The Magnificent O'Connors: 1. The Saturday Girl

Summary

The History Podcast – The Magnificent O’Connors: Episode 1 – The Saturday Girl

BBC Radio 4 | October 1, 2025

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Overview

This inaugural episode introduces listeners to the extraordinary O’Connor family, focusing especially on Jimmy O’Connor, a small-time criminal convicted of murder in 1941, and his remarkable wife, Nemeni Lethbridge—a pioneering female barrister. Narrated by their son, Ragnar O’Connor, the episode weaves together personal family history, the British justice system, and the social backdrop of mid-20th-century London, all while setting up the family’s contemporary quest to overturn Jimmy’s conviction. The tone is warm, candid, and often wry, blending gritty details with familial affection and dry humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Murder of 'Donk' Ambridge and Jimmy O’Connor’s Conviction

• Ragnar recounts Jimmy’s arrest for murder in war-time Kilburn, London (00:39–02:27).
  • The scene is dark and chaotic, “the floor around him is covered in blood... The crime committed here will shortly become about as serious as it gets.”
• Jimmy always insisted on his innocence but was sentenced to death at age 24 (02:18), escaping execution by a narrow margin.

2. The Ongoing Shadow of Justice—and Injustice

• The conviction shaped Jimmy’s life and relationships, as well as his family’s (“the corrosive label of convicted murderer ate away at him, began to take its toll.” 02:58).
• Ragnar, his brother Milo, and their mother Nemeni strive to posthumously clear Jimmy’s name (“If we’re ever going to get Dad’s conviction overturned in her lifetime, we’re going to need a big breakthrough...” 05:49).

3. Introducing Nemeni Lethbridge: An Extraordinary Woman

• Nemeni is painted as a trailblazer: “One of the first Brits to set foot into Hitler’s bunker, and legal representative to the infamous Kray twins.” (03:42–03:57)
• She reflects on her work and reputation: “They were always as good as gold as far as I was concerned. And very polite, very correct.” (03:57)
• Her sharp wit and humor are clear: “He said, I wish she was my wife. And I said, in your dreams.” (04:16)

4. Family Ties and Legacy

• The sons’ brush with fame in the 1990s as members of the briefly famous band “FMB” points to the family’s knack for weaving into British cultural moments (“Our biggest hit, and I use the term in the loosest way possible, was a song called James. And funnily enough, it was about our dad.” 05:14)
• The family archive—a literal cellar of evidence, news clippings, and memorabilia—drives both the podcast and their quest (“If we really are going to give this one last crack, then we need to go through all of this... This archive is like a tangled web.” 06:25)

5. Nemeni’s Unconventional Upbringing and Early Brush with Morality

• Recalling a childhood story of almost poisoning a classmate, Nemeni demonstrates an early reckoning with guilt, shame, and justice (“I took a dislike to a girl in my class. I decided to kill her... She burst into tears and said, this is so kind... I remember... feeling terribly ashamed.” 09:44–10:09)
• Childhood during WWII was surreal: “If you hear the sound, go find a ditch and lie down... We thought this was so interesting.” (11:01–11:30)

6. Formative Experiences: The Post-war Berlin Visit

• Her father, Major General John Lethbridge, taught his kids history by taking them to Hitler’s bunker, exposing them firsthand to the aftermath of war and trauma (“At the end of the steps was a metal door... It stank of decay.” 12:51–13:01)

7. Nemeni’s Legal Career—Barriers and Breakthroughs

• Nemeni enters law at Oxford, undeterred by misogyny (“...one of only two women studying the subject in her year. Yet she was far from fazed by that...” 14:49–15:10)
• Her early campaign against the death penalty—years before Jimmy’s own brush with the noose (“I had a vocation to try and assist in the campaign to have the bloody thing abolished.” 15:25)
• Sexism in the profession is blatant—she’s excluded from work and even practical necessities like a toilet key (“...he had fitted Yale Locke to the lavatory and he cut a key for every member except me... I had to go up the road to Fleet street.” 18:56–19:12)
• Dock briefs and chance assignments become her bread and butter, including the case that makes her “the Saturday girl” (20:11–20:34).

