1 00:00:20,123 --> 00:00:23,203 [ominous music] 2 00:00:29,843 --> 00:00:33,043 [Zee] I was online and saw this profile. 3 00:00:35,523 --> 00:00:39,243 I asked him what his name was and he said, Mazher Mahmood. 4 00:00:41,923 --> 00:00:47,123 He made me feel like I was the only thing that mattered. 5 00:00:51,123 --> 00:00:54,683 And then I said, I'm curious, I need to know what you look like. 6 00:00:55,323 --> 00:00:58,563 And he sent me some photos. 7 00:00:58,643 --> 00:01:02,003 But he had his face blocked out. 8 00:01:05,443 --> 00:01:07,243 I was just thinking like, who is he? 9 00:01:10,843 --> 00:01:13,483 I'd asked him like, you know, what is it that you do? 10 00:01:13,563 --> 00:01:15,323 And he said he was a businessman. 11 00:01:17,243 --> 00:01:20,483 And to be honest, I just accepted it and carried on, 12 00:01:20,563 --> 00:01:22,403 didn't think anything of it. 13 00:01:23,483 --> 00:01:26,963 Well, it went from businessman to working in the government, 14 00:01:27,043 --> 00:01:28,843 so, I was a little bit confused. 15 00:01:28,923 --> 00:01:32,283 I start asking, so what part of the government are you in? 16 00:01:32,363 --> 00:01:34,563 And he said I can’t tell you that for safety reasons. 17 00:01:34,643 --> 00:01:35,963 [car engine starts] 18 00:01:36,043 --> 00:01:39,403 Then I thought to myself, well, am I in danger? That type of thing. 19 00:01:41,363 --> 00:01:44,003 And then one day he says, do you wanna meet me? 20 00:01:44,082 --> 00:01:45,883 And I said OK. 21 00:01:45,963 --> 00:01:48,082 But I said, I need to know who I'm meeting. 22 00:01:49,403 --> 00:01:53,443 And then he told me, he said you know, I don’t work for the government. 23 00:01:55,043 --> 00:01:57,403 I’m an undercover journalist. 24 00:01:59,843 --> 00:02:01,683 And I was like, wait what? 25 00:02:06,523 --> 00:02:07,843 That’s how it all started. 26 00:02:09,483 --> 00:02:12,203 Maz didn’t allow people to take photographs of him. 27 00:02:12,323 --> 00:02:14,203 But he allowed me to take them, 28 00:02:14,643 --> 00:02:19,163 and he took hundreds of photographs of both of us together. 29 00:02:19,203 --> 00:02:20,403 [camera shutter] 30 00:02:23,443 --> 00:02:26,603 The thing is everybody thought that they knew the Fake Sheikh. 31 00:02:28,323 --> 00:02:31,203 But I knew the man behind it. 32 00:02:33,483 --> 00:02:35,203 I knew Mazher Mahmood. 33 00:02:36,603 --> 00:02:39,643 [tyres screeching] 34 00:02:40,483 --> 00:02:44,122 [tense music] 35 00:02:45,883 --> 00:02:49,683 [reporter] The trial of Mazher Mahmood, the journalist known as the Fake Sheikh, 36 00:02:49,763 --> 00:02:51,843 has opened at the Old Bailey. 37 00:02:54,283 --> 00:02:57,083 [Jodie Kidd] It was so unbelievable it was believable. 38 00:02:57,163 --> 00:02:58,803 You know, this can’t be fake. 39 00:03:03,363 --> 00:03:07,163 [reporter] For 30 years he has revelled in hiding his identity. 40 00:03:08,163 --> 00:03:10,523 [George Galloway] His anonymity, his secrecy 41 00:03:10,603 --> 00:03:14,163 was the key to his entire act. 42 00:03:15,803 --> 00:03:18,843 [reporter] The self-styled King of the Sting, 43 00:03:18,923 --> 00:03:22,003 turning up to court every day beneath a balaclava. 44 00:03:23,603 --> 00:03:28,283 [Jeremy Dein] I think he was ruthless, dishonest and a merciless individual. 45 00:03:29,283 --> 00:03:32,723 [reporter] Mazher Mahmood has been behind some huge tabloid scoops, 46 00:03:32,803 --> 00:03:35,843 things like uncovering match fixing in Pakistani cricket 47 00:03:35,923 --> 00:03:38,683 and a plan to kidnap Victoria Beckham. 48 00:03:40,883 --> 00:03:43,683 [Neil Wallis] Maz played on this caricature, 49 00:03:43,763 --> 00:03:46,003 that money literally could be no object 50 00:03:46,083 --> 00:03:49,643 and if you got close, you could grab your share of it. 51 00:03:57,323 --> 00:04:01,683 [Emma Morgan] I hate to say it, but he’s very very very good at what he does. 52 00:04:11,883 --> 00:04:14,643 [tense music fades out] 53 00:04:17,523 --> 00:04:20,483 [suspenseful music] 54 00:04:29,643 --> 00:04:35,563 In the late 90s, Maz had won Newspaper Reporter of the Year. 55 00:04:36,963 --> 00:04:38,843 He was so proud of that. 56 00:04:39,843 --> 00:04:43,043 This man was the number one investigator, 57 00:04:43,123 --> 00:04:45,163 reporter, whatever you want to call him. 58 00:04:51,163 --> 00:04:53,483 [Paul McMullan] But in the early 2000s, 59 00:04:53,563 --> 00:04:55,763 the News of the World started phone hacking 60 00:04:55,843 --> 00:04:58,083 on an industrial scale. 61 00:05:02,603 --> 00:05:06,283 News employed Glenn Mulcaire as a private investigator 62 00:05:06,403 --> 00:05:10,243 to hack people’s phones and listen to their messages. 63 00:05:10,843 --> 00:05:12,803 [camera shutters] 64 00:05:14,563 --> 00:05:15,723 Maz hated it. 65 00:05:15,803 --> 00:05:17,243 A, it was illegal. 66 00:05:17,803 --> 00:05:21,283 B, it was cheap, shoddy, shitty journalism. 67 00:05:22,403 --> 00:05:27,163 But Glenn Mulcaire brought in so many stories at a really low cost. 68 00:05:27,243 --> 00:05:32,083 And because that was so successful, we didn’t need Mazher anymore. 69 00:05:33,123 --> 00:05:35,963 We could just listen to their messages, i.e., it was a lot cheaper. 70 00:05:37,883 --> 00:05:41,202 [Aylia Fox] The tabloid world, it was high pressure, high stress. 71 00:05:41,283 --> 00:05:43,363 You were only as good as your last story 72 00:05:43,443 --> 00:05:46,363 and you knew that you could be kicked off if you didn’t perform 73 00:05:46,443 --> 00:05:47,683 and people regularly were. 74 00:05:47,763 --> 00:05:51,283 He would have been expected to produce big stories 75 00:05:51,363 --> 00:05:56,483 and to be fair to Mahmood, his own ego would have demanded of himself 76 00:05:56,563 --> 00:05:58,283 that he produced big stories. 77 00:05:59,043 --> 00:06:03,203 [Paul McMullan] Mazher had to up his game to prove that his old school techniques 78 00:06:03,923 --> 00:06:06,723 were worthwhile, worth the budget and worth going for. 79 00:06:08,843 --> 00:06:11,323 [music intensifies] 80 00:06:20,043 --> 00:06:23,443 In 2002, I was a Detective Inspector 81 00:06:23,523 --> 00:06:26,243 in the kidnap and specialist investigations unit. 82 00:06:27,603 --> 00:06:32,123 Mazher Mahmood told us they had an undercover informant 83 00:06:32,202 --> 00:06:36,443 that had infiltrated a gang of Eastern Europeans. 84 00:06:36,883 --> 00:06:39,083 Nobody should be in any doubt, 85 00:06:39,163 --> 00:06:44,243 Maz was very, very good at cultivating sources. 86 00:06:44,323 --> 00:06:47,043 He had lots of underworld contacts 87 00:06:47,123 --> 00:06:50,123 and would pay them if they gave us good tips. 88 00:06:50,202 --> 00:06:52,723 With this one, he struck gold. 89 00:06:53,123 --> 00:06:57,643 [Ian Horrocks] He provided us with shocking audio of the gang 90 00:06:57,723 --> 00:07:02,483 talking about kidnapping an extremely high-profile person. 91 00:07:02,563 --> 00:07:04,763 It’s not a problem to get her. 92 00:07:05,443 --> 00:07:07,323 How much would you ask? 93 00:07:07,763 --> 00:07:10,403 For five million I think is fine. 94 00:07:10,923 --> 00:07:12,923 It’s not a problem, in- 95 00:07:13,003 --> 00:07:15,483 a hundred percent from cases they pay. 96 00:07:16,043 --> 00:07:19,603 You’ve got one week to bring that amount of money in there. 97 00:07:19,683 --> 00:07:21,203 -Yeah. -If it’s not in there, 98 00:07:21,283 --> 00:07:24,043 I gonna cut her in pieces, that’s all. 99 00:07:24,403 --> 00:07:26,643 [tense music] 100 00:07:26,723 --> 00:07:32,483 [Ian Horrocks] He told us that the intended victim of the kidnap 101 00:07:32,563 --> 00:07:34,443 was Victoria Beckham. 102 00:07:34,523 --> 00:07:36,243 [paparazzi shouting] 103 00:07:38,202 --> 00:07:41,883 To be perfectly honest, the first words that went through my mind 104 00:07:41,963 --> 00:07:44,643 were, “Oh fuck, what do we do now?” 105 00:07:44,723 --> 00:07:46,363 [indistinct chatter] 106 00:07:46,443 --> 00:07:49,843 [Neil Wallis] I think it’s important to remember at the time, 107 00:07:49,923 --> 00:07:53,202 David and Victoria Beckham were just about royalty. 108 00:07:53,283 --> 00:07:55,202 Breathing was headline news. 109 00:07:56,003 --> 00:07:58,723 So, a kidnap attempt on the Beckhams 110 00:07:58,803 --> 00:08:02,123 would be one of the biggest stories in the world. 111 00:08:04,043 --> 00:08:08,083 They were going to stake out the Beckham’s mansion. 112 00:08:08,163 --> 00:08:12,243 And when Posh Spice drove out, they were going to ambush her, 113 00:08:12,323 --> 00:08:15,803 kidnap her, drug her, and hold her to ransom. 114 00:08:15,883 --> 00:08:19,683 If she had her children with her, they were going to kidnap them too. 115 00:08:20,763 --> 00:08:23,363 Five million pounds they were going to demand. 116 00:08:24,723 --> 00:08:26,803 [tense music] 117 00:08:29,363 --> 00:08:32,082 [Ian Horrocks] We were also shown a shocking video 118 00:08:32,163 --> 00:08:34,163 of one of the suspects 119 00:08:34,243 --> 00:08:37,763 handling what clearly appeared to be a handgun. 120 00:08:38,403 --> 00:08:39,283 Mauser. 121 00:08:39,363 --> 00:08:40,563 German. 122 00:08:40,683 --> 00:08:41,803 German? 123 00:08:41,883 --> 00:08:42,683 Okay. 124 00:08:42,803 --> 00:08:43,763 Very good. 125 00:08:43,803 --> 00:08:45,243 Very safe. 126 00:08:45,323 --> 00:08:46,163 Very powerful. 127 00:08:48,043 --> 00:08:52,083 [Ian Horrocks] All of a sudden this had become extremely serious. 128 00:08:53,403 --> 00:08:56,483 There was an incredible threat to life 129 00:08:56,563 --> 00:09:00,803 and authority was given for the deployment of a firearms team. 130 00:09:00,883 --> 00:09:03,683 [dramatic music] 131 00:09:04,563 --> 00:09:07,243 What we do over the next few hours 132 00:09:07,323 --> 00:09:10,003 could mean a matter of life and death for someone. 133 00:09:13,003 --> 00:09:17,643 [Neil Wallis] Maz set up a meeting with the gang, in a hotel car park. 134 00:09:22,403 --> 00:09:25,563 [Ian Horrocks] The firearms team were laying in wait. 135 00:09:27,123 --> 00:09:29,003 The gang turned up. 136 00:09:30,923 --> 00:09:33,403 The firearms inspector said ‘Go.’ 137 00:09:35,883 --> 00:09:38,523 [dramatic music fades out] 138 00:09:43,043 --> 00:09:46,923 You’ve got to give it to him, I mean the guy had balls, the guy had balls. 139 00:09:47,043 --> 00:09:49,763 That’s why they loved him at the News of the World. 140 00:09:50,243 --> 00:09:55,123 The kidnap attempt on the Beckhams was a sensation. 141 00:09:55,203 --> 00:09:58,803 It sold like hot cakes, to use a cliché. 142 00:09:58,883 --> 00:10:02,563 Good evening. Scotland Yard said tonight they’d foiled an alleged plot 143 00:10:02,683 --> 00:10:04,683 to kidnap Victoria Beckham. 144 00:10:04,803 --> 00:10:09,003 [reporter] Victoria Beckham's spoken of her absolute and total shock this morning 145 00:10:09,083 --> 00:10:11,643 saying the news has scared the life out of her. 146 00:10:11,683 --> 00:10:14,203 [reporter] Five men who are due to appear in court 147 00:10:14,283 --> 00:10:17,003 to face the kidnap charges on February the 24th. 148 00:10:18,363 --> 00:10:21,803 It was absolutely terrifying for me and my family. 149 00:10:21,883 --> 00:10:24,643 I mean it really was horrendous. 150 00:10:24,683 --> 00:10:27,443 Now can you leave your house without bodyguards? 151 00:10:27,523 --> 00:10:29,923 No, we don’t go… we don’t go anywhere. 152 00:10:30,043 --> 00:10:31,883 And your children, nowhere without bodyguards? 153 00:10:31,923 --> 00:10:33,563 -[David] Nowhere. -[Victoria] No. 154 00:10:34,763 --> 00:10:36,363 [tense music] 155 00:10:40,443 --> 00:10:43,083 So, months later there was the trial. 156 00:10:46,363 --> 00:10:49,403 There were various allegations and counter-allegations 157 00:10:49,483 --> 00:10:52,883 about the News of the World evidence. 158 00:10:56,123 --> 00:11:00,923 [Ian Horrocks] The members of the gang stated that they were set up 159 00:11:01,003 --> 00:11:03,523 and it was all the idea of the informant. 160 00:11:06,123 --> 00:11:09,363 The media and elsewhere were saying 161 00:11:09,443 --> 00:11:15,763 that the whole thing had been set up simply for a front-page story. 162 00:11:18,363 --> 00:11:20,923 [reporter] The case was dramatically dropped today. 163 00:11:21,003 --> 00:11:23,723 Defence lawyers said that there was no kidnap plot 164 00:11:23,803 --> 00:11:25,443 and their clients ended up in custody 165 00:11:25,523 --> 00:11:28,083 because of a flawed News of the World investigation. 166 00:11:29,043 --> 00:11:31,203 [Paul Connew] When that case collapsed, 167 00:11:31,283 --> 00:11:34,803 a lot of people thought that would be the end of Mazher Mahmood’s career. 168 00:11:36,363 --> 00:11:41,043 But then the informant said that he’d totally made it up 169 00:11:41,123 --> 00:11:43,443 and that it was just for the money. 170 00:11:44,563 --> 00:11:47,483 We planned this so-called kidnap plot. 171 00:11:48,403 --> 00:11:50,883 I personally did it because of the money. 172 00:11:50,963 --> 00:11:52,923 It was a total lie. 173 00:11:54,083 --> 00:11:57,443 They tried to blame the News of the World and Mazher Mahmood 174 00:11:57,523 --> 00:12:00,123 but it wasn’t us that did anything wrong here. 175 00:12:00,203 --> 00:12:02,403 We had quite rightly gone to the police 176 00:12:03,123 --> 00:12:05,043 and presented all our evidence. 177 00:12:06,803 --> 00:12:11,803 The Police and the Crown Prosecution Service decided to proceed 178 00:12:11,883 --> 00:12:14,723 and then they got cold feet at the trial. 179 00:12:15,163 --> 00:12:19,003 In fact, a judge even said in court that he had no reason 180 00:12:19,083 --> 00:12:22,123 to actually doubt that Maz genuinely believed 181 00:12:22,203 --> 00:12:24,763 the plot was anything other than genuine. 182 00:12:26,923 --> 00:12:32,283 Was this solely an invention of the informant, 183 00:12:32,363 --> 00:12:36,883 was it something that was actually said by other members of the gang 184 00:12:36,963 --> 00:12:39,203 or was it manufactured by others? 185 00:12:39,723 --> 00:12:41,323 I simply don’t know. 186 00:12:42,443 --> 00:12:43,963 [tense music cuts out] 187 00:12:45,963 --> 00:12:51,243 [Aylia Fox] The bosses would have preferred obviously the case to proceed 188 00:12:51,323 --> 00:12:53,443 and a conviction to be brought. 189 00:12:53,523 --> 00:12:55,603 It would have been the icing on the cake 190 00:12:55,683 --> 00:12:59,163 but in the general scheme of things, nah, I’m not sure it really mattered. 191 00:13:02,403 --> 00:13:04,883 What mattered was the story at the time 192 00:13:05,763 --> 00:13:07,483 and the sensation that it caused. 193 00:13:10,083 --> 00:13:12,923 [Neil Wallis] After the kidnap attempt on the Beckhams, 194 00:13:13,003 --> 00:13:17,323 Maz, he knew we wanted what he had to give. 195 00:13:18,883 --> 00:13:22,763 The breaks were taken off him. He was told, 'Go for it Maz.' 196 00:13:22,843 --> 00:13:24,723 [dramatic music] 197 00:13:28,163 --> 00:13:30,923 That time at the News of the World 198 00:13:31,003 --> 00:13:34,523 was his greatest, most productive time. 199 00:13:38,403 --> 00:13:42,443 All the things he did were international news stories. 