enough time there.' The squabble had been preceded by Murphy clashing with Taylor after the economist claimed Taylor had said he had never heard any complaints about BBC bias in his time at the broadcaster. READ MORE: Scottish Tories in cronyism row as THIRD ex-spin doctor gets public cash Taylor clarified that he had said he was 'never at any point asked within the BBC by managers to tailor a report to fit an agenda dictated by the BBC' adding that he had witnessed 'endless complaints' about BBC Scotland coverage. But Murphy hit back by claiming the BBC bases its news agenda on a printed press heavily skewed in favour of the Union. He said: 'You're saying there's never been an instruction but let's look at how the BBC constructs so much of its news output. 'Almost every day the BBC's news agenda is tailored by what is in the media, the rest of the media, in particular the printed media. 'Have you noticed the bias in the printed media in Scotland? There is one pro-independence newspaper and a raft of those who are opposed. 'So, if the BBC reflects equally each of the newspapers, the nationalist cause does not get represented.' McLaughlin said: 'The purpose of the BBC is not to reflect every newspaper out there.' The BBC has come under fire from a variety of angles after an independent review found it had breached an accuracy guideline in failing to disclose that the narrator of a documentary on Gaza was the son of a Hamas official. However, the report also concluded that in terms of the programme's content, there were no issues with accuracy, fairness or impartiality. The BBC has also sacked both MasterChef presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode, following a review into the behaviour of Wallace. The report, commissioned by MasterChef production company Banijay UK and led by law firm Lewis Silkin, found 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated, alongside two standalone allegations made against other people, including one for using racist language. Wallace was sacked by the BBC last week. In a post on Instagram, Torode confirmed he was the person alleged to have used racist language but said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation. Torode has been told his contract on MasterChef will not be renewed on Tuesday.