8. Defending the Kray Twins

• Her recurring work with Ronnie and Reggie Kray—“They were my bread and butter.” (24:40)—and her first impressions: “They were immaculate, sitting at the back of a cell... very solemn, shiny black hair... very polite.” (22:21)
• Social navigation in both criminal and polite society—a vivid tea with the Krays’ mother, Violet, and a hilarious refusal of a bribe (“Mr. Cray, I can’t accept thee sooner... Let alone not in front of witnesses.” 23:32–24:32)
• Their relationship blossoms, with Nemeni repeatedly defending them and being welcomed into their family.

9. A Fateful Evening: Meeting Jimmy O’Connor

• The famed Star Tavern forms the backdrop for Nemeni meeting Jimmy—a hub where “high society and the underworld meet.” (25:57)
• Vivid cast of characters present: Christine Keeler, Bob Hope, Lord Lucan (26:44–27:04)
• Nemeni is introduced to Jimmy—a man who, despite his dark reputation, was charismatic and magnetic: “I want you to meet the most fascinating man in London.” (27:34)

10. Setting Up the Series Arc

• The episode leaves us anticipating Jimmy’s side of the story, and the family’s continuing quest (“She didn’t know it then, how could she? But Jimmy O’Connor was going to take my mum’s life and completely tear it apart.” 27:40)
• A tease for Episode 2: “You’re gonna meet my dad and get the whole story of how he ended up at the centre of an investigation into murder.” (28:48)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I don’t murder people.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (02:26)
• “I’m a thief. And a fucking good one. That man was Jimmy O’Connor, my dad.” – Ragnar O’Connor (02:27)
• “He was by no means a saint but always categorically denied any involvement in that murder.” – Ragnar O’Connor (02:45)
• “He said, I wish she was my wife. And I said, in your dreams.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (04:16)
• “Everybody knew your dad was stitched up.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (05:49)
• “It would mean everything, because it was a miscarriage of justice and I hate injustice.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (06:08)
• “I took a dislike to a girl in my class. I decided to kill her. I don’t know why. Just pure wickedness.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (09:44)
• “People regarded the death penalty as part of the scenery in those days... I had a vocation to try and assist in the campaign to have the bloody thing abolished.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (15:25)
• “I remember the case I did about a fraudulent fitted kitchen company... I wanted the other geese to see I’d got the dolly bird in my cell.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (19:51)
• “The morning I arrived, there was a chapter working the corridor and he had fitted Yale Lock to the lavatory and he cut a key for every member except me.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (18:56)
• “Their mum had been down to court early and brought them clean shirts and shoe polish and brill cream... They were very solemn, shiny black hair... very polite.” – Nemeni Lethbridge (22:21)
• “I want you to meet the most fascinating man in London.” – Lionel Thompson, introducing Jimmy to Nemeni (27:34)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:39] – Opening: Jimmy O’Connor’s arrest and conviction.
• [02:26] – Nemeni’s defiance: “I don’t murder people.”
• [03:38] – Nemeni Lethbridge introduction; her CV.
• [04:25] – Family legacy, the sons, and their band FMB.
• [05:49] – Family’s fight to clear Jimmy’s name.
• [09:44] – Nemeni’s childhood anecdote: childhood ‘murder plot.’
• [11:01] – Memories of the war: dogfights and childhood.
• [12:20–13:39] – Family trip to Hitler’s bunker in post-war Berlin.
• [14:46] – Nemeni at Oxford, choosing law.
• [15:25] – Motivation against the death penalty.
• [17:00] – Nepotism and entering a barrister’s Chambers.
• [18:56] – Sexism in the legal profession (“no lavatory key”).
• [20:21] – Becoming the “Saturday girl”; assigned to the Krays.
• [22:21] – First impressions of the Kray twins.
• [23:32] – Tea with Violet Kray and refusing a bribe.
• [25:57]–[27:34] – The Star Tavern: meeting Jimmy O’Connor.
• [28:48] – Preview for Episode 2.

