Tough Nuts

Thursday, January 26 at 7.30pm on CRIME & INVESTIGATION NETWORK

Presented by bestselling crime author, Tara Moss, this explosive eight part series blows the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and reveals the real story g y behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history.

This world premiere series features the real stories of the complex and violent relationships between Australia’s most infamous criminals. Featuring never before seen interviews with psychologists, police detectives, investigative journalists, former criminals and friends and associates of the men in question, combined with cinematic dramatised scenes of pivotal points in the criminals lives, Tough Nuts exposes the facts behind the fiction and offers a revealing and often shocking insight into what these criminals were really like.

George Freeman: The King Of Sydney. Murderer, race fixer, SP bookmaker and crime lord, Freeman and his gang ruled Sydney’s underworld for 30 years. Although he could turn on the charm, Freeman’s violence and ruthlessness were legendary.

Thursday, December 29 at 7.30pm on CRIME & INVESTIGATION NETWORK

Tough Nuts: Australia’s Hardest Criminals returns with series 2. Presented by bestselling crime author, Tara Moss, this explosive eight part series blows the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and reveals the real story behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history. This world premiere series features the real stories of the complex and violent relationships between Australia’s most infamous criminals.

Featuring never before seen interviews with psychologists, police detectives, investigative journalists, former criminals and friends and associates of the men in question, combined with cinematic dramatised scenes of pivotal points in the criminals lives, TT h N t ough Nuts exposes the facts behind the fiction and offers a revealing and often shocking insight into what these criminals were really like.

Stewart John Regan: The Magician – Multiple murderer, extortionist, pimp, child killer and violent thug, Regan is arguably the most violent and terrifying person in Australian criminal history.

Thursday, July 28 at 7.30pm on Crime & Investigation NETWORK

8 Episodes x 60 minutes (One episode per month)

Tough Nuts: Australia’s Hardest Criminals returns with series 2. Presented by bestselling crime author, Tara Moss, this explosive eight part series blows the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and reveals the real story behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history. This world premiere series features the real stories of the complex and violent relationships between Australia’s most infamous criminals. Featuring never before seen interviews with psychologists, police detectives, investigative journalists, former criminals criminals and friends and associates of the men in ques and friends and associates of the men in question tion combined with cinematic dramatised scenes of , combined with cinematic dramatised scenes of pivotal points in the criminals lives, Tough Nuts exposes the facts behind the fiction and offers a revealing and often shocking insight into what these criminals were really like.

The criminal in question in this episode is Stan Smith. Also known as “Stan the Man Smith” he was once described as a Mafia associate, a “stand-over criminal and a shop thief”. Stan Smith was an associate of Lennie McPherson McPherson and George Freeman and George Freeman.

Smash-hit crime series TOUGH NUTS will return bigger and better than ever for a second season on Thursday, June 30 at 7.30pm aest, exclusive to Crime & Investigation Network.

Best-selling crime author Tara Moss is back to host eight brand new episodes, which will continue to lift the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and expose the real story behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history.

TOUGH NUTS 2 combines compelling interviews with psychologists, police detectives, investigative journalists and associates of the criminals profiled – and brings the characters to life in cinematic-style dramatised scenes.

Each episode delves deeply in to the psyche of these terrifying crims, offering a revealing and often shocking insight in the lives of some of this country’s most vicious underworld identities.

The 8 x 1 hour episodes profile the following criminals: Nikolai Radev, Stan Smith, Ray Denning, Tilly Devine, Jockey Smith, Stewart John Regan, Dino Dibra and George Freeman.

Episode One, premiering on Thursday, June 30 at 7:30pm aest, profiles Nikolai ‘The Russian’ Radev, a key player in Melbourne’s gangland wars – and a former Bulgarian wrestler who invaded the lives of his extortion victims and terrorised them until they met his demands.

Through extensive research and never-before-seen interviews, TOUGH NUTS 2 will provide a detailed account of Radev’s terror tactics from several of his victims, including businessman Sedat Ceylan, who was lured to a hotel room in Melbourne and viciously tortured by Radev and his thugs for hours on end.

Tough Nuts also reveals that Radev murdered his neighbour in order to steal his identity, and enable him to continue his crime spree in someone else’s name.

And for the first time on television, former police detective and member of Victorian Police’s Organised Crime Squad, Ben Archbold, tells of his terrifying confrontation with Radev.

Radev’s rampant and brutal crime spree eventually made him a marked man and he was deemed too dangerous to be allowed to live. Radev was executed in broad daylight on April 15, 2003 at the behest of drug lord Carl Williams, with Williams’ devoted assassin, Andrew ‘Benji’ Veniamin, firing the fatal shots.

Featuring dramatised scenes of some of the most revealing and violent moments in Radev’s life, TOUGH NUTS 2 will finally expose the full story behind the man considered to be one of the most abhorrent criminals in Australian underworld history.

TOUGH NUTS 2 is produced by Bryan Cockerill at The Full Box and is exclusive to Crime & Investigation Network.

FOXTEL today announced leading international crime writer Tara Moss will continue to be the face of popular crime and mystery channels Crime & Investigation Network and 13th STREET Universal Channel, having re-signed for a further 12 months.

From late June 2011, Moss will host Series 2 of the exclusively produced, smash-hit crime series, Tough Nuts, for the Crime & Investigation Network, and continue her role as ‘Ambassador of Crime’ for the 13th STREET Universal Channel.

The new eight-part series of Tough Nuts will premiere on June 30 at 7:30pm AEST, and will continue to explore some of this country’s most heinous crimes and delve into the compelling psyche of some of Australia’s most hardened criminals.

Featuring extensive interviews with psychologists, police officers and convicted criminals and dramatised reconstructions of some of Australia’s most notorious crimes, Tough Nuts will expose the fact behind the fiction and give viewers a revealing insight in to what can cause seemingly normal people to turn bad.

“The first season of Tough Nuts was a huge success for us last year and a clear winner with our viewers. The second season is better than ever with captivating story telling and standout re-enactments. We’re thrilled to have Tara return for this exciting new season,” said Jim Buchan, Channel Manager Crime & Investigation Network.

Tough Nuts is produced by Bryan Cockerill and Geraldine Coy at The Full Box.

In her role as Ambassador of Crime for 13th STREET Universal, Moss will host a series of short form programs exclusive to the channel titled Tara Moss in Conversation, focusing on the hugely popular crime writing genre.  The channel interstitials will commence filming this month at the Sydney Writers Festival and guests will include best-selling US crime novelist Michael Connolly; Australian author and Ned Kelly Award winner Gary Disher; Singapore-based author of the Inspector Singh series Shamini Flint and short-listed for the Miles Franklin this year, Chris Womersley.

Tara will also continue to host 13TH STREET Universal BOOK CLUB for the channel’s website which showcases her favourite books each month. www.13thstreetuniversal.com.au

“We are delighted that Tara is part of our team – she remains immensely popular with our viewers and has made a wonderful contribution to the channel. Both her fascinating interviews and monthly book recommendations build unique relationships for fans of the murder mystery genre,” said Ros Jones, Channel Director Australiasia, 13TH STREET Universal.

Episode Five of TOUGH NUTS: AUSTRALIA’S HARDEST CRIMINALS premieres on Thursday, October 28 at 7.30pm AEDT and profiles one of Australia’s most notorious and successful criminals, Russell ‘Mad Dog’ Cox.

Born in 1949 as Melville Peter Schnitzerling, Russell Cox went from bike thief at age nine to Australia’s most wanted man for a record 11 years.

Known as one of Australia’s best armed robbers, his criminal mates called him ‘The Fox’, but to police and journalists he was Russell ‘Mad Dog’ Cox.

Cox was sentenced to life after a failed 1975 escape bid from Long Bay, during which he kidnapped two warders at gunpoint. He was then incarcerated in the notorious Katingal Unit at Long Bay Jail. Katingal was a maximum security prison that was dubbed the ‘electric zoo’ and said to be escape-proof.

But Cox proved to be a criminal no prison could hold and he escaped Katingal in November 1977. His incredible escape is explained in detail in this episode of TOUGH NUTS.

A master of disguise, Cox remained on the run for the next 11 years, accompanied by his partner Helen Deane, a nurse and also the sister-in-law of Australian criminal mastermind Raymond ‘Ray Chuck’ Bennett.

But in 1988, Cox’s luck ran out and he was captured in a shoot-out in Melbourne and imprisoned once again.

Cox went on to become a reformed character – in his final stint in jail, he decided to remain behind bars and assist in the young offenders’ scheme, helping young inmates on the road to a life free of crime.

Cox was released from prison on December 8, 2004 and now lives a quiet existence on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Presented by bestselling crime author Tara Moss, TOUGH NUTS is an eight-part series that blows the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and reveals the real story behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history.

The series profiles a different criminal in each episode and features, in order: Christopher Dale Flannery, Chow Hayes, Alphonse Gangitano, Dennis Allen, Russell Cox, Michael Sayers, Raymond Bennett and Lenny McPherson.

TOUGH NUTS is produced by Bryan Cockerill from The Full Box and is exclusive to Crime & Investigation Network.

