James English, the Scottish podcaster behind Anything Goes, has interviewed Daniel Kinahan, the alleged drug lord once described as a "£1billion crime lord," in a world exclusive filmed before Kinahan's extradition from Dubai. English's chart-topping podcast has amassed half a billion views and nearly 800,000 YouTube subscribers.
The 42-year-old father of two has built a following interviewing convicted gangsters and controversial figures including Tommy Robinson. His fans are said to include Justin Bieber and Wayne Rooney, and his most-watched interview, with self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, has been viewed 2.8 million times. In that interview, English said he had had Tate's back "since day one" and described him as "so kind to everybody."
This week English's interview with Kinahan, 49, recorded while the Irishman was still in Dubai ahead of his long-awaited extradition, made headlines after Kinahan told English he had "not been an angel" but was "looking forward to getting home." Kinahan was flown back to Ireland on Sunday after spending years in exile in Dubai. He is estimated to have assets worth more than £1billion.
English was pictured shaking hands with Kinahan in 2022 during a three-hour interview for his podcast, but that footage was never broadcast because of "legal reasons."
Underworld links and family tragedy
As a teenager, English was a promising footballer on the books of Hibernian, and he has credited the Scottish Premiership club with stopping him being sent to a children's home. In an Instagram post last December, he admitted he had lacked "the dedication or the temperament" to make it as a professional player.
"I had a great mum and dad, but I just didn't listen, and I wanted to fit in with certain individuals, and by doing that, I did bad things at times," he said. "It's not until you're older that you realise how f****d up that method of thinking actually is."
English's father died of leukaemia in 2000. His uncle, Billy Bates, 43, was killed in a gangland murder in 2006, his battered body later found in an oil drum. According to the Daily Record, the injuries were so severe that English's mother had to identify him by the rings he wore, including one on his little finger reading "Dad."
A decade later, English's close friend Euan Johnston, a suspected heroin and diazepam dealer, was shot twice in the head at age 26 while sitting in his stationary Audi RS4 at a red light. English posted a picture of himself with his arm around Johnston after his death, calling him "a true gentleman." David Scott was jailed for life in 2018, with a minimum term of 22 years, after being convicted of Johnston's murder.
English was also said to be close friends with former gangster Darren Gee, who served 12 years for organising a 2004 murder in Liverpool, until the pair fell out publicly. Gee accused English of using him to boost his YouTube numbers and called him a "fat sh**house" during the row. English later offered to fight Gee in a £250,000 charity boxing match, but the pair never met in the ring.
Reality TV and the Kerry Katona romance
English, a former personal trainer and model, first found low-level fame in 2016 on the online reality show Glow, which followed a "young, stylish group of Glaswegians" and was billed as Glasgow's answer to TOWIE and Made in Chelsea. His time on the show was marked by a falling-out with bodybuilding co-star Rudi Neequaye, who was expecting a baby with English's ex. English left the show in 2017 after two seasons to pursue comedy.
He told The Sun in 2020 that Glow "was a stepping stone" for his career. "I gained confidence, learned the craft and learned how to take s**t from people. If I never did that I wouldn't be where I am today. Your growth is when you're at your weakest," he said.
In 2017 English made headlines again when a brief, high-profile romance with former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona ended after two months. A fortnight before the split, he had claimed to be "in love" with Katona while also describing their relationship as "a bit of casual sex." Speaking on Ewen Cameron's chat show in Scotland, he said: "I'm packing. And Kerry is smiling. It's a good thing we've got - a bit of casual sex. That's all it is."
He later softened his tone, saying: "It's a tough question but I think it was both the gags and the abs that attracted Kerry Katona.... It's love, yes I'm in love with her." He also joked: "I'm living on the back of her. I'm just using her just now to get somewhere."
Anything Goes podcast
English launched Anything Goes in 2018, and the podcast has since featured guests including footballer Paul Gascoigne, gangsters, and Fiona Harvey, identified as the "real Martha" from the series Baby Reindeer. Other guests have included David Icke, Noel Clarke, Joey Barton, Laurence Fox and Katie Hopkins.
English has said his success allowed him to "retire my mum," who he said had supported him through his "dark days" even though "it should have been me supporting her." In 2022, on the 12th anniversary of his father's death, English wrote a tribute online: "The loss of my father will always sting because before he passed my life was going off the rails, and it still breaks my heart that he had to witness that and see me at my worst before he went. But I hope somehow somewhere he can now see me at my best as everything I do is to try honour the man who always had my back and believe in me even tho I never believed in myself."