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Conclusion

The Saturday Girl is a rich, atmospheric introduction to the saga of the O’Connors—mixing mystery, family warmth, British legal history, and gangland glamour. The episode establishes the stakes for the series: the urgent quest to clear Jimmy O’Connor’s name before Nemeni Lethbridge’s time runs out. In the process, listeners are treated to vivid firsthand stories that both entertain and illuminate, leaving a lingering curiosity about what—and who—might be uncovered next in the O’Connors’ extraordinary tale.

Transcript

[BBC Announcer]

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[Ragnar O'Connor]

You're about to listen to the history podcast the Magnificent o'. Connors. Episodes of this series will be released weekly wherever you get your podcasts. But if you're in the uk, the whole series is available right now, first on BBC Sounds. And this episode contains strong language. It's around midnight on 13 April 1941. The Second World War is in full swing. But tonight it doesn't feel like it. In Kilburn, an area of North London, the air raid sirens are conspicuous by their absence. As if in celebration, there's a sound of revellers having a knees up, seizing the opportunity to forget the existential threat of war. But the streets themselves are quiet. These streets aren't safe. At night, in the inky darkness of the war torn capital, in a small one bed flat, a man crawls towards his bed. He and the floor around him is covered in blood. The flat has clearly been ransacked, but the crime committed here will shortly become about as serious as it gets. When the man is discovered a few days later. The police aren't looking for a burglar. They're on the hunt for a murderer. The police act swiftly, the perpetrator must be found. Justice must be seen to be done and someone is found. A man with an alibi that's not quite watertight. He will be tried, convicted of murder and sentenced to death on what will be his 24th birthday.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

I don't murder people.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

I'm a thief. And a fucking good one. That man was Jimmy O', Connor, my dad. I'm Ragnar O' Connor and from the History Podcast and BBC Radio 4, this is the magnificent OConnors. Episode 1 the Saturday Girl Ladies and gentlemen, James O'. Connor. That's him. The man who lived an extraordinary life by any standard. Here is someone who, in the space of a few decades went from the shadow of the hangman's noose to something of a fated celebrity. He was by no means a saint, but he always categorically denied any involvement in that murder. He fought to prove his innocence, but was never pardoned, never Got his conviction overturned. Over the years, the corrosive label of convicted murderer ate away at him, began to take its toll. But he didn't carry that burden alone. He's not the only extraordinary member of this family.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Nemeny Lethbridge. Welcome to Desert Island Discs. Hello.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Nemeny is my mum. There's not many people whose CV reads trailblazing female barrister, one of the first Brits to set foot into Hitler's bunker, and legal representative to the infamous Kray twins.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

They were always as good as gold as far as I was concerned. And very polite, very correct.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

She certainly lived a full life. And although she's getting on a bit now, Mum is still as sharp as a tack and can still tell one hell of a story.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

He said, I wish she was my wife. And I said, in your dreams.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Together, Mum and Dad saw so much, and together they fought and failed to get Jimmy o' Connor's conviction overturned. It was a life that twisted and turned through politics, the legal system, the dramatic arts and the glare of the media spotlight. We're like the Forest Gump of the last hundred years, where we've kind of been at the point of every single important thing that's ever happened stacked up against them. Can it really be said that me and my brother Milo are in any way extraordinary? Oh, look at you. That haircut. Oh, yes. Oh, wow. Well, I mean, in the 1990s, we were in a band called FMB and we were briefly famous, kind of. Milo's even got the press clippings to prove it. Fmb. Fmb. The next big thing. Our biggest hit, and I used the term in the loosest way possible, was a song called James. And funnily enough, it was about our dad. And although he's long gone, what happened to him all those years ago still binds the three of us together, me, Milo and Mum, fighting to prove Jimmy o' Connor was no murderer. He was a naughty boy and he.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Didn'T get caught for things he done.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