200 00:13:45,363 --> 00:13:48,723 It’s like, wow, how does he pull this off week in, week out? 201 00:13:50,803 --> 00:13:54,803 [Neil Wallis] We’d put up huge posters of our great front pages. 202 00:13:54,883 --> 00:13:56,323 It was inspirational. 203 00:13:57,923 --> 00:14:01,523 A lot of the Fake Sheikh investigations were up there. 204 00:14:05,083 --> 00:14:07,323 He loved going undercover, 205 00:14:07,403 --> 00:14:11,243 he loved getting these stories, he loved exposing people. 206 00:14:12,203 --> 00:14:14,363 It was his thing. That’s what he did. 207 00:14:18,603 --> 00:14:21,363 I remember when we were in Dubai on a trip. 208 00:14:21,963 --> 00:14:24,043 He took us to the marina for lunch 209 00:14:24,123 --> 00:14:26,963 and there was this beautiful yacht 210 00:14:27,043 --> 00:14:30,043 and he says that yacht is where I did my last story. 211 00:14:30,923 --> 00:14:36,243 He’d said that he had done a sting on Sven-Göran Eriksson. 212 00:14:36,323 --> 00:14:38,643 [tense music] 213 00:14:40,523 --> 00:14:44,323 -[paparazzi shouting] -[camera shutters] 214 00:14:44,923 --> 00:14:47,403 [Neil Wallis] Sven-Göran Eriksson was the manager 215 00:14:47,483 --> 00:14:49,643 of the England football team at the time. 216 00:14:49,723 --> 00:14:53,083 In this country there is barely a bigger sporting job. 217 00:14:53,163 --> 00:14:56,323 Sven was rarely out of the tabloids. 218 00:14:56,403 --> 00:14:58,523 He’d had a string of affairs 219 00:14:58,603 --> 00:15:01,803 and scandal seemed to follow him wherever he went. 220 00:15:01,883 --> 00:15:05,203 A Sven story always sold newspapers. 221 00:15:07,763 --> 00:15:13,083 Maz had heard that Sven was fishing for lucrative job offers. 222 00:15:13,963 --> 00:15:16,603 The World Cup was just around the corner, 223 00:15:16,683 --> 00:15:18,923 and he should have been focusing on the team, 224 00:15:19,323 --> 00:15:22,643 but instead he was out there busy looking for his next paycheck. 225 00:15:23,243 --> 00:15:26,683 The betrayal of it was simply massive. 226 00:15:26,763 --> 00:15:29,843 But you know what? A massive story. 227 00:15:31,563 --> 00:15:34,683 So, Maz came to us with this remarkable plan. 228 00:15:35,243 --> 00:15:40,243 This was going to cost tens of thousands of pounds. 229 00:15:40,683 --> 00:15:45,883 But our faith by this stage in the Fake Sheikh was such, 230 00:15:45,963 --> 00:15:47,443 we said go for it. 231 00:15:50,443 --> 00:15:53,363 One of Maz’s people contacted Sven’s agent. 232 00:15:53,443 --> 00:15:58,643 And said would Sven consider in setting up and running 233 00:15:58,723 --> 00:16:01,603 a football academy in Dubai? 234 00:16:01,683 --> 00:16:03,603 "Yes, he would be interested." 235 00:16:04,243 --> 00:16:07,843 "Would he like to fly first class for a weekend 236 00:16:07,923 --> 00:16:11,283 "to meet the Sheikh who’s going to bankroll this?" 237 00:16:11,363 --> 00:16:12,643 "Yes, he would." 238 00:16:12,723 --> 00:16:14,923 [upbeat music] 239 00:16:17,203 --> 00:16:21,923 Now, Sven’s agent had a very, very clever legal advisor 240 00:16:22,003 --> 00:16:23,723 called Richard Des Voeux. 241 00:16:24,523 --> 00:16:28,603 Quite sensibly, before any talk about going to Dubai, 242 00:16:29,363 --> 00:16:32,483 Des Voeux wants to come to the office in London to meet. 243 00:16:33,123 --> 00:16:35,043 There is, however, a complication. 244 00:16:37,083 --> 00:16:38,483 There isn’t an office. 245 00:16:39,563 --> 00:16:41,043 So, what do we do? 246 00:16:41,123 --> 00:16:42,683 We create an office. 247 00:16:42,763 --> 00:16:44,163 [intense music] 248 00:16:44,243 --> 00:16:46,843 We rent a lavish office space. 249 00:16:50,603 --> 00:16:53,923 We fill it with fake pictures of the Sheikh 250 00:16:54,003 --> 00:16:55,923 with various celebrities. 251 00:17:01,083 --> 00:17:03,443 It was a complete gamble. 252 00:17:09,683 --> 00:17:12,362 I never, ever, ever thought 253 00:17:13,362 --> 00:17:15,603 I’d find myself in the News of the World. 254 00:17:16,362 --> 00:17:18,803 You’d see other stings that'd happened to other people 255 00:17:18,843 --> 00:17:20,923 and I’d read them in the confident knowledge, 256 00:17:21,003 --> 00:17:23,283 "Mate, that’s never going to happen to me." 257 00:17:26,043 --> 00:17:29,563 The offices looked extremely high-level. 258 00:17:31,083 --> 00:17:36,203 There were pictures of the Sheikh with high-profile individuals. 259 00:17:36,283 --> 00:17:39,123 That obviously gave me a degree of comfort 260 00:17:39,243 --> 00:17:41,563 and security in terms of who I was dealing with. 261 00:17:42,723 --> 00:17:46,603 [Neil Wallis] The problem with this guy, Des Voeux, who is a legal eagle, 262 00:17:46,723 --> 00:17:50,483 he's also very clued up about the Middle East 263 00:17:50,963 --> 00:17:54,563 and starts rattling off statistics about economics 264 00:17:54,603 --> 00:17:56,483 and they are completely out of their depths. 265 00:17:56,563 --> 00:17:59,243 At that stage I was just dealing with someone who was 266 00:17:59,323 --> 00:18:03,043 a representative of some kind of the Sheikh, 267 00:18:03,123 --> 00:18:06,603 so it was very difficult to pin him down on the detail 268 00:18:06,683 --> 00:18:09,123 of any specific aspect of the project. 269 00:18:09,243 --> 00:18:12,843 However, they were at pains to underline 270 00:18:12,923 --> 00:18:15,843 the quality of the hospitality that would be afforded. 271 00:18:15,923 --> 00:18:20,123 First class flights, rooms at the most luxury hotel in the world. 272 00:18:20,963 --> 00:18:23,523 I think unquestionably, an element of our thinking 273 00:18:23,603 --> 00:18:28,563 was that there was nothing to be lost by just accepting the invitation. 274 00:18:28,603 --> 00:18:31,523 Go over and hear them out, hear what they’ve got to say. 275 00:18:32,283 --> 00:18:34,083 [Neil Wallis] But what Maz realises, 276 00:18:34,603 --> 00:18:36,563 he needs to avoid this lawyer. 277 00:18:39,123 --> 00:18:43,723 They were making it very clear that the hospitality in question 278 00:18:43,803 --> 00:18:49,003 would be for Sven and Athole, Sven’s agent, and not for me. 279 00:18:49,083 --> 00:18:50,363 Clever move. 280 00:18:50,443 --> 00:18:53,963 It was actually Athole who insisted I be there. 281 00:18:54,043 --> 00:18:56,363 He then said, well just tell them I’ll fly you out. 282 00:18:56,483 --> 00:19:00,523 All this is just making life ever more complicated. 283 00:19:00,603 --> 00:19:04,523 Because the guy is frankly what we call a smart arse. 284 00:19:05,563 --> 00:19:08,483 [Des Voeux] Sven and Athole were picked up by a limousine, 285 00:19:08,563 --> 00:19:10,523 chauffeured to Heathrow. 286 00:19:11,203 --> 00:19:13,763 I, on the other hand, made my own way. 287 00:19:14,363 --> 00:19:17,003 I got a standard flight over. 288 00:19:23,043 --> 00:19:26,603 [Des Voeux] I met Sven and Athole at the Burj Al-Arab. 289 00:19:27,283 --> 00:19:31,083 It’s been designed with the express intention of making an impression. 290 00:19:31,563 --> 00:19:33,203 And it does make an impression. 291 00:19:35,603 --> 00:19:42,203 What Maz knows is they will believe and fall for everything 292 00:19:42,283 --> 00:19:49,003 if they buy into the idea that this is wealth beyond their wildest dreams. 