My Dad, The Guv'nor - The True Story of My Life with the Legendary Hard Man, Lenny McLean

Kelly McLean

• Publisher: John Blake
• Year: 2018
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781789460414
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

'I am the Guv'nor's daughter - but what does that mean?'

Lenny McLean, better known as The Guv'nor, was a legendary and sometimes terrifying figure: a bare-knuckle fighter, bouncer and, in later life, an actor. He was a formidable force in the East End and across London, but behind his towering demeanour was a loving father who provided a safe haven for his children. For his only daughter, Kelly, his status brought with it a reputation both to live up to, and sometimes escape.

Kelly experienced the old East End way of life, often lived just outside the law, first-hand and equally the uncertainty that came with her father's mood swings and the 'black dog' that followed him around, despite their close bond. The connection between father and daughter became even more apparent as Kelly began to battle her own mental health issues that, as a mum to two young children, would threaten to destroy her life.

In this incredibly frank and poignant memoir, Kelly McLean provides a unique insight into life growing up as the daughter of one of the last old-school fighters, featuring many previously untold stories. This is the story of East End life from a woman who has seen it, lived it, and sometimes been plagued by it.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Foreword by Scott Richardson
• Introduction
• 1: The Early Years
• 2: The Seventies and Early Eighties
• 3: Late Eighties, Early Nineties
• 4: In It For a Nicker
• 5: From Clacton to Eltham to Fight a Mad Gypsy
• 6: A Stretch Too Far
• 7: Prison Release, Yet No Release for Us
• 8: From the Cobbles to the Silver Screen
• 9: This Guy’s Gonna Make Me Ritch
• 10: The Guv’nor’s Last Bout
• 11: The Morning of 28 July 1998
• 12: Just One More Day
• 13: A Bittersweet Symphony
• 14: Life After
• 15: Today
• 16: Dedications
• Afterword by Karen Latimer
• Acknowledgements
• Plates
• Copyright