But everybody knew your dad was stitched up. But time is ticking. Mum is 93 now. If we're ever going to get Dad's conviction overturned in her lifetime, we're going to need a big breakthrough in the case and it's gonna have to happen soon.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

What would it mean to you if you were to succeed and to be able to do that? It would mean everything, because it was a miscarriage of justice and I hate injustice.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Okay, so I'm just announcing my dad's old stuff and then I think I've got my Brother Milo is down in our cellar, otherwise known as the o' Connor family archive. And let me tell you, that archive is extensive. Huge. The horrible death of the mad axeman Richard Person, Dino Doors. There you go. Debbie Reynolds. This is where much of our story is to be found. It's all been piling up since we came here in 1974, here being Lystrier Park, a quiet street in North London. Okay, so this is all. This is all related to the craze? Yep. Dispose of the body. Grim stuff. Right. Our whole life is down there, including a record of all the many things we've done through the years to try and get Dad's conviction overturned. If we really are going to give this one last crack, then we need to go through all of this, revisit everything with fresh eyes. This podcast gives us the chance to do just that. And to be honest, it's the main reason we agreed to make it. Who knows, somewhere in the cellar there could be something really important that we've all missed. There's a whole treasure trove here, the whole complete news archive. Milo is far better at this family history stuff than me. He's in his element in the archive, every detail at his fingertips. I never thought I'd be recording with the BBC in the cellar, I must say, but I suppose in a way that's another reason I wanted to make this podcast. It's not just about pushing my dad's case one more time. It's also about us properly telling our family story. Some of it I know really well, but there are other bits, mysteries I want to find out more about. This archive is like a tangled web, one that tells a story of my mum, my dad, and of course, their two sons, me and Milo. And the thread we're going to pull on first leads us to Mum in the psychiatrist chair, 18th of the 9th 82. That's mum with Anthony Clare, surely? Or is it? Don't know. In the psychiatrist's chair, Nimini Lethbridge talks to Dr. Anthony Clare.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Nemenie Lethbridge was born on the 1st of March, 1932. Her father, a British Major General, was later Chief of Staff in Burma and her Chief of Intelligence in post war Berlin.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

You ready, Mum?

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Yes.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Me and Milo are now upstairs, sitting in Mum's bedroom. She lives here with Milo and his family. And it all seems to work pretty well. There's so many places we could start with Mum. But let's start here with a story of murder in mind from when Nemenie Lethbridge was just a Little girl.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

I took a dislike to a girl in my class. I decided to kill her. I don't know why, just pure wickedness.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

So this story is about the time Mum decided to lace some sweets with poisonous berry juice and then feed them to a classmate, as you do. When she gave the girl the sweets, the reaction she got was not the one she was expecting.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

She burst into tears and said, this is so kind. And I said, I'll be your friend. I promise to be your friend. I remember putting my arm around her and feeling terribly ashamed.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Luckily, that girl suffered no ill effects from the poisoned sweets. Now, it's my belief that this story has always stuck in Mum's mind because even at that young age, she learned something important. Mum had put that little girl under a sentence of death, only to find herself relieved and delighted when it was commuted to friendship instead. And to defend Mum's behaviour a bit here. This was an odd time in British history, to say the least. After all, there was a war on. I mean, air battles raged in the skies above.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

I had a little brother, Peter, and we used to go out to watch the dog fights overhead. My mother was very relaxed about this. She said, oh, if you hear the sound, go. Just find a ditch and lie down in the ditch and until you hear the all clear. And we were never scared. We thought this was so interesting.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