293 00:19:51,723 --> 00:19:56,363 [dramatic music] 294 00:20:08,083 --> 00:20:11,323 The Sheikh greeted Sven extremely warmly. 295 00:20:17,203 --> 00:20:19,043 He clearly had absolutely no interest 296 00:20:19,123 --> 00:20:22,083 in addressing me or engaging me in conversation in any way, 297 00:20:22,123 --> 00:20:23,563 which was fine. 298 00:20:26,683 --> 00:20:31,443 We were very conscious of wanting to respect local sensibilities. 299 00:20:31,523 --> 00:20:33,763 Sven had specifically asked 300 00:20:33,843 --> 00:20:38,963 whether it would be insensitive to order or drink wine. 301 00:20:41,003 --> 00:20:44,803 The advice that we’d given him was perhaps let’s not. 302 00:20:46,363 --> 00:20:48,603 The Sheikh didn’t just offer wine, 303 00:20:48,723 --> 00:20:51,043 he was insistent to the point 304 00:20:51,123 --> 00:20:53,683 that we began to think that it would be rude not to. 305 00:20:55,523 --> 00:20:58,683 It was, shall we say, a certain test 306 00:20:58,763 --> 00:21:02,243 to see whether they flinched when I ordered something nice. 307 00:21:03,083 --> 00:21:04,243 So, I ordered something nice. 308 00:21:10,603 --> 00:21:13,843 They were drinking thousand-pound bottles of wine. 309 00:21:16,763 --> 00:21:19,843 The wine was fabulous, the wine was the best thing about the evening. 310 00:21:21,123 --> 00:21:23,683 [Neil Wallis] It was indulgence beyond belief. 311 00:21:23,763 --> 00:21:26,483 And he fell for it, hook, line and sinker. 312 00:21:32,363 --> 00:21:35,083 [Des Voeux] The first ten, 15 minutes of conversation 313 00:21:35,123 --> 00:21:37,843 were just about what their plans were. 314 00:21:37,963 --> 00:21:40,603 We maintained a very firm line 315 00:21:40,683 --> 00:21:43,603 that Sven’s focus was 100 percent on the World Cup. 316 00:21:43,723 --> 00:21:47,083 The Sheikh then asked for other ideas. 317 00:21:47,723 --> 00:21:51,123 [Neil Wallis] Sven’s agent mentions there’s a football club for sale 318 00:21:51,203 --> 00:21:54,003 and wouldn’t the Sheikh like to buy it, 319 00:21:54,083 --> 00:21:56,883 and wouldn’t Sven make the perfect manager? 320 00:21:56,963 --> 00:21:59,843 It didn’t seem particularly contentious to me. 321 00:21:59,923 --> 00:22:02,603 To be quite honest, it still doesn’t now. 322 00:22:02,683 --> 00:22:06,083 All he was doing was investigating 323 00:22:06,163 --> 00:22:08,563 what could be an interesting avenue 324 00:22:08,643 --> 00:22:13,003 in the event that the FA wished to move on to pastures new, 325 00:22:13,083 --> 00:22:14,363 post-World Cup. 326 00:22:15,163 --> 00:22:17,603 At no stage during that meal did Sven commit to anything 327 00:22:17,683 --> 00:22:18,843 or say he would do anything. 328 00:22:20,283 --> 00:22:23,603 What happens next is typically Maz. 329 00:22:23,683 --> 00:22:26,203 [Moby, "Porcelain" playing] 330 00:22:27,283 --> 00:22:31,123 He decides he wants more time alone with Sven. 331 00:22:31,203 --> 00:22:33,523 So, what do you do in that situation? 332 00:22:34,683 --> 00:22:37,643 You hire yourself a luxury yacht. 333 00:22:37,723 --> 00:22:41,883 And hang the expense, what’s 10 thousand pounds a day 334 00:22:41,963 --> 00:22:43,323 to land this story? 335 00:22:43,403 --> 00:22:45,443 ["Porcelain" by Moby continues] 336 00:22:53,323 --> 00:22:57,083 [Des Voeux] The yacht unquestionably reinforced our confidence 337 00:22:57,163 --> 00:23:02,243 that we were dealing with people who had the means to follow through 338 00:23:02,323 --> 00:23:03,843 on the project that was under discussion. 339 00:23:06,883 --> 00:23:11,083 There’s no doubt, dealing with someone from a different country, 340 00:23:11,163 --> 00:23:13,083 a different cultural background, 341 00:23:13,163 --> 00:23:16,803 there was perhaps a degree of being overly respectful 342 00:23:16,883 --> 00:23:19,563 because I didn’t want to come across as rude. 343 00:23:21,283 --> 00:23:24,123 Had he been a white bloke from south London, 344 00:23:24,203 --> 00:23:28,683 I probably would have been a lot more hard-headed 345 00:23:28,763 --> 00:23:30,723 than I felt it was my place to be. 346 00:23:33,243 --> 00:23:36,283 They then offered us if we’d like to have a swim before lunch. 347 00:23:36,843 --> 00:23:39,843 And… [chuckles] Sven initially indicated 348 00:23:39,923 --> 00:23:42,003 that he might be open to having a swim. 349 00:23:42,803 --> 00:23:46,443 So, on that basis we thought, OK well, if we’re all swimming, let’s swim. 350 00:23:48,803 --> 00:23:51,683 By the time we were then changed to have a swim, 351 00:23:51,763 --> 00:23:53,843 Sven had decided he wasn’t swimming. 352 00:23:55,923 --> 00:23:58,563 I resolved to have a quick jump in, 353 00:23:59,483 --> 00:24:02,523 swim around in a couple of circles and get back on the boat. 354 00:24:03,803 --> 00:24:07,603 [Neil Wallis] So finally, Maz has Sven where he wants him, 355 00:24:08,483 --> 00:24:12,283 where they can have a quiet chat about the financial deal. 356 00:24:14,643 --> 00:24:18,843 And recording equipment can pick up every word. 357 00:24:24,083 --> 00:24:26,443 [Neil Wallis] And what damning words they are. 358 00:24:26,523 --> 00:24:28,243 [radio chatter] 359 00:24:34,883 --> 00:24:37,283 [Des Voeux] I had got back to London. 360 00:24:37,363 --> 00:24:38,723 [phone ringing] 361 00:24:38,803 --> 00:24:42,203 I knew the second I saw my phone ringing that there was a problem. 362 00:24:42,283 --> 00:24:45,043 The first thing he said is, Rich you’ll never believe it, 363 00:24:45,123 --> 00:24:47,243 the whole thing was a News of the World sting. 364 00:24:51,043 --> 00:24:52,643 Your mind is racing. 365 00:24:52,723 --> 00:24:55,763 How is this going to affect you, how is it going to affect your clients, 366 00:24:55,843 --> 00:25:00,083 how is it going to affect your family, how is it going to affect your reputation? 367 00:25:00,163 --> 00:25:04,523 I could remember feeling almost as if someone had punched me in the stomach. 368 00:25:09,723 --> 00:25:14,643 It was the most astonishing newspaper sting that has ever been. 369 00:25:14,723 --> 00:25:17,803 Three words in really clear huge bold type, 370 00:25:17,883 --> 00:25:19,403 "Sven’s Dirty Deals." 371 00:25:21,043 --> 00:25:23,963 It was entire front page. 372 00:25:24,043 --> 00:25:27,243 The next two pages, the next two pages, 373 00:25:27,643 --> 00:25:29,403 and the next two pages after that. 374 00:25:29,483 --> 00:25:33,763 It got picked up by everybody, it ran and ran and ran. 375 00:25:34,283 --> 00:25:36,723 The England football coach, Sven-Göran Eriksson 376 00:25:36,803 --> 00:25:39,043 is at the centre of fresh controversy. 377 00:25:39,123 --> 00:25:41,843 [reporter] He was the victim of a classic tabloid sting 378 00:25:41,923 --> 00:25:45,363 in which the bait was bagfuls of cash and he bit. 379 00:25:46,403 --> 00:25:49,123 [reporter] During a conversation with an undercover reporter, 380 00:25:49,203 --> 00:25:52,003 he began talking about being prised away from England 381 00:25:52,083 --> 00:25:53,963 to theoretically run Aston Villa. 382 00:25:55,163 --> 00:25:57,443 The content of the article was laughable. 383 00:25:57,963 --> 00:26:02,723 Huge chunks of it were wildly different from what had actually been said. 384 00:26:02,803 --> 00:26:05,563 Some of it was exaggerated, some of it was made up, 385 00:26:06,123 --> 00:26:07,683 some of it was just plain lies. 386 00:26:08,363 --> 00:26:11,363 [reporter] There had been question marks over Sven-Göran Erikson’s commitment 387 00:26:11,443 --> 00:26:13,043 to the England cause in the past, 388 00:26:13,123 --> 00:26:15,243 but now there is one over his integrity. 