A self-funded movie about East End gangland that was hit by the pandemic before filming was complete, is finally being released this week.

Much of The Setup was filmed in The Blind Beggar in Whitechapel, the once-notorious pub where Ronnie Kray shot dead rival gangster George Cornell in 1966.

But production had to stop when London first went into lockdown almost a year ago.

“I wanted to capture the spirit of classic London gangster films,” first-time director Alan Ford explained. “Tension and violence with humour and stupidity is a combination with our underdog gangster hopefuls dabbling in petty crime who inflate their position in the criminal food chain.”

Adam Forster plays a City slicker turning for help to his streetwise friend Leo (played by Jag Singh) after getting into hot water with a mