Marcus Redwood, widely regarded as Britain's most notorious bouncer, has recounted the terrifying incident when two hired assassins appeared at his doorstep following a dispute at a nightclub. The ordeal left him so fearful that he kept a loaded weapon by his bedside for three months.
Redwood, who claims to have been involved in approximately 3,000 fights and knocked out around 1,000 men during his career working the doors across southern England, details the harrowing event in his autobiography Big Guy: The True Story of Britain's Most Notorious Bouncer. The book also covers his interactions with notorious gangsters such as Dave Courtney, Freddie Foreman, Frankie Fraser, and the Kray twins, and notes that he provided security at Ronnie Kray's funeral.
The Nightclub Altercation That Sparked It All
The chain of events began in August 1990 at a club in Margate. Two men, described as the sons of “rather naughty people,” arrived for a night out. After one allegedly consumed too much cocaine, he left the club without getting his hand stamped. When he tried to re-enter through a different door, a bouncer informed him he would need to pay again.
Redwood, then 28, intervened as head doorman, offering to resolve the issue. According to his account: “He just punched me straight in the face. I punched him back and he went flying out of the door onto the pavement. He got up, ran at me, and wrapped himself around me, like a rugby tackle. I walked into the street with him, peeled him off me, picked him up above my head and threw him across the pavement. I didn't mean to, but I broke his ankle. He got up and hobbled back to the door, charged up on drugs.”
The man screamed “you're dead” at Redwood, who responded with a kick to his stomach. Although such threats were common, the situation escalated when the man's friend emerged, demanding to know who had hurt his companion. Redwood admitted it was him, but the friend replied with a chilling warning: “I don't want to hear it. I'll be seeing you.”
The Hitmen Arrive
The two troublemakers left in a taxi, and the man with the broken ankle later told his notorious London family that three bullying doormen had attacked him unprovoked. The incident occurred in August, but it was not until November 5 that Redwood nearly lost his life as a consequence.
That evening, Redwood stepped out of his front door to buy wine and cigarettes when he noticed two men approaching his home. He recalled: “The two guys looked at me, stopped and whispered something to each other. That seemed weird, because I live on a main road. If you're walking down the main road, you don't just stop; so, to me it was obvious that something wasn't right. Then I saw one guy's arm drop down and the silhouette of a gun appeared. I thought: 'S**t.'”
Redwood jumped into his car and reversed off the driveway. One of the men ran across the road with a gun and opened fire. “I put the car into first gear, sped off and ducked down. The shots made holes in the back of the car and blew out the back tyres. I could tell that the shots were fired from a 'nine mil' gun from the castings all over the pavement outside my house, which a neighbour collected after the event.”
He managed to reach an off-licence and contacted the police, but he claimed they were doubtful the incident was anything more than a work-related dispute. Unhappy with their response, Redwood said he told them he would handle it himself.
Resolution and Aftermath
Around this time, Redwood had struck up an acquaintance with “celebrity gangster” Dave Courtney, who had connections with the family involved. Courtney reportedly intervened and spoke to the family to end the ordeal.
Reflecting on the impact, Redwood said: “That period was a bit of a nightmare, not knowing if the gunmen were going to come back and try to kill me again. For the next three months, I carried a loaded gun with me everywhere I went, although thankfully I never had to use it.” He also installed cameras around his home and set up automated lights. “I loved my bedroom door and kept a loaded gun by my bedside. It was all very stressful. Eventually, I was reassured that the trouble had stopped.”
Redwood later learned that one of the hitmen subsequently shot himself while playing Russian roulette, reducing his concerns about further attacks.
