It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide

G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted

by 3 books in this series
#1 - G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 1 and 2
#1 - G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 1 and 2
The first two series of the epic saga plotting the course of one family against the backdrop of a revolution in crime

'Magnificently detailed' The Stage

1951. With the Festival of Britain in full swing, the country is looking forward to a brighter, more prosperous future. But young Brian Oldman cannot forget the past. Traumatised by a murder he witnessed when he was just six, he holds a terrible secret; but there is a more devastating secret he has yet to discover. Falling under the spell of his mother, Cath, he is drawn into London's criminal underworld, where territory battles are raging between the old guard and the new.

Brian idolises his uncle, Jack Braden, who dreams of becoming a boxing champion. But when his ambition is thwarted by the army and the Kray twins, Jack's bitterness and anger turns him towards crime. Meanwhile, the head of the family, Joey Oldman - a Russian Jew with a talent for business and a love of money - is building an empire. Growing rich with the help of venal bankers, he and Cath join Macmillan's Conservative Party, and move in increasingly influential circles.

They try in vain to keep their son Brian away from Jack, who has taken the 'firm' from running illicit clubs to armed robbery. Battling to escape the law, the Krays and their rivals the Richardsons, Joey finds himself so steeped in depravity, even his lawyer struggles to help him survive...

Adapted by award-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own bestselling books, this thrilling series spans six decades, following the fortunes of the Oldmans as they are sucked into a web of corruption reaching to the heart of the Establishment. Weaving fiction with real historical characters, it reveals the nexus of crime, business and politics woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed. Toby Jones stars as Joey, with Denise Gough as Cath, Tom Weston-Jones as Jack, Joe Armstrong as Brian and Ross Kemp as the Narrator.

NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place

Created by G. F. Newman
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4

Cast
Narrator - Ross Kemp
Joey Oldman - Toby Jones
Cath Oldman - Denise Gough
Young Brian - Rory McMenamin
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Jack Braden - Tom Weston-Jones/Luke Allen Gale
Gracie Braden/Violet Kray - Ruth Gemmell
Billy Hill/Keffo - Robert Glenister
Bobby Brown/Eddie Richardson/Selwyn Carruthers/Lambert/John Bindon - Charles Davies
Watling/Mr Thompson/Tom Driberg - Nigel Cooke
Win Booker - Lotte Rice
Frank Cockain/Tiger Braden/Tinkerbell - Michael Eaves
Spotty/Sammy Cohen/Capt Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
DI Drury - Tom Weston-Jones
Ronnie Kray/Mr Booker/CSM/Basil Jones/Harold Wilson/Alfie - Lewis MacLeod
Bank Manager/DI Bulmer - Matthew Townshend
Stephen Ward/Shop Owner/Policeman/Fenwick/John Bloom/Paul Raymond - Theo Fraser Steele
Alice/Gladys Brown - Catherine Henderson
Driver/Charlie Richardson/Dealer - Oliver Mawdsley
DI Drury/Fat Cecil/Rikki the Malt - Matthew Marsh
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde
Joshua/Pongo - Chinna Woddu
Ruth Sutton/Martha Baines/Student - Kellie Shirley
Arnold Goodman - Edward Max
Tony Wednesday - Petrice Jones
Judge Stevenson - David Shaw Parker
Other parts played by members of the cast

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 21 October-1 November 2013 (Series 1), 19-30 January 2015 (Series 2)

© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
#2 - G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 3 and 4
#2 - G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 3 and 4
The third and fourth series of the criminal family saga, based on G. F. Newman's bestselling novels

'Terrific listening' The Independent

1971. As Ted Heath's government presides over the collapse of Rolls Royce, and Britain goes over to decimalisation, Brian Oldman is locked up in Brixton Prison.

Joseph Oldman pulls every corrupt string in a desperate attempt to get him released; yet no sooner is Brian out, than he finds himself back inside. Joseph, however, is on the up: expanding his business through dodgy deals with a Colombian drug cartel, and making friends in high places, including Lord Goodman and Margaret Thatcher. Entering the murky world of politics, he becomes an MP, and reverts to his old surname, Olinska.

But just as he is about to receive a knighthood, putting the final seal on his acceptance into the Establishment, he receives news that could ruin everything. Brian, facing a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit, is launching an appeal. He knows who the real guilty party is - Joseph - and he's determined to prove it...

Blending fact and fiction to gripping effect, The Corrupted charts the story of the Oldman family against a backdrop of a revolution in crime, as the underworld extends its reach into the highest echelons of society. Adapted by award-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own acclaimed books, it stars Toby Jones as Joseph, with Izabella Urbanowicz as Cath, Joe Armstrong as Brian and a full cast including Jasmine Hyde, Richard Wilson and Steve Nallon.

NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place

Created by G. F. Newman
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4

Cast
Joseph Oldman/Olinska - Toby Jones
Brian Oldman - Joe Armstrong
Cath - Izabella Urbanowicz
Jack - Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
Tony Wednesday/Michael O'Dell - Alec Newman
Margaret Courtney - Flora Montgomery
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde
Lord Goodman/Gerald Ronson - Edward Max
DCI Fenwick - Theo Fraser Steele
Ken Drury/Sir Donald/Warder DeWitt - Matthew Marsh
Sir Ralph Courtney - Nick Sampson
Margaret Thatcher/Denis Thatcher - Steve Nallon
Bobby Brown/John Bindon/Warder Shenton - Charles Davies
Charlie Peck/Terry Parrish- Patrick Marlowe
Terry Lynch/Terry Bishop - Sam Donnelly
DCS Slipper - Mark Perry
John Redvers - Joseph Kloska
Senor Ortega/Jose Picado/Mr Wilkes - Will Harrison-Wallace
Pongo - David Ajao
Mo Thompson/Doreen/Sonia - Suzanne Proctor
Sonia/Doreen - Lotte Rice
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
Yvonne/Clair Hamil - Susie Emmett
DCI Robertson/Kevin Wheeler - Lucas Hare
Sir Robert Mark - Patrick Cremin
Franco/Simon Hatfield - Joshua Akehurst
Claude Dobbs/Airey Neave - Jonathan Rigby
Lionel Smith/Andrew McDowell - Kieron Jecchinis
Martha - Serena Jennings
Girls - Matilda & Bethany Suett
DC Baldwin - Tom Dawze
Judge Melford Stevenson - Richard Wilson
George Carman QC/Hank Nolan/AC Roland - Nigel Cooke
AC Jennings/Brian Perry/Ernest Saunders/Dr Rickard - Nicholas Murchie
Robert Gallo - William Meredith
Harding/Commissionaire - Simon Pontin
Jack Lynn/Bobby Mark - Ben Jacobson
Paul Newman - David John
Sir Roger Berry - Jamie Newall
Donnie James - John Hollingworth
Other parts played by members of the cast

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 9-20 January 2017 (Series 3), 25 June-6 July 2018 (Series 4)

© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
#3 - G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 5 and 6
#3 - G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 5 and 6
The fifth and sixth series of the East End family crime saga, starring Toby Jones as Joseph Olinska

1991. Britain and the US are waging war in Iraq, the Soviet Union is breaking up - and Brian Oldman is banged up in Parkhurst, his 30-year sentence restarted. Set on proving his innocence, he studies law from his cell in a bid to win justice at last. But will he ever be released from prison?

Joseph Olinska, meanwhile, seems unstoppable. Now ennobled and on the board of Lehman Brothers, he plans to extend his business interests into Russia - with a little help from Boris Yeltsin and his cronies. He also cultivates the new Prime Minister, John Major: as well as a young centre-left politician named Tony Blair. The only fly in the ointment is his acrimonious divorce from Catherine, who's seeking a multi-million-pound settlement and has engaged top barrister George Carman to get it. And in the meantime, she's airing all Joseph's dirty laundry in court...

With his crimes revealed for all to see, will Joseph finally get his comeuppance? And as a new millennium dawns, whose fortunes will prosper - and who will get their just deserts?

Adapted by double BAFTA-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own hit novels, this compelling tale mingles fact and fiction to shine a light on the corruption woven through the fabric of our society. Toby Jones stars as Joseph, with Joe Armstrong as Brian and Izabella Urbanowicz as Catherine.

NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place

Written by G. F. Newman
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4

Cast
Sir Joseph Olinska - Toby Jones
Brian Oldman - Joe Armstrong
Catherine - Izabella Urbanowicz
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde
Margaret - Flora Montgomery
Warder Peters/John Major/Douglas Hurd/Menachem Hayek/Judge Kelman/PO Rogers/Paul Linthwaite/David Blunkett/Robin Bleecher - Paul Kemp
Asst Governor/Lord Miles/Assistant Governor/Warder Thompson/Mr Justice Balardy - Christian Rodska
Dr Aziz/Pongo/Bob Reed/John Quayle - Damian Lynch
Dr Eaves - Felicity Duncan
Lord Goodman - Edward Max
Kevin Wheeler/Nurse Moriarty/Reggie Kray - Lucas Hare
George Carman QC/Tony Blair/Dr Jordan - Nigel Cooke
The Master/Peter Balladur/Lord Carson/Judge - Jamie Newall
Jack Braden - John Hollingworth/Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
Third Doctor/Usher/Secretary/Sonia Hope/Angela/Rita/Audrey/Emma - Sarah Lambie
Tony Wednesday/Boris Yeltsin/Malcolm Rifkind - Alec Newman
Eddie Richardson/Tim Listfield/Dietrich Heller/Professor King - Charles Davies
Chuck Haley - Matt Rippy
Anatoly Popov - Boris Isarov/Matthew Marsh
Brad Peterson/FBI Agent Pyke - William Meredith
2nd Warder/Prisoner/Supervisor/Nikolai Lebedev/Alexei Egorkin/Jodi Monserrat/Prison Doctor- Kieron Jecchinis
Brian Perry/DAC Henderson - Nicholas Murchie
John Redvers - Tom York/Arty Froushan
Sir Ralph Courtney/Magistrate - Nick Sampson
Alex Murray/Inspector Vallins/Gianni/Technician - John Hastings
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
Detective Albright/Sir Michael O'Dell/EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
Clive Bunter/Justice Deed/Brad Thompson - Matthew Marsh
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
Pongo/John Quayle - David Ajao
Mrs Jinks/Marcia Hoffman - Suzan Sylvester
Hamid Afzal/Mr Kumar - Akbar Kurtha
Other parts played by members of the cast

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 20 April-1 May 2020 (Series 5), 10-20 May 2021 (Series 6)

'G. F. Newman's powerful story of ambition and crooks' The Times

© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more