True Crime

Shadow World

by BBC Radio 4

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Where it charts

Today’s combined position on our country charts.

United Kingdom · True Crime

#189

Pulse 4

Ranking history

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About the show

Shadow World - Breakin' the Cycle is the story of two feared London gangsters, Colin and D, who, in the early 2000s decide to try and escape the cycle of crime by making a movie based on their own lives as gang leaders and drug dealers. But the lines between fact and fiction quickly begin to blur, when they take a star-studded cast and a largely white, middle-class film crew into their world, in an attempt to make the UK's first authentic hood film. Accidental stabbings, drug dealing on set, and even a real-life shootout. Amongst the chaos, they're faced with the realities of leaving gang life behind, and the constant temptations of their old life threatening to drag them back in. Breakin' the Cycle is a series about friendship, guns, drugs, money and the sacrifices required when leaving one life behind in pursuit of another. What will it take for Colin and D to leave behind a world of guns, drugs, and gangs, and reinvent themselves as film-makers? Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.

Latest episodes

Breakin' the Cycle: 6. The Final Act

September 2, 2026 · 30 min

Tragedy sends D into shock, confusion, and grief. In the maelstrom of emotion, he decides to fulfill a lucrative drug deal, but is immediately arrested. In prison, he struggles with guilt, despair, the consequences of his criminal past…
Breakin' the Cycle: 5. One Shot

August 26, 2026 · 28 min

As filming wraps, Lewis struggles to finish the first edit of Breakin’ the Cycle as he questions the morality of its violent protagonist. Colin and D head towards a make-or-break meeting that reveals the final steps needed to complete…
Breakin' the Cycle: 4. A New Direction

August 19, 2026 · 28 min

With Colin now firmly in the director’s chair, Breakin’ the Cycle is transformed. Drawing directly from their lived experience, Colin unlocks startlingly authentic performances from the cast, turning what once looked like a cliched…
Breakin' the Cycle: 3. The Right Kind of Violence

August 12, 2026 · 29 min

Production on Breakin’ the Cycle is falling apart - actors are injured, the crew is out of its depth, and Colin and D realise their director can’t capture the reality they lived. As D faces court and confronts the police corruption that…
Breakin' the Cycle: 2. A Hood Story

August 5, 2026 · 29 min

As Colin and D begin turning their prison-written script into a real production, they recruit former pop stars and emerging actors, building a cast captivated by the promise of an authentic Black British crime story. Their film starts to…
Breakin' the Cycle: 1. The Script

July 29, 2026 · 29 min

When aspiring movie editor Lewis Albrow lands an unusual interview with Colin Browne and his right-hand man D, he believes he’s finally found his break into the film industry - but instead he’s pulled into a very different world. In…
Thief at the British Museum: 6. Lone Wolf or Scapegoat?

May 27, 2024 · 19 min

As news of the thefts breaks around the world, the boss of the British Museum turns on Ittai. Now he has to fight to clear his name. And what of the thief? The museum shares details about how they think the thief covered their tracks…
Thief at the British Museum: 5. Secret Missions

May 27, 2024 · 18 min

The inside story of how ancient treasures were stolen from one of the world’s most renowned institutions. And how one man believes he caught a thief. Omnibus edition part one of two. Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben…