A new BBC doc airing tonight will chronicle the hunt for Britain’s most notorious drug smuggler.

While the expected place for true crime docs for many may be Netflix, the BBC’s newest documentary is a gripping watch that will rival even the most popular docs on the streamer.

The benefit of this too is of course, that it can be watched entirely for free (if you exclude your pesky TV license, but that doesn’t fit my point).

The show follows the years long hunt for a man who was long considered to be Britain’s most prolific drug smuggler. The smuggler in question went by the code name ‘Mr Nice’, and was actually a relatively well-known figure in the British press for a while.

Howard Marks is the subject of the new BBC documentary (Neale Haynes via Getty Images)

Despite this, the Welsh criminal was hauling mountains of Cannabis into the country.

The two-part doc in question is called Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin and focuses on the pursuit of Howard Marks, a Welsh Cannabis Kingpin.

Marks died from cancer in 2016 at the age of 70.

The documentary focuses on his inner circle and the people who were pursuing him. This includes the pilot Roger Reaves, who became a pilot for Marks after years spent as a smuggler for the Medellin Cartel.

Pursuing Marks was DEA agent Craig Lovato, who features heavily in the documentary.

Below is a clip of Lovato discussing the various codes which incorporated Cockney Rhyming Slang which prevented Marks being caught for years:

Marks was finally arrested in 1988, and spent seven years behind bars in what was dubbed ‘America’s toughest’ prison.

Throughout the mid 1980s he was hauling tens of millions of pounds worth of Cannabis, however the release of his autobiography ‘Mr Nice’ following his release from prison helped reform his image.

This led to a second life as a public speaker and successful author.

Until his death Marks claimed it was a ‘victimless crime’, something which his ex-wife Judy disputed in a 2009 interview.

She said: “For years I was terrified living with him. I used to beg him to stop dealing. I nagged him non-stop. We quarrelled over it. But he was unbelievably selfish. And the family was devastated, destroyed.

“I look back and think what an idiot I was. I regret that I wasn’t more forceful. His own children got hurt. Patrick was only one when both of us were arrested. I was in prison for a year in Madrid away from the children.

“It was a terrible, painful time and Patrick suffered the most. A lot of people got very hurt. So no, I wouldn’t call his crimes victimless.”

You can watch both episodes of Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin on BBC iPlayer now.

News bloopers don’t get much better than this after a BBC presenter was caught giving the middle finger live on air.

Watch below:

Viewers have questioned if Maryam Moshiri was presenting ‘The Do One Show’ as the Chief Presenter flashed her middle finger just before transitioning into a news bulletin.

Moshiri was featuring on the world feed of BBC News at 12 noon (UK time) on Wednesday (6 December) – and the stunned look on her face said it all.

BBC

Soon after the programme’s famous musical countdown ends, Moshiri throws up the finger while looking straight down the camera lens, taking her a good few seconds to realise she was in fact on air.

The growling look on her face soon disappeared and she snatched her hand away to avoid further damage.

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AWKWARD MOMENT BBC PRESENTER DOES BIZARRE POSE NOT KNOWING SHE’S LIVE ON AIR

Moshiri hilariously starts to present the news like normal as she reads out the headlines about Boris Johnson.

“Live from London, this is BBC News,” she says, adopting a more serious look.

As anyone would be in that position, Moshri was slightly rattled as she referred to the ‘coronaverse’ pandemic at the end of the headline.

BBC

Quite rightly, most viewers saw the funny side as one person tweeted: “It’s the new BBC magazine programme @ 7pm: ‘The Do One Show’.”

“Ye Gods, is that real?!?!” a second wrote.

As a third added: “New reaction meme UNLOCKED!.”

Another wrote: “Oopsie! One for the VT Christmas tape!”

Someone else suggested: “Perhaps it’s like a game of ‘chicken’ and they dared to do things right up to the final second… so someone might be poking their tongue out, crossing their eyes or flashing, all before the credits finish.

“Or she was arguing with the cameraman.

“I’d love to be a fly on the wall.”

“Should be standard protocol from now on,” a fifth joked.

As pointed out by some viewers, Moshiri’s recovery was quite something and 16 years experience has definitely come in handy there.

I think many of us would have crumbled.

X

Last month Moshiri was presenting at the time when BBC journalist Rushdi Abualouf was reporting from Gaza city and was forced to stop his interview after an explosion went off live on air.

Abualouf told her the explosion sounded ‘quite close’.

BBC

He was clearly shaken up by the ordeal, with Moshiri asking him if ‘he was okay’ or he ‘needed to go’.

The journalist seemed unable to come up with an answer before the clip cuts out.

Abualouf left the Gaza territory with his family on 20 November for safety reasons.

The second series of a ‘gritty’ Irish crime drama with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score has finally dropped on BBC iPlayer, and fans are buzzing.

Look, there’s clearly no shortage of quality crime dramas on telly, from Time to Deadwater Fell, but we’ve still all got our favourites.

RTÉ

And many fans of this particular show will be very pleased that the latest series has become available for streaming today (13 February).

The Irish crime series stars Game of Thrones’ Aiden Gillen and Ciarán Hinds as a Dublin crime family face a ‘seemingly impossible gangland war’.

Of course, I’m talking about the RTÉ series Kin, created by Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly.

See what’s in store:

The intense show was first broadcast in 2021 and follows the fictional Kinsellas crime family, who are increasingly at odds with a powerful drug cartel.

But it all goes to sh*t when the hot-headed son of Frank Kinsella (Gillen) gets into a violent confrontation with one of Eamon’s (Hinds) men, as the Cunninghams retaliate.

The impressive cast of Kin also includes Clare Dunne, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Emmett J. Scanlan (Fool Me Once) and Sam Keeley.

After the first load of episodes got rave reviews, the second season aired in Ireland last year and now it’s finally available for Brits to watch on BBC iPlayer.

The eight episodes of Kin can now be streamed as it promises ‘twists and turns’ and star Scanlan told LADbible he hopes it will fill the ‘Peaky Blinders hole’.

RTÉ

“The Kinsellas are back and the stakes are higher than ever,” said Jennifer Ebell, EVP of EMEA Sales and Acquisitions at FIFTH SEASON.

“Season two of this family crime drama is explosive and we are pleased the BBC joins the growing number of our international partners.”

“All I will say is if you found the first series exciting and engrossing, just wait until you see the twists and turns in series two!” Head of Programme Acquisition Sue Deeks said.

She added: “Anchored by a tremendous cast, Kin is a powerful and intense story of love, grief, family and crime, and its devastating ramifications.”

RTÉ

Kin has an impressive 100 percent score on the Tomatometer with a whopping 93 percent audience score.

And users on X are urging people to give It a watch as they write: “Kin on BBC iPlayer, what a show, unbelievable.”

Another put: “Anyone stuck for something to watch, try Kin on BBC iPlayer unreal telly,” and others called it ‘brilliant’.

Kin is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

The family of a British teenager facing a 20-year prison sentence in Dubai have spoken out about the ‘nightmare’ situation they face.

18-year-old Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, London had accompanied his family on a trip to the UAE for his father’s birthday earlier this year.

While on holiday, the teenager met and formed a connection with an unnamed girl who had also travelled to the country from the UK. The two teenagers, who were staying in the same hotel, are said to have struck up a ‘blossoming’ relationship with hopes of continuing their romance upon returning home.

Not long after the girl returned home, Marcus’ nightmare ordeal with the police in Dubai would begin.

18-year-old Marcus Fakana currently faces a 20 year prison sentence in Dubai (Detained in Dubai/ Family Handout)

According to the group Detained in Dubai, who are currently representing Marcus, the girl had hidden the relationship from her ‘strict’ family, however, her mother discovered the relationship upon returning home to the UK and reported it to authorities in the Gulf state.

“Suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why,” Marcus told the group.

“I couldn’t imagine what for. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”

Unbeknownst to Marcus at the time, the girl was 17 – she has since turned 18 – when they engaged in sexual intercourse, which means she is considered a minor under UAE law. In the UK, the pair’s relationship would be legal.

“Dubai has only recently legalised out of wedlock sex for tourists but still hosts a strict Islamic legal system,” Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, added.

“The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time. Since his arrest, she has turned 18 and Marcus would not be facing 20 years in jail. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.”

The teenager had engaged in sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old British girl (who has since turned 18) (Getty Stock Images)

Marcus’ family have since set up a GoFundMe page aiming to raise funds to cover the teenager’s ongoing legal costs.

“What was meant to be a happy time has turned into a nightmare for him, our family, and our friends,” the family explained on the page.

“This has happened as a result of someone trying to misuse UAE law against him. He is being charged with a crime that could lead to imprisonment for up to 20 years.”

The family went on to add that Marcus is ‘very scared’ and that his mental health is ‘starting to decline’ due to the situation.

A spokesperson for the government of Dubai has told the BBC: “Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother, being the legal guardian, filed the complaint.

“Dubai’s legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings.”

Marcus is currently scheduled to face trial on 9 December.