Slick new documentary puts Northern Bank robbery back in focus

By Graeme Cousins
Published 2nd May 2021, 00:00 BST
Updated 2nd May 2021, 15:59 BST
Sam McBride and Darragh MacIntyre analyse the Northern Bank robberySam McBride and Darragh MacIntyre analyse the Northern Bank robbery
Sam McBride and Darragh MacIntyre analyse the Northern Bank robbery
GRAEME COUSINS talks to Sam McBride and Darragh MacIntyre about their fresh look at the Northern Bank robbery

News Letter’s political editor Sam McBride has made his first foray into the world of TV documentaries with the help of veteran investigative journalist Darragh MacIntyre.

Their subject matter is the well-documented Northern Bank robbery, however the pair manage to cast fresh light on the heist, presenting it in the context of major events including the murder of Robert McCartney, IRA decommissioning, the suspension of the NI Assembly and the subsequent powersharing between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

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Heist: The Northern Bank Robbery, will be broadcast tonight at 9pm on BBC One NI.

The Northern Bank at Donegal Square West the night after the robberyThe Northern Bank at Donegal Square West the night after the robbery
The Northern Bank at Donegal Square West the night after the robbery

While Sam and Darragh front the documentary, it’s a team effort.

Director Raphaelle O’Loan said: “This film was very much based on the back-breaking work of Chris Moore, who is the producer and a brilliant investigative journalist. He has written a book about it and he did a documentary around the time whenever he was in UTV. He had done a huge amount of work on the project before I ever came on board.”

The BBC’s journalism hub paved the way before Sam and Darragh entered the fray.

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Raphaelle said: “What they would have provided before anything was filmed with Sam and Darragh is all the theories that are expounded – here’s what happened, here’s what could have happened, here’s some new evidence, new documentation.

Ted Cunningham, the Cork-based financier was the first person convicted in relation to the Northern Bank robbery (C) BBC NI - Photographer: BBCTed Cunningham, the Cork-based financier was the first person convicted in relation to the Northern Bank robbery (C) BBC NI - Photographer: BBC
Ted Cunningham, the Cork-based financier was the first person convicted in relation to the Northern Bank robbery (C) BBC NI - Photographer: BBC

“They were given that to run with and then do their journalistic analysis, honing in on what the evidence was telling them and how they could move it forward, come to some conclusions.”

Sam said: “Unlike my natural habitat of print journalism, there’s an awful lot beneath the waterline in this iceberg that you don’t see. Very large sections of those interviews aren’t broadcast, but have informed our journalism. There’s people we spoke to who aren’t in the programme, sources who came forward, people who have knowledge of this. All of that is reflected in some way in our discussion, but it’s not all visible.”

The Northern Bank robbery was the biggest heist in British history just days before Christmas, in December 2004. In a sophisticated operation, the gang took two families hostage for 24 hours, forcing two bank employees to rob £26.5m from the cash centre.

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