Jo Jo is an Edinburgh Goodfella with a sharp mind and a cavalier attitude to law. In the bleak, edgy climate of the 1980's Jo Jo is seen by many on the estate as a hero; out-manoeuvring the police while supporting his close-knit family. What is it that draws the charming and confident Jo Jo to Lorraine, a vulnerable woman obsessed by Marilyn Monroe? What figure from his past is fuelling his fantasies and driving him towards darker crimes and the quicksand of heroin? Can Jo Jo look after himself when he doesn't know who he is?
The walls of Jo Jo's world come tumbling down as he finally uncovers the truth about his father's death. Meanwhile, the community spirit of the estate collapses under the pressure of Sarah's imprisonment, Charlie McCann's murder and a rampant Aids epidemic.
Money begins to roll in at long last as Jo Jo's heroin business takes off in earnest. But what he doesn't take into account, is that his dodgy dealings are about to destroy everything he loves.
The attraction of making big money dealing heroin proves too much for recently acquitted Jo Jo, who jumps on the bandwagon at the first opportunity. But evil undercurrents of violence and addiction soon surface as he becomes consumed by Edinburgh's drug culture, prompting him to think carefully about his future.
Family loyalties are tested to the limit by his determination to set up a crime empire in opposition to his uncle, the local underworld kingpin who has a few ruthless ideas of his own.
Jo Jo is an Edinburgh Goodfella with a sharp mind and a cavalier attitude to law. In the bleak, edgy climate of the 1980's Jo Jo is seen by many on the estate as a hero; out-manoeuvring the police while supporting his close-knit family. What is it that draws the charming and confident Jo Jo to Lorraine, a vulnerable woman obsessed by Marilyn Monroe? What figure from his past is fuelling his fantasies and driving him towards darker crimes and the quicksand of heroin? Can Jo Jo look after himself when he doesn't know who he is?
Robert Carlyle , Aline Mowat , Kevin McKidd
John Mackenzie
BBC Scotland ,
as John Joe 'Jo Jo' McCann
as Basil