389 00:26:16,123 --> 00:26:17,563 The way it was then processed, 390 00:26:17,643 --> 00:26:19,563 the way it was then dealt with by the general public, 391 00:26:19,643 --> 00:26:21,483 that was really shocking to me. 392 00:26:21,963 --> 00:26:23,003 They should get rid of him. 393 00:26:23,083 --> 00:26:24,683 He has caused a lot of scandal. 394 00:26:24,763 --> 00:26:26,443 He’s been mediocre, I think. 395 00:26:26,523 --> 00:26:28,003 We should have an English man doing the job. 396 00:26:28,083 --> 00:26:30,163 [journalist] Sven, are you planning to leave England? 397 00:26:30,923 --> 00:26:34,603 [Des Voeux] In terms of Sven personally, in terms of Sven professionally, 398 00:26:34,683 --> 00:26:37,083 the knock-on effects of that incident 399 00:26:37,163 --> 00:26:39,683 are very significant. 400 00:26:40,083 --> 00:26:43,403 [reporter] The search is on for a new England football coach. 401 00:26:43,483 --> 00:26:47,603 The current boss, Sven-Göran Eriksson has agreed to step down from the top job 402 00:26:47,683 --> 00:26:49,443 after this summer's World Cup. 403 00:26:50,163 --> 00:26:52,283 [reporter] England are out of the World Cup 404 00:26:52,363 --> 00:26:55,243 after losing their quarter final to Portugal on penalties. 405 00:26:56,483 --> 00:27:00,483 [Neil Wallis] Predictably, he blamed the News of the World 406 00:27:00,563 --> 00:27:02,003 and Mazher Mahmood. 407 00:27:02,083 --> 00:27:07,043 If we were genuinely doing something against the public interest, 408 00:27:07,123 --> 00:27:09,843 fine, you might look at it and think, you got me. 409 00:27:10,243 --> 00:27:11,243 But really? 410 00:27:11,963 --> 00:27:15,163 We’re going out to hear someone out on a proposal 411 00:27:15,243 --> 00:27:17,123 that didn’t amount to much 412 00:27:17,203 --> 00:27:20,403 and for that, you want to basically try 413 00:27:20,483 --> 00:27:23,483 and destroy three people's lives and reputations. 414 00:27:23,563 --> 00:27:26,883 Big chunk of you just thinks, what a bunch of arseholes. 415 00:27:27,643 --> 00:27:28,723 You know? 416 00:27:33,363 --> 00:27:35,923 [intense music fades out] 417 00:28:00,203 --> 00:28:02,883 [Emily Maitliss] Mazher Mahmood, alias the Fake Sheikh 418 00:28:02,963 --> 00:28:05,083 is the king of the celebrity sting. 419 00:28:05,163 --> 00:28:07,963 But is this a legitimate form of investigative journalism? 420 00:28:08,043 --> 00:28:11,003 He defends his controversial working methods. 421 00:28:11,083 --> 00:28:13,923 Is there a moment when you think, they’re quite a nice person, 422 00:28:14,003 --> 00:28:16,403 am I really going to ruin their life like this? 423 00:28:16,483 --> 00:28:20,843 We only expose people who are involved in criminal and moral wrongdoing. 424 00:28:20,923 --> 00:28:23,243 They are legitimate subjects for our investigations, 425 00:28:23,323 --> 00:28:25,003 and it is our job as investigative journalists 426 00:28:25,083 --> 00:28:27,523 to make sure the public get to know the truth. 427 00:28:27,963 --> 00:28:30,323 That’s what the paper’s done for 165 years 428 00:28:30,403 --> 00:28:31,763 and will carry on doing. 429 00:28:35,403 --> 00:28:39,483 [Paul Samrai] It takes a certain type of person to cut it 430 00:28:39,563 --> 00:28:41,803 as a successful undercover operative. 431 00:28:43,083 --> 00:28:47,003 To be able to deceive people day in and day out, 432 00:28:47,083 --> 00:28:48,923 you know, befriending targets 433 00:28:49,003 --> 00:28:52,723 and then getting what is required for the story out of them. 434 00:28:54,883 --> 00:29:00,443 Working for Maz, I found that I had an easy facility to do that. 435 00:29:01,803 --> 00:29:07,203 I believe that developed through the pressures of childhood. 436 00:29:11,563 --> 00:29:16,003 We were the first wave of immigrant children born in the UK. 437 00:29:17,563 --> 00:29:20,523 Father came over here to better the life of his children. 438 00:29:21,683 --> 00:29:25,883 Good education, that was the key, so my father sent me to a prep school. 439 00:29:26,883 --> 00:29:28,843 To do that, he had to have three jobs. 440 00:29:31,203 --> 00:29:36,283 So a lot of pressure was put on us first-generation kids to succeed. 441 00:29:37,483 --> 00:29:41,203 To become lawyers, doctors, engineers. 442 00:29:42,003 --> 00:29:46,163 To put it crudely, what you had was the frustrated ambitions 443 00:29:46,243 --> 00:29:49,883 of our parents put on to us. 444 00:29:52,243 --> 00:29:57,923 Because of the pressure, we developed a coping mechanism, 445 00:29:58,003 --> 00:30:01,163 and that coping mechanism from a very early age 446 00:30:01,243 --> 00:30:02,523 was lying. 447 00:30:05,083 --> 00:30:08,883 It would be your parents, "Right, how was school?" "Brilliant." 448 00:30:08,963 --> 00:30:11,123 "What was your test result?" "I got 10 out of 10." 449 00:30:11,763 --> 00:30:12,723 All lies. 450 00:30:12,803 --> 00:30:14,683 Just to get away from that pressure. 451 00:30:16,683 --> 00:30:21,243 I developed a totally different moral compass. 452 00:30:23,083 --> 00:30:26,243 My background is very similar to Maz’s, 453 00:30:26,683 --> 00:30:31,163 so I know how he ticks, because I tick in the same way. 454 00:30:33,803 --> 00:30:36,883 For Maz, the end justifies the means. 455 00:30:41,603 --> 00:30:43,443 I feel that Maz is misunderstood 456 00:30:43,523 --> 00:30:47,363 because people have this assumption 457 00:30:47,443 --> 00:30:50,763 that he’s ruthless, mean, 458 00:30:50,843 --> 00:30:52,883 will do anything to get a story, 459 00:30:53,323 --> 00:30:56,083 which is so untrue and so unfair. 460 00:30:57,923 --> 00:31:01,243 I think what people don’t know about him is that he was very kind, 461 00:31:01,323 --> 00:31:04,163 very generous, he was a family man, 462 00:31:04,963 --> 00:31:07,163 he was very loyal to his friends. 463 00:31:08,243 --> 00:31:12,523 There were sides of him that were very good, very good. 464 00:31:18,883 --> 00:31:22,363 My time with Maz was like a whirlwind. 465 00:31:23,723 --> 00:31:27,163 I remember telling Maz, oh my God, I used to, you know, be crazy 466 00:31:27,243 --> 00:31:28,843 about David Cassidy. 467 00:31:29,723 --> 00:31:33,443 -A few days later I got a CD. -[David Cassidy: "I Think I Love You"] 468 00:31:33,523 --> 00:31:37,443 And it was all of David Cassidy’s songs 469 00:31:37,523 --> 00:31:39,923 and the first one was “I Think I Love You.” 470 00:31:40,403 --> 00:31:42,283 ♪ I think I love you ♪ 471 00:31:42,363 --> 00:31:44,643 ♪ I think I love you ♪ 472 00:31:45,283 --> 00:31:46,483 He love-bombed you. 473 00:31:46,923 --> 00:31:49,363 So that you would feel valued. 474 00:31:49,443 --> 00:31:51,963 You would feel a part of a family. 475 00:31:52,043 --> 00:31:54,323 You would feel wanted. 476 00:31:54,763 --> 00:31:58,243 In this way, he would get you to do the things 477 00:31:58,323 --> 00:32:00,243 that he wanted you to do. 478 00:32:01,403 --> 00:32:04,483 [Zee] I started doing stories with him. 479 00:32:04,563 --> 00:32:07,923 It was nerve-racking. [chuckles] But it was fun. 480 00:32:08,803 --> 00:32:12,203 ♪ I think I love you So what am I so afraid of? ♪ 481 00:32:12,283 --> 00:32:14,883 ♪ I'm afraid that I'm not sure of... ♪ 482 00:32:15,523 --> 00:32:18,643 We travelled everywhere, doing stories together. 483 00:32:19,803 --> 00:32:22,483 When I would come to London to spend time with him, 484 00:32:22,563 --> 00:32:25,083 I never knew where I was going. 