This is what the war was for, Nemeni. Something almost abstract. Interesting shapes in the sky, A lethal dance happening at a fairly safe distance. It was only later that she literally came face to face with the grim reality of the conflict. Her father and my granddad was Major General John Lethbridge. In 1946, he was appointed chief of intelligence for the British army of the Rhine and tasked with investigating the death and disappearance of Adolf Hitler. And with the war over, he decided it was a good idea to bring the family to Germany. One day he spotted a learning opportunity. He took them all into the heart of a battle ravaged Berlin. He led them towards a large bunker.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

And told them, I wanted to teach you a bit of history. My mother, she said, this isn't a suitable place for children. And my father just said, I'm sorry. I think Neme and Peter should get educated. So she said, well, I'm sorry, I'm going to wait outside. He managed to get the keys and we went down steps.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

At the end of the steps was a metal door. The general unlocked it, revealing a dark corridor beyond. It stank of decay.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

There were different rooms and most of them were of no interest. They were empty or had been ransacked. The further down we went, the more significant they became. And in the end we came to one room which had nothing in it except a sofa which was covered in some satin material. I think it was orange or yellow. It had a terrible big brown stain.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

It was on this sofa that a year earlier, Adolf Hitler had taken his own life.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

I felt just a little. Okay, I think we've seen enough.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Mum was around 14 years old when that happened. I can't imagine being a teenager and experiencing something like that. But I know what it did to my mum, at least partially. It fanned flames that were probably already there. It helped solidify her feelings of justice and injustice and helped set her off on a course that would last her whole life.

[BBC Announcer]

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[Ragnar O'Connor]

So you went to. So you went to Oxford?

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Yes, I went to Oxford.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Studied law.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Yes, which was fairly useless. It had no relevance to anything.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Mum, as you can possibly tell, isn't someone who simply goes with the flow. She never has. In the early 50s, when entering the male dominated world of law, she was one of only two women studying the subject in her year. Yet she was far from fazed by that. If anything, it spurred her on to rebel against convention. For one thing, she had her sights firmly set on on the death penalty.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

People regarded the death penalty as part of the scenery in those days. Yeah, and I felt I had a vocation to try and assist in the campaign to have the bloody thing abolished.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

England prides itself on being the most gentle country in the world. We detest violence as a foreign vulgarity, but in fact the violence is deep within us. The servants of the public carry out the public will. They dispose of a human being. And if the crime has made the front page of the newspapers, we follow each detail of his fate as closely as we can. One Such case in 1953 was that of Derek Bentley, a man who was executed for a police officer's murder during a robbery gone wrong. However, he was only the accomplice and the actual killer was a teenager ineligible for the death penalty. Nemeni followed this case and others like it. Her interest was moral and professional. Of course, she couldn't have Known that in a few years time it would also become personal. It was while this debate over capital punishment was gathering pace that Nemeni had, having passed her bar exams, had to find somewhere to complete her pupillage, which is the final stage of training to be a barrister. But the legal firms she contacted weren't backward in telling her they didn't want a woman in their chambers. She had to think again.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Happily, a bit of nepotism came to my aid because Mervyn Griffith Jones knew my dad. Mervyn was a very old fashioned barrister. He was the chapel prosecuted in the Lady Chatelain case and said to the jury, is this the sort of book you'd allow your wives or servants to read?

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Wives or servants? Nemeni's dad applied some pressure on Mervyn via a colleague and managed to land her a place.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Mervyn didn't want to take me. He didn't want a woman in Chambers. It was so embarrassing. But his clerk said to him, sir, this never has to be repeated. Regard it as an experiment. And so he took me for six months.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

The timing was perfect. The 1957 Homicide act was being debated in Parliament. It brought with it new defences of provocation and diminished responsibility. While that was happening, use of the death penalty was suspended, which was useful for Nemeny as Mervyn Griffith Jones dealt with a lot of homicides.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

He prosecuted murders, murders, murders. But of course, this was the time that the death penalty was briefly suspended. I don't think I could have done it if they'd been hanging the people we prosecuted. I found it so repugnant.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Nemeni completed her pupillage and secured what's known as a tenancy at 3 Hare Court Chambers. She could now represent clients in court. She was the first woman this Chambers had ever taken on. And the first day set up Nemeni's expectations pretty nicely.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

The morning I arrived, there was a chapter working in the corridor and he had fitted Yale Locke to the lavatory and he cut a key for every member of Chambers except me. And I was told I'd have to go up the road to Fleet street.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

To use the loo, use the public loos. I mean, it's incredible.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

I wasn't allowed to have access to any of the chambers pool of work because all the prosecuting work was handled by the Scotland Yard solicitor and he didn't like women. So I was told I just have to find my own work, which, you know, got little bits and pieces. Dock briefs was how we lived in those days.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

A dock brief was where you turned up in court and a client would pick you to represent them.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

I remember the case I did about a fraudulent fitted kitchen company. I asked the clout why he'd chosen me and he said I wanted the other geese to see I'd got the dolly bird in my cell.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

It looked like Nemni was going to remain trapped, fending for herself, picking up dock briefs here and there. But then one Friday, her luck changed.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

The clerk said to me, would you pop down to the Aber Square Magistrates Court in the morning? The solicitor who had been instructed was Orthodox Jewish, couldn't go to court on.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Saturday, but Mum was more than happy to be the Saturday girl.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

And so I went down and the clowns for Mr. R Cray and Mr. R Cray, his brother. And it was the beginning of a beautiful.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

The notorious Cray twins, two of the most unscrupulous and violent criminals ever to dominate London's underworld. Ronnie and Reggie Cray. They were quite a pair and I see Reggie and Ronnie beat the man to pulp until he couldn't stand up. In the late 50s, they were almost celebrities, fashioning themselves as simple nightclub owners, but really they were running amok. I think they're inclined to be sort of.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

One of the animals, really.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

I can't say I knew the twins myself, but our family did all attend Ronnie's funeral back in 95, which was nice. Thousands lined the streets to pay their respects to one of the East End's most feared yet most celebrated criminals. How many hearse were. There were 27 hearses.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

34, was it?

[Ragnar O'Connor]

And we were in number seven. Four. And we were number four.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Yes.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

And I remember Mum was chatting to some old boy. Yeah. And. And when I walked up to him, he just turned and looked at me and he went, look after your mum, she's a good lady. And I said, oh, Mum, who's that? And she went, oh, that's Frankie Frazier. And I was like, bloody hell. But that Saturday morning when Mum set off for the Magistrates Court, Ronnie and Reggie weren't quite local legends yet. So, Mum, when you met the craze for the first time, what was your, like, initial impression of them?

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Their mum had been down to court early and brought them clean shirts and shoe polish and brill cream, and they were immaculate, sitting at the back of a cell. They were very solemn, shiny black hair. They'd had a good shave, lots of laughter. Shave and very polite.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

On that first occasion, they were being charged with loitering with intent to commit.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

A crime and they were outraged at being charged with this. They Said, we're a very important businessman. We have plenty of money and we have no need to indulge in this sort of rubbish.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

That first time, she got them acquitted and they loved her for it. But the Old Bill were gunning for.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

The craze, so they kept on getting nicked and coming up in court on.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Saturday morning, but Nemeni kept getting them off. Ronnie, Reggie and Nemeni's relationship blossomed so much, she was invited round for tea with her mum, Violet.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Violet brought in the tea on a tray and a cake on a stand and biscuits and a barrel, and everybody sat round the table. And then we made very stilted conversation about traffic on my street and that sort of thing. And then halfway through the proceedings, Ronnie stood up and said, Mr. Lethbridge, I would like to express my thanks for all that you have done for me and my family. I would like to give you this, an expression of our esteem. And he handed me a great watch of five pound notes, and I said, Mr. Cray, I can't accept thee sooner. Well, not allowed. And Reggie said, let alone not in front of witnesses.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Although Nemeni would continue to resist their offers of large financial tokens of esteem, she was happy to keep on defending Ronnie and Reggie.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

You know, they were my bread and butter.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

And how. Well, how long were you the crazed barrister for, Mum?

