A specially-prepared wing, described as "a prison within a prison" was developed. It would become the famous E-Wing and was thought to be escape-proof. In 2002, John McVicar married Countess Valentina Artsrunik at the Russian Orthodox Church in Knightsbridge, London. Although the couple ran a publishing business and together travelled widely, their marriage was strained and they lived apart. At the time of his death McVicar was living in a caravan in Althorne, Maldon, Essex. [3] [4] The riverside area near Framwellgate Bridge would have fitted this description in the 1960s. At this point, McVicar swam along the river, in the direction of the current, briefly encountering a rat sitting on an exposed pipe. The pipe and occasional rat can still be seen here today. McVicar, a Londoner once considered the most dangerous man in Britain, was an armed robber who escaped from a coach taking him to Parkhurst Prison in 1966. He was on the run for four months and on recapture was taken to Durham Prison. He wasn't in for long as, on October 29, 1968, he achieved the unthinkable, an escape from E-Wing. In the 1980s McVicar embarked upon a career in journalism, with work published in Sunday Times, the Guardian, Punch, the New Statesman, Time Out. He was frequently called upon to comment on crime and punishment matters, such as the 1990 HM Prison Strangeways riots, in Manchester. [1] Christie v. McVicar [ edit ]

McVicar obituary | UK news | The Guardian John McVicar obituary | UK news | The Guardian

In 1998, McVicar lost a libel action brought by sprinter Linford Christie over his claim that Christie was a "steroid athlete." [3] The Jill Dando murder [ edit ] His book on Jill Dando, Dead on Time (2002), was reviewed in the Guardian by Bob Woffinden, who concluded that “he seems to regard most of humanity with varying levels of contempt, and writes movingly only of the death of his dog”. McVicar’s theory as to who carried out the murder “must be one of the most preposterous advanced in modern criminal history”, Woffinden suggested. Next day, as a massive police hunt was mobilised and TV crews and newspaper men rushed to Durham, McVicar kept away from the roads and followed the course of the river and railway for seven miles, finally reaching Chester-le-Street. After his release, McVicar wrote his autobiography, McVicar by Himself, and scripted the biographical film McVicar (1980), which starred The Who's lead singer Roger Daltrey in the title role and co-starred Adam Faith. Also after his release from prison, he studied for a postgraduate degree at the University of Leicester. For two years, McVicar remained on the run until he was re-captured in 1970. Read More Related ArticlesThe escape from Durham led to him being declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by Scotland Yard, until he was apprehended and made to continue his 23-year prison sentence. He was paroled in 1978. [3] As a journalist [ edit ] Telling his story [ edit ] Despite being spotted by a number of local people, he evaded capture by police swarming around the area.

McVicar by Himself - John McVicar - Google Books

Indeed, the most interesting thing about Billy Rags is the mystery around its possible links to McVicar’s own autobiography. According to Triplow, in 1971 McVicar managed to smuggle the manuscript for what would eventually be McVicar by Himself out of prison via his lawyer, it being forbidden for criminals to write memoirs for publication or profit at the time. It was transcribed and edited by Goronwy Rees, a publisher, writer and academic, who had also been a communist in the 1930s and, according to some sources, a Soviet spy. ‘The plan was that it would be published, presumably under a pseudonym and a portion of the advance provide an income for the woman with whom McVicar had been living prior to recapture,’ writes Triplow. ‘She was also the mother of his seven-year-old son, Russell. It would also be a means for McVicar, then entering a period of study and re-education, to prepare for life outside prison.’ It is third and final film produced by The Who Films, following Quadrophenia (1979) and The Kids Are Alright (1979). Daltrey went on to produce Buddy’s Song (1991). The group’s manager Bill Curbishley produced The Who’s film Tommy, McVicar and also Buddy’s Song, all starring Roger Daltrey, with whom he established the Goldhawke production company for the singer’s solo albums. In 2002, McVicar published a book about the murder of broadcaster Jill Dando, Dead On Time. In it, he paints Barry George as a sophisticated liar, trying to appear too stupid to carry out a difficult mission. The book appeared after George's first appeal was rejected. (The conviction was overturned in 2008, and George was released.) McVicar subsequently wrote Who Killed Jill? You Decide, in which he examines the British jury system. This second book is purged of the chapters recounting 'personal experiences' which McVicar claims were the product of poetic license for the most part. [ citation needed] Personal life and death [ edit ] Find sources: "John McVicar"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( February 2008) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) He was able to enter a ventilation shaft, crawl along it, enter the exercise yard, then cross the roof before lowering himself down the prison wall.McVicar is a British drama film released in 1980 by The Who Films, Ltd., starring Roger Daltrey of the Who playing the 1960s armed robber and later writer John McVicar. The film is set in two halves, the first in Durham prison and the second half while McVicar is on the run in London. The first half of the film focuses on relations between the prison officers and inmates and also McVicar's plotting and eventual prison escape.

McVicar by Himself by John McVicar | Goodreads

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In October 1961, the Government started to take action against prison escapes and decided Durham would hold some of the country's most difficult prisoners and particularly those prone to escape. In fact, McVicar had already escaped from the clutches of the prison service once before. In 1966, he went on the run for four months when he bolted from a coach carrying him to Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight.

McVicar’s sentence was 23 years, increased to 26 years. The jail is Durham Prison. All the prison scenes were filmed in Ireland, in the abandoned Kilmainham Jail, Dublin, the same location used for The Italian Job and Sitting Target.