485 00:32:25,643 --> 00:32:28,083 ♪ I think I love you ♪ 486 00:32:29,163 --> 00:32:33,763 New York to Las Vegas to India to Dubai. 487 00:32:34,603 --> 00:32:38,723 I had to get a new passport because it had filled up. 488 00:32:39,363 --> 00:32:42,523 I was fortunate to be part of some of the stories 489 00:32:42,603 --> 00:32:44,843 where he made a difference, 490 00:32:45,283 --> 00:32:46,883 where he helped. 491 00:32:46,963 --> 00:32:50,563 Big stories that he did like the Haiti baby, 492 00:32:51,323 --> 00:32:56,043 he really walked away from those feeling really good. 493 00:32:57,083 --> 00:33:01,963 There was one story that I don’t think any one of us anticipated 494 00:33:02,043 --> 00:33:04,363 for it to be as big as it was. 495 00:33:07,123 --> 00:33:10,043 Slumdog Millionaire was a Hollywood blockbuster. 496 00:33:10,123 --> 00:33:13,843 It had Dev Patel in it, Frida Pinto. 497 00:33:15,683 --> 00:33:20,243 Rubina Ali played the younger version of Frida Pinto. 498 00:33:20,323 --> 00:33:23,523 [interpreter] Are you going to be a movie star? 499 00:33:23,603 --> 00:33:24,963 -Yes. -[interviewer] Yes! 500 00:33:25,443 --> 00:33:29,003 [Zee] Rubina was discovered in the slums. She is actually a slum child. 501 00:33:30,403 --> 00:33:34,083 Maz was tipped off that Rubina’s father was planning on selling her. 502 00:33:36,523 --> 00:33:38,763 Desperate people do desperate things. 503 00:33:38,843 --> 00:33:41,123 [dramatic music] 504 00:33:44,683 --> 00:33:46,683 When we arrive in Mumbai, 505 00:33:46,763 --> 00:33:49,963 you know, I’d asked him, I’d said how is this going to happen? 506 00:33:50,043 --> 00:33:53,883 I remember Maz telling me, he said, I need you to play a Dubai princess. 507 00:33:54,923 --> 00:33:57,923 The story was how I had seen the movie, I’d seen her, 508 00:33:58,003 --> 00:33:59,963 I really liked her. 509 00:34:01,363 --> 00:34:02,683 I was childless. 510 00:34:03,363 --> 00:34:05,683 I wanted to be able to adopt her 511 00:34:05,763 --> 00:34:08,722 and take her back and give her a better life and education. 512 00:34:11,003 --> 00:34:15,163 Rubina, her dad, her uncle arrived at the hotel. 513 00:34:17,643 --> 00:34:20,363 Maz talked to them and said, do you want her to adopt? 514 00:34:20,443 --> 00:34:24,202 And they said yes, but the father had changed the price, 515 00:34:24,242 --> 00:34:28,003 from, I believe it was £50,000 to £200,000. 516 00:34:28,523 --> 00:34:32,123 Because now he knew it was a Dubai princess. 517 00:34:33,682 --> 00:34:37,123 I was watching them and seeing how excited they were. 518 00:34:37,202 --> 00:34:39,963 And I’m thinking, OK, he’s capable of doing it. 519 00:34:40,443 --> 00:34:42,202 [intense music] 520 00:34:44,123 --> 00:34:46,403 The article goes out the next day 521 00:34:46,483 --> 00:34:49,202 and for me at least, 522 00:34:49,323 --> 00:34:52,043 I didn’t expect it to blow up the way it did. 523 00:34:52,803 --> 00:34:55,883 It had become massive. 524 00:34:55,963 --> 00:34:58,043 There are stunning claims 525 00:34:58,123 --> 00:35:00,603 in the British tabloid, the News of the World 526 00:35:00,683 --> 00:35:02,883 that the father of one of the child stars 527 00:35:02,963 --> 00:35:05,683 in the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire 528 00:35:06,363 --> 00:35:09,683 tried to sell his daughter to an undercover reporter. 529 00:35:09,803 --> 00:35:12,603 Had Maz not gotten involved, 530 00:35:13,483 --> 00:35:16,323 how do we know some paedophile would not have come, 531 00:35:16,403 --> 00:35:19,563 and said here, here’s some money, and taken Rubina. 532 00:35:19,643 --> 00:35:24,683 So, I’m grateful that the story came to him, 533 00:35:24,723 --> 00:35:26,603 and we were able to save this child. 534 00:35:27,563 --> 00:35:30,843 [reporter] Ali’s father says the papers made false allegations against him. 535 00:35:30,923 --> 00:35:32,443 He says he’s being framed. 536 00:35:32,523 --> 00:35:36,083 Police in India say they won’t file any charges 537 00:35:36,163 --> 00:35:38,243 and now say the matter is closed. 538 00:35:41,723 --> 00:35:44,643 I remember Larry King had called him 539 00:35:44,683 --> 00:35:48,203 and said he wanted to speak to him and have him on the show. 540 00:35:50,083 --> 00:35:52,883 Larry King had interviewed just about everybody, 541 00:35:52,963 --> 00:35:55,043 anybody that was famous 542 00:35:55,123 --> 00:35:58,683 and then here he was requesting to have Maz on his show. 543 00:36:00,643 --> 00:36:02,123 He was on the phone, 544 00:36:02,963 --> 00:36:04,723 I was clicking pictures. [laughs] 545 00:36:06,003 --> 00:36:09,243 Larry King says to Maz, it’s an honour to have you on the show. 546 00:36:10,203 --> 00:36:12,803 And I was just like, wow, OK, 547 00:36:12,883 --> 00:36:14,883 Now I’m impressed. 548 00:36:15,603 --> 00:36:16,443 He’s made it. 549 00:36:16,523 --> 00:36:19,003 [Larry King] Mazher Mahmood on the phone. 550 00:36:19,083 --> 00:36:21,323 Are you standing by your story that the father 551 00:36:21,403 --> 00:36:23,963 absolutely tried to sell this little girl? 552 00:36:24,043 --> 00:36:26,323 [Mazher Mahmood] 100% Larry and let me tell you, 553 00:36:26,403 --> 00:36:29,003 that I had three days of consecutive meetings 554 00:36:29,083 --> 00:36:31,923 with the father, Rafiq and other members of his family. 555 00:36:32,923 --> 00:36:36,523 It made Maz a global sensation. 556 00:36:37,123 --> 00:36:40,443 He went from being known in the UK, 557 00:36:40,963 --> 00:36:44,243 to being known all over the US, 558 00:36:44,363 --> 00:36:45,643 all over the world. 559 00:36:47,683 --> 00:36:50,363 For years he was writing stories 560 00:36:50,883 --> 00:36:53,683 and through time, he became the story. 561 00:36:54,603 --> 00:36:57,203 [reporter] You must have nerves of steel. 562 00:36:57,323 --> 00:36:59,163 It’s what I do, I'm an undercover reporter. 563 00:36:59,203 --> 00:37:01,843 Exposing criminals and moral wrongdoing is what we do. 564 00:37:02,683 --> 00:37:06,643 [Paul Connew] Broadcasters would often indulge this mystery man persona. 565 00:37:06,683 --> 00:37:10,443 And I think eventually, he fell in love with that persona 566 00:37:10,523 --> 00:37:12,963 and the celebrity status it gave him. 567 00:37:13,043 --> 00:37:16,203 We are recording you in a way that won’t expose your identity. 568 00:37:16,243 --> 00:37:19,003 The nature of my work, I use subterfuge 569 00:37:19,083 --> 00:37:21,923 so if my identity were revealed, I couldn’t work. 570 00:37:23,843 --> 00:37:28,443 [Zee] We always laughed because he was the most unfamous famous person around. 571 00:37:28,843 --> 00:37:30,203 They knew his name, 572 00:37:31,643 --> 00:37:33,403 but didn’t know his face. 573 00:37:34,563 --> 00:37:36,563 What was shocking for me, 574 00:37:36,643 --> 00:37:39,243 he was so famous as the Fake Sheikh, 575 00:37:39,363 --> 00:37:41,683 but people were still falling for it. 576 00:37:42,163 --> 00:37:45,443 The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has been secretly filmed 577 00:37:45,523 --> 00:37:48,843 allegedly plotting to introduce a News of the World reporter 578 00:37:48,923 --> 00:37:52,203 posing as a businessman to her former husband, Prince Andrew. 579 00:37:52,643 --> 00:37:55,883 [reporter] Ferguson apologised, saying her well known financial problems 580 00:37:55,963 --> 00:37:59,443 are, quote, "No excuse for a serious lapse in judgement." 581 00:38:00,443 --> 00:38:03,683 He’d become almost a national institution. 