4. The Northern Powerhouse

By the 1980s, Georgie Pai has been arrested in Glastonbury for overstaying a tourist visa, found guilty of terrorising Chinese communities in Southampton, and deported back to Hong Kong. But borders are no barrier for a man with the right connections. He slips back into Britain and continues to expand his empire.

Manchester becomes his nerve centre as police begin building a database of suspected Triad gangsters. But with Wo Shing Wo’s growing power comes a rising tide of violence. One of Georgie Pai’s associates is brutally attacked with machetes, a warning that it is far from an isolated incident. Across the UK, violent clashes between rival Triad factions are becoming alarmingly common, each gang carving up territory in a bloody, escalating turf war.

Presenter: Livvy Haydock

Series Producer: Hayley Mortimer

Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford

Producers: Patrick Kiteley & Matt Toulson

Fixer in Hong Kong: Michelle Chan

Music: Andy Simms and Reliable Source Music

Journalism Assistants: Hattie Valentine & Ellie Dover

Commissioning Producer: Sam Proffitt

Commissioning Executive: Lorraine Okuefuna and Louise Kattenhorn

Commissioning Editor: Richard Maddock

Editor and Executive Producer: Clare Fordham