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Well, until. Until I married and had to leave. That's what put an end to it.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

It's 1958 and we're in a pub in London's Belgravia called the Star Tavern. Actually, we're in the upstairs bar, which you can only get into at the invitation of the landlord. You know, when people talk about thin spaces, I'm told that's where the boundary between two worlds supposedly becomes permeable. Well, that's this bar. It's here that high society and the underworld meet. On any given night, you might see Diana Dawes or a visiting Bing Crosby sipping on a glass of Dom Perignon. Or you'll spot, provided you know what you're looking for. Career criminals. Cat burglars, safecrackers, knocking back a bullshit. One day soon, this upstairs bar is going to be the place where the Great Train Robbers plan their grand heist. But on this night in 1958, someone else is about to walk up those stairs and into that bar.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

There was a member of my chambers called Lionel Thompson. He was a real charmer and he used to take me out because he was having matrimonial trouble. I mean, we were never boyfriend and girlfriend, but we were friends. And where I lived, we didn't have a telly. Not many people had tellies in those days. And there was a program about the Second World War. I very much wanted to see it. And Lionel knew there was a telly in the upstairs room at the pub.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

So in they came at the invitation of the landlord, Lionel and Nemeni.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

And there was an extraordinary mixture of people.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Didn't you say there was a young Christine Keeler in there?

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Yes, I remember she was there that afternoon. Bob Hope from Hollywood. Yes. And various people like Lucan. Yes. Who lived just round the corner.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

Despite this glittering cast and having come to watch a documentary on tv, Nemeni found her attention being drawn to the other end of the bar.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

There was a group of people at the bar, all laughing their heads off.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

As she watched, it became apparent there was someone in the middle of it all, someone who was the source of all the laughter. The others were hanging on every word. Lionel followed Nemeni's gaze. He knew it was time to make an introduction.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

Said to me, I want you to meet the most fascinating man in London.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

At this point, nemene, still only 26 years old, had accomplished lots in her life and had seen a lot too. But the man she was about to meet was a whirlwind. He was going to take her somewhere new, somewhere wild. All the while acting as the ringmaster in his own personal fight for justice. In the eyes of the law in 1958, as it is in 2025, this man was not to be trusted. He was a murderer. And that was Jimmy, my dad. She didn't know it then, how could she? But Jimmy o' Connor was going to take my mum's life and completely tear it apart. On the next episode of the Magnificent o'. Connors. You're gonna meet my dad and get the whole story of how he ended up at the center of an investigation into murder. He'd go around jewelry shops and he would nick goods and sell them. It was a case of just. Let's nick the local scallywags and see.

[Nemeny Lethbridge]

See who coughs to kill a man in cold blood. It's just to a boat.

[Ragnar O'Connor]

The Magnificent O' Connors is a BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4 and the History podcast. It was produced by Emily essen and Victoria MacArthur. Listen to the whole series right now. First on BBC Sounds. I'm Mark still and for BBC Radio 4 from Shadow World, this is the People v. McDonald's. Hi, boys and girls. How you doing Today, it's Ronald McDonald, your friend and boy. Gosh, by golly, we're going to have a lot of fun today. The longest running trial in English history. I just felt totally burnt out and I wasn't really able to carry on a gardener and a former postman against a global fast food giant. Corporations should not just be able to suppress people with secret surveillance, spies and life changing deception. You start thinking what is reality and what's not reality. Subscribe to the People vmcdonald's on BBC Sounds.

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