582 00:38:04,923 --> 00:38:07,203 He achieved what he set out to achieve. 583 00:38:07,323 --> 00:38:09,643 To be one of the best investigative journalists 584 00:38:09,683 --> 00:38:11,643 ever, to be quite honest. 585 00:38:11,683 --> 00:38:14,363 Mahmood was at the top. 586 00:38:14,443 --> 00:38:17,923 He was at the top. He was the king of the tabloids. 587 00:38:19,683 --> 00:38:24,163 He’d been on Larry King, he’d been interviewed by the BBC, 588 00:38:25,083 --> 00:38:26,323 but that wasn’t enough. 589 00:38:27,603 --> 00:38:30,483 Maz’s ambition was insatiable. 590 00:38:32,203 --> 00:38:34,323 He wanted real power, 591 00:38:35,603 --> 00:38:39,483 the power that could make or break prime ministers, governments. 592 00:38:40,683 --> 00:38:44,363 The power that only tabloid editors have. 593 00:38:46,603 --> 00:38:48,883 His ambition, he said to me, 594 00:38:49,443 --> 00:38:52,483 was to be the first Asian editor on Fleet Street. 595 00:38:54,963 --> 00:38:59,203 To succeed, he had to impress Rupert Murdoch. 596 00:38:59,843 --> 00:39:01,963 [indistinct chatter] 597 00:39:05,363 --> 00:39:09,003 I think Maz was a very complex character. 598 00:39:09,083 --> 00:39:14,323 On the outside he was full of self-esteem, confident, 599 00:39:14,403 --> 00:39:17,403 brash, arrogant. 600 00:39:17,483 --> 00:39:20,483 I think the inner Maz was a different sort of person. 601 00:39:20,563 --> 00:39:23,123 I honestly believe he lacked self-esteem. 602 00:39:25,643 --> 00:39:29,483 I think he always felt the need to prove things to people. 603 00:39:30,723 --> 00:39:35,203 [Paul Samrai] He craved the adoration, respect of his elders 604 00:39:35,323 --> 00:39:38,203 at the News of the World from the proprietor down. 605 00:39:38,923 --> 00:39:42,363 He wanted to be one of them. 606 00:39:42,843 --> 00:39:45,643 So, one night I get a call from Maz. 607 00:39:46,203 --> 00:39:50,843 Rupert Murdoch was coming to visit and he said, I’ve got to have a big story. 608 00:39:52,683 --> 00:39:56,683 In those years, one of the fixations 609 00:39:56,803 --> 00:39:59,123 of the tabloid press was immigration. 610 00:40:00,363 --> 00:40:04,683 The two main problems were, one, the immigrants coming in on lorries 611 00:40:06,203 --> 00:40:09,203 and the undocumented migrants on the labour market, 612 00:40:09,243 --> 00:40:10,963 under-cutting local workers. 613 00:40:12,923 --> 00:40:16,643 Featuring stories on immigration, exposing illegal immigration 614 00:40:16,683 --> 00:40:18,803 would result in increased sales. 615 00:40:19,443 --> 00:40:22,363 It was a Murdoch favourite. 616 00:40:22,883 --> 00:40:26,123 So, what Maz actually wanted was to round up 617 00:40:26,203 --> 00:40:29,563 as many undocumented migrants as he could. 618 00:40:30,443 --> 00:40:31,683 And hand them over. 619 00:40:33,083 --> 00:40:36,003 I said, well yeah, it could be done. 620 00:40:38,523 --> 00:40:43,043 At that time, Punjabi undocumented migrants were desperate to get work. 621 00:40:43,123 --> 00:40:45,243 Because that’s why they’d come here. 622 00:40:45,363 --> 00:40:49,043 To earn money to send back home and make a better life for their families. 623 00:40:51,683 --> 00:40:54,683 So, myself and Maz went to a house, 624 00:40:54,803 --> 00:40:56,923 a multiple occupation house, 625 00:40:57,003 --> 00:41:00,723 where I knew undocumented migrants were living. 626 00:41:05,683 --> 00:41:09,163 I am from the Punjab and that’s one of the reasons why Maz called me. 627 00:41:12,003 --> 00:41:15,083 I said there’s somebody I want to introduce you to. 628 00:41:15,163 --> 00:41:17,443 And Maz would then go into his spiel. 629 00:41:17,523 --> 00:41:20,483 This is your lucky day. I’m going to change your life. 630 00:41:21,563 --> 00:41:24,443 The story was that he was recruiting labour 631 00:41:24,523 --> 00:41:28,483 to work on a very big building operation. 632 00:41:29,563 --> 00:41:32,523 So Maz said I will pay top dollar, 633 00:41:32,603 --> 00:41:34,363 I’ll pay more than anybody else. 634 00:41:34,443 --> 00:41:37,683 And if they’re undocumented, I prefer, 635 00:41:37,723 --> 00:41:40,363 because they’ll do as they’re told. 636 00:41:41,203 --> 00:41:43,523 Maz told them, on the Saturday, 637 00:41:43,603 --> 00:41:46,483 we’re going to take you to the construction site, 638 00:41:46,563 --> 00:41:49,523 and then we’re going to measure you up, and issue you 639 00:41:49,603 --> 00:41:54,883 with your safety boots, safety hat and your high-vis jacket. 640 00:41:56,323 --> 00:41:58,323 And I have to say, look, he is a good actor. 641 00:42:00,243 --> 00:42:02,163 He made it convincing. 642 00:42:11,643 --> 00:42:13,243 The day of the sting. 643 00:42:16,843 --> 00:42:19,443 At the beginning, there were dribs and drabs 644 00:42:19,523 --> 00:42:21,243 and Maz was a bit disappointed 645 00:42:21,363 --> 00:42:23,723 because he thought we were only gonna get a handful. 646 00:42:24,683 --> 00:42:27,843 But as the minutes passed, more and more came. 647 00:42:27,923 --> 00:42:29,643 And you could see the look in his eyes, 648 00:42:29,683 --> 00:42:32,203 the look of satisfaction that, you know, it had worked. 649 00:42:33,643 --> 00:42:37,123 They sought my reassurance, "This is all kosher, isn’t it?" 650 00:42:37,203 --> 00:42:40,723 I said yeah, yeah mate, we’re going to take you to see where the site is, 651 00:42:40,843 --> 00:42:43,683 get your boots, get your helmets, that’s it. 652 00:42:45,203 --> 00:42:50,363 They fell for it, hook, line and sinker without much questioning. 653 00:42:50,443 --> 00:42:51,683 [bus engine roars] 654 00:42:56,363 --> 00:42:58,443 [ominous music] 655 00:43:05,323 --> 00:43:07,683 It was quiet. Deathly quiet. 656 00:43:09,203 --> 00:43:12,163 You could see in them they wanted the money, 657 00:43:13,043 --> 00:43:16,203 but they were a little bit unsure what the hell’s going on here. 658 00:43:20,963 --> 00:43:23,603 We turn off the main road. 659 00:43:24,243 --> 00:43:28,163 They’d been delivered on a plate to Colnbrook detention centre. 660 00:43:33,523 --> 00:43:36,603 Looks like the entrance to any prison. 661 00:43:38,803 --> 00:43:41,123 By now, people knew what was going on. 662 00:43:42,283 --> 00:43:46,283 The atmosphere had turned to one of rage and hate 663 00:43:46,923 --> 00:43:48,003 and fear. 664 00:43:50,643 --> 00:43:53,283 Now, Colnbrook is not expecting this, 665 00:43:53,883 --> 00:43:56,483 they don’t know what the hell’s going on. 666 00:43:57,123 --> 00:44:00,763 If we were turned away, I was gonna leg it, I was gonna run. 667 00:44:02,843 --> 00:44:04,283 Maz threatens them. 668 00:44:04,923 --> 00:44:09,203 If you’re not going to take them, he was going to put it in the paper 669 00:44:09,283 --> 00:44:11,843 that the Home Office didn't want to know. 670 00:44:14,323 --> 00:44:16,443 And that’s when it hit me. 671 00:44:18,043 --> 00:44:21,603 Normally, you can justify your actions, 672 00:44:21,683 --> 00:44:24,283 by saying the guy’s a villain or the guy’s corrupt 673 00:44:24,363 --> 00:44:26,803 or the guy’s causing misery to other people. 674 00:44:28,243 --> 00:44:31,243 But the thing that distinguishes this story from the others, 675 00:44:31,323 --> 00:44:33,443 is that these guys weren't villains. 676 00:44:34,203 --> 00:44:36,723 They were not hurting anybody. 677 00:44:37,203 --> 00:44:40,883 They were here merely trying to improve their condition. 678 00:44:43,483 --> 00:44:48,283 I was involved in ruining people’s lives 679 00:44:48,363 --> 00:44:51,123 all for a newspaper story. 