Thursday, September 30, at 7.30pm on Crime & Investigation Network

Dennis Allen was the oldest son of Melbourne crime matriarch, Kath Pettingill. While the remainder of her sons are criminals and some of them vicious killers, not one comes close to the utter brutality of Dennis Allen. His first major crime was appalling in its brutality – the abduction and rape of a 19-year-old woman. Serving six years of a nine year sentence, Allen left the prison gates with the contacts to become a major drug dealer. Allen would traffic in amphetamines and heroin and became one of Melbourne’s biggest suppliers. Allen had a way of cutting out his competitors. He became a police informer, making anonymous calls to police to give up his rivals. When that didn’t work, he turned to murder. He is suspected of committing 11 murders. He knew no loyalty, had no friends and regarded his family as servants to use at his disposal.

Tough Nuts develops the profile on Australia’s most sadistic crime lord. A product of an appalling home as a young boy who then received his masters degree in crime while behind the walls of one of Australia’s most notorious prisons, Allen would only know one way: his way or death. Allen died of natural causes while awaiting trial for the murder of James Stanhope, as well as weapons and drug offences. Known to have injected pure amphetamines into his veins, Allen’s heart collapsed under the strain. He was dead at 38 years of age.

Tough Nuts – DENNIS ALLEN: THE MAN CALLED MR DEATH - Episode Four premieres Thursday, September 30 at 7.30pm AEST

Hosted by Tara Moss and Exclusive to Crime & Investigation Network

Episode Four of TOUGH NUTS: AUSTRALIA’S HARDEST CRIMINALS, premieres on Thursday, September 23 at 7.30pm AEST and explores the life of one of Australia’s most brutal crime lords, ‘Mr Death’ Dennis Allen.

Dennis Allen was the oldest son of Melbourne crime matriarch, Kath Pettingill and is suspected of committing at least 11 murders.

Allen’s first major crime was appalling in its brutality: the abduction and rape of a 19 year-old woman. Serving six years of a nine year sentence, Allen left the prison gates with the contacts to become a major drug dealer – and went on to traffic in amphetamines and heroin and become one of Melbourne’s biggest suppliers.

Allen had a way of cutting out his competitors by becoming a police informer and making anonymous calls to police to give up his rivals. When that didn’t work, he turned to murder.

Allen knew no loyalty, had no friends and regarded his family as servants to use at his disposal.

In this fascinating episode of TOUGH NUTS, an in-depth profile on one of Australia’s most sadistic criminals is gradually uncovered, through interviews with psycholgists, police detectives and investigative journalists.

The product of an appalling home life as a young boy and subjected to violent and abusive treatment by a number of his mother’s boyfriends, Allen went on to learn everything he needed to know about being a professional criminal while behind the walls of one of Australia’s most notorious prisons.

Allen died of heart failure while awaiting trial for the murder of Wayne Stanhope, as well as for other weapons and drug offences. A heavy drug user, Allen’s heart collapsed under the strain.

He was dead at 38 years of age.

Presented by bestselling crime author Tara Moss, TOUGH NUTS is an eight-part series that blows the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and reveals the real story behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history.

The 8 x 1 hour series profiles a different criminal in each episode and features, in order: Christopher Dale Flannery, Chow Hayes, Alphonse Gangitano, Dennis Allen, Russell Cox, Michael Sayers, Raymond Bennett and Lenny McPherson.

TOUGH NUTS is produced by Bryan Cockerill from The Full Box and is exclusive to Crime & Investigation Network.

Thursday, August 26, at 7.30pm on CRIME & INVESTIGATION NETWORK

He was known as the Black Prince of Lygon Street and was the most lethal member of Melbourne’s notorious Carlton Crew in the 1980s and 1990s. A forensic psychologist examines what turned Alphonse Gangitano into a violent standover man and murderer. Gangitano came from a solid middle class background and loving family environment. There is no history of criminality in Gangitano’s family. Nature or nurture? The reasons for Gangitano’s life of crime don’t seem to sit in either category. But while other kids had posters of rock stars and sports personalities on their bedroom walls, Gangitano had a poster of Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.

Through accounts of senior police and his criminal associates, Tough Nuts builds the profile on Gangitano, the boy who wanted to be a gangster when he grew up. We chart his crimes, the development of his pathological hatred of police and the event that took him over the edge – the affray at a Melbourne night club where Gangitano was arrested and where it seems, he decided to turn his back on a life of violent crime and go straight. But Gangitano was in too deep for a last minute epiphany. Gangitano learns that the superannuation package for gangsters doesn’t amount to more than a few grams of hot lead in the back of the head.