How podcaster James English went from reality TV and dating Kerry Katona to interviewing '£1bn crime lord' Daniel Kinahan and Tommy Robinson

Published: 00:43, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 00:52, 11 August 2026 He's the podcaster who has amassed half a billion views and interviewed 'crime lord' Daniel Kinahan in a world exclusive before he was extradited from Dubai.  Scotsman James English has amassed a cult following through his chart-topping 'world's most controversial podcast' Anything Goes. The father-of-two racks up tens of thousands of views interviewing violent convicted gangsters and figures such as Tommy Robinson, with fans said to include Justin Bieber and Wayne Rooney.  He has nearly 800,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel and his most popular interview to date was with the self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, which has been watched 2.8 million times.  In it, English, 42, says he has had Tate's back 'since day one' and describes the manosphere influencer as being 'so kind to everybody' before gushing about his generosity.  This week, his interview with Kinahan, while he was in Dubai ahead of his long-awaited extradition, made headlines as the 49-year-old told English he had 'not been an angel' but was 'looking forward to getting home'.  He was pictured shaking hands with the wanted 'Cartel boss' in 2022 during a three-hour interview for his podcast, but it was never broadcast because of 'legal reasons'.  Kinahan, the world’s most wanted man, was flown back to Ireland on Sunday after spending years living in exile in Dubai. The alleged drugs kingpin of the Kinahan network is estimated to have assets worth more than £1billion. Scotsman James English has amassed a cult following through his chart-topping 'world's most controversial podcast' Anything Goes English is pictured shaking hands with the wanted 'Cartel boss' Daniel Kinahan in 2022 during a three-hour interview for his podcast, but it was never broadcast because of 'legal reasons' However, away from the online world of English's success lies controversy and links to the criminal underworld.  As a teenager, the promising footballer was on the books of Hibernian and credited the Scottish Premiership side for stopping him from being sent to a children's home.  He openly admitted in an Instagram post in December last year that he didn't have 'dedication or the temperament' to make it as a professional footballer.  '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, who owns a Rottweiler named Yogi and previously posted pictures of his American Bullies, has had a life befallen with tragedy, with his father dying from leukaemia in 2000.  His uncle, Billy Bates, 43, was killed in a brutal gangland murder in 2006, with his battered body later discovered in an oil drum.  The gruesome injuries he suffered meant English's mother identified him from the rings he was wearing, reported the Daily Record, including one on his little finger with the word 'Dad' written on it.   A decade later, English's close pal Euan Johnston was gunned down in a gangland shooting.  Suspected heroin and diazepam dealer Johnston, 26, was shot twice in the head while he was behind the wheel of his stationary Audi RS4 at red lights. English posted a picture of himself with his arm around Johnston at the time of his death and called him 'a true gentleman'.  David Scott was jailed in 2018 for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of Johnston's 'cold-blooded' murder.      English was also said to be close friends with notorious ex-gangster Darren Gee until a public falling out. Gee, who served 12 years behind bars for organising the 2004 murder in Liverpool, claimed he had been used by English to boost his YouTube numbers after appearing on his podcast and called him a fat sh**house during the online row. English later offered to fight Gee in a £250,000 boxing match for charity. The pair never met in the ring.  English made headlines again in 2017 when a high-profile, but brief, romance with ex-Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona came to an end after two months of dating English was also said to be close friends with notorious ex-gangster Darren Gee (pictured) until a public falling out The father-of-two racks up tens of thousands of views interviewing violent convicted gangsters and figures such as Tommy Robinson The former personal trainer and model first found low-level fame in 2016 in online reality show Glow, which followed the lives of a 'young, stylish group of Glaswegians'. It was billed as the Scottish city's answer to TOWIE and Made In Chelsea. English's stint in the show was short-lived and marred by a bust-up with bodybuilding co-star Rudi Neequaye, who was expecting a baby with his ex. English quit the show in 2017 after two seasons to pursue a comedy career.  He told The Sun in 2020 that Glow 'was a stepping stone' for his career and that '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. 'It was a fun time in my life, I met some cracking people. It was an opportunity that came along and I took it. 'You need to respect anyone that does that because they're in the frontline for some amount of abuse, especially in a tough city like Glasgow. 'I'd never tried anything like that then got the buzz for it and just wanted to kick on.' English made headlines again in 2017 when a high-profile, but brief, romance with ex-Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona came to an end after two months of dating. A fortnight before the break-up, English had claimed he was 'in love' with the 'f***ed up' star, while also claiming their relationship was just 'a bit of casual sex'. Speaking on Ewen Cameron's chat show in Scotland, he boasted: '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.' English is pictured with Hollywood actor Ethan Suplee while appearing on his podcast However, dropping his bravado, he added: '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.' The comedian joked: 'I'm living on the back of her. I'm just using her just now to get somewhere.'    But it is Anything Goes podcast launched in 2018 that has propelled English into the limelight through interviews with sports stars such as Paul Gascoigne, gangsters, and Baby Reindeer's 'real Martha' Fiona Harvey.  Among his hundreds of guests are David Icke, Noel Clarke, Joey Barton, Laurence Fox and Katie Hopkins.   He previously boasted how his success enabled him to 'retire my mum' after she 'supported me through my dark days even tho it should have been me supporting her'. In 2022, English posted a heartfelt tribute to his father on the 12-year anniversary of his death. '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,' he wrote.  '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.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.