680 00:44:54,803 --> 00:44:58,123 I shouldn't have done it. I should have said no to him. 681 00:45:02,603 --> 00:45:05,363 It was like lambs being led to slaughter. 682 00:45:07,963 --> 00:45:12,403 You would think that having parents who were immigrants themselves, 683 00:45:13,003 --> 00:45:16,003 he would have had more sympathy for their plight. 684 00:45:16,523 --> 00:45:20,643 But no, he had no empathy for his victims at all. 685 00:45:23,683 --> 00:45:24,963 We got this story. 686 00:45:27,803 --> 00:45:29,603 That’s it, job done for us. 687 00:45:29,683 --> 00:45:32,643 [ominous music] 688 00:45:38,643 --> 00:45:41,963 Maz liked to work on stories that were guaranteed 689 00:45:42,043 --> 00:45:45,443 either a double page or a front-page splash. 690 00:45:47,043 --> 00:45:50,043 This story only made a mini spread 691 00:45:50,123 --> 00:45:51,923 towards the middle of the paper. 692 00:45:54,923 --> 00:45:57,763 So, he was disappointed because it wasn’t a splash 693 00:45:57,843 --> 00:46:01,603 and it wouldn’t have come to the attention of Rupert Murdoch. 694 00:46:03,243 --> 00:46:06,683 And he really thought that he was going to be promoted. 695 00:46:07,643 --> 00:46:08,803 It wasn’t to be. 696 00:46:13,523 --> 00:46:15,363 He would always be an outsider. 697 00:46:17,043 --> 00:46:20,283 Now, some people look down their noses at the tabloids 698 00:46:20,363 --> 00:46:23,043 and think to themselves, look at those nasty stories. 699 00:46:23,643 --> 00:46:26,483 It is true that people's lives can be ruined, 700 00:46:26,563 --> 00:46:29,723 but no one’s exposed by the tabloids for good behaviour. 701 00:46:30,523 --> 00:46:33,923 The immigration bus story was a brilliant piece 702 00:46:34,003 --> 00:46:36,323 of tabloid investigation. 703 00:46:37,443 --> 00:46:39,163 He looked at a real problem, 704 00:46:39,243 --> 00:46:41,523 he found a way to illustrate it, 705 00:46:41,603 --> 00:46:43,523 and it was in the public interest. 706 00:47:01,843 --> 00:47:07,363 [phone rings] 707 00:47:07,443 --> 00:47:11,083 At that moment, he was no longer the avenging angel, 708 00:47:11,163 --> 00:47:15,483 the fighter for justice that I first thought he was. 709 00:47:16,363 --> 00:47:17,843 [continues ringing] 710 00:47:18,443 --> 00:47:22,643 I decided not to be involved any further. 711 00:47:22,723 --> 00:47:25,043 [phone stops ringing] 712 00:47:25,123 --> 00:47:26,283 I got out. 713 00:47:29,523 --> 00:47:30,803 But Maz wouldn’t stop. 714 00:47:34,603 --> 00:47:36,603 His circle became smaller. 715 00:47:38,483 --> 00:47:41,123 Maz didn't trust a lot of people. 716 00:47:42,523 --> 00:47:44,843 He did trust me, I was part of his life, 717 00:47:46,403 --> 00:47:48,723 but the loyalty was very important. 718 00:47:54,123 --> 00:47:56,363 One day, Maz got a tip. 719 00:47:56,443 --> 00:47:59,563 The Pakistani cricket team was involved in some match fixing. 720 00:48:02,043 --> 00:48:04,483 Normally I don’t say anything, I don’t get involved, 721 00:48:04,563 --> 00:48:09,163 but there was one Pakistani cricketer, Mohammad Amir, 722 00:48:10,643 --> 00:48:12,523 who had just turned 18. 723 00:48:13,803 --> 00:48:17,563 I had asked Maz, I said, you know, why don't you just leave him out? 724 00:48:18,123 --> 00:48:19,763 Because he's 18. 725 00:48:19,843 --> 00:48:23,763 Think about it, I mean kids at that age, I knew, they do stupid things. 726 00:48:25,403 --> 00:48:26,963 And he said, it doesn't matter. 727 00:48:28,083 --> 00:48:32,243 If you do the crime, you’ll do the time, basically. 728 00:48:32,803 --> 00:48:35,603 [ominous music] 729 00:48:38,403 --> 00:48:40,523 Mohammad, do you think you’re going to be jailed today? 730 00:48:41,603 --> 00:48:42,963 Do you want to go to jail? 731 00:48:43,563 --> 00:48:46,163 [Zee] After that, there was a distance. 732 00:48:49,483 --> 00:48:53,083 I could tell that he was upset that I’d questioned him. 733 00:48:59,163 --> 00:49:02,563 There was no doubt that Maz, particularly as he got ever more successful, 734 00:49:02,643 --> 00:49:04,123 became more difficult to manage. 735 00:49:05,403 --> 00:49:08,203 He didn’t really like to be questioned, 736 00:49:09,283 --> 00:49:11,363 he would just go for the story. 737 00:49:12,243 --> 00:49:14,243 It was consuming him almost. 738 00:49:15,203 --> 00:49:18,123 You know, when you’re with someone and everything is good, 739 00:49:18,203 --> 00:49:21,323 obviously you just think, forever. 740 00:49:25,483 --> 00:49:30,083 He took me to the airport the next day and in the airport he said, 741 00:49:30,883 --> 00:49:32,683 call me, let me know when you land. 742 00:49:33,923 --> 00:49:35,003 I said OK. 743 00:49:35,363 --> 00:49:38,003 And then, that was it. 744 00:49:38,523 --> 00:49:40,843 It was over. Never heard from him again. 745 00:49:40,923 --> 00:49:43,883 [suspenseful music] 746 00:49:49,043 --> 00:49:51,083 [Zee] I spent five years with Maz. 747 00:49:52,603 --> 00:49:54,723 I think I did know the real Maz. 748 00:49:54,803 --> 00:49:57,963 Or I knew what he showed me. 749 00:50:09,363 --> 00:50:10,523 I think in a way, 750 00:50:11,443 --> 00:50:15,083 the journalism became everything. 751 00:50:15,163 --> 00:50:19,523 He kind of lost track of the whole world 752 00:50:19,603 --> 00:50:21,923 and it just became whatever Maz was doing. 753 00:50:23,923 --> 00:50:26,323 But the big stories kept on coming 754 00:50:26,403 --> 00:50:30,923 and his Pakistani cricket scoop made Maz a multi-award winner. 755 00:50:31,683 --> 00:50:36,203 He was the unanimous choice in a high-quality field. 756 00:50:36,283 --> 00:50:39,083 Congratulations then to Mazher Mahmood 757 00:50:39,163 --> 00:50:41,123 from the News of the World. 758 00:50:42,643 --> 00:50:45,723 As you know, Mazher does not reveal himself, 759 00:50:45,803 --> 00:50:48,923 so who’s coming on stage for him? 760 00:50:49,643 --> 00:50:53,123 I was amongst the judges who gave Mazher the Reporter of the Year 761 00:50:53,203 --> 00:50:57,803 and also the Scoop of the Year award for the Pakistani cricket exposé. 762 00:50:57,883 --> 00:51:01,123 He is absolutely one of the finest, most professional journalists 763 00:51:01,203 --> 00:51:04,283 I’ve had the pleasure and the privilege to work with. Thank you. 764 00:51:04,363 --> 00:51:07,843 I had no hesitation in feeling that he deserved that 765 00:51:07,923 --> 00:51:11,483 despite, if you like, the skeletons in the Mazher cupboard. 766 00:51:12,163 --> 00:51:14,203 [Paul Samrai] He was the man. 767 00:51:14,723 --> 00:51:17,483 Envy, admiration in equal measures. 768 00:51:18,843 --> 00:51:21,643 Scoop of the Year. Reporter of the Year. 769 00:51:21,723 --> 00:51:23,163 He believed in his hype. 770 00:51:24,483 --> 00:51:27,683 [Neil Wallis] For 20 years, Mazher and the News of the World 771 00:51:27,763 --> 00:51:29,323 were a perfect marriage. 772 00:51:30,163 --> 00:51:32,763 But none of us expected it to end like it did. 773 00:51:33,763 --> 00:51:34,643 None of us. 774 00:51:35,203 --> 00:51:37,843 [reporter] A number of celebrities are taking legal action 775 00:51:37,923 --> 00:51:40,843 against the News of the World over allegations of phone hacking. 776 00:51:40,923 --> 00:51:43,603 The Metropolitan Police have asked the paper for more information 777 00:51:43,683 --> 00:51:45,763 about the tactics of its reporters. 778 00:51:45,843 --> 00:51:47,363 [tense music fades] 779 00:51:50,043 --> 00:51:53,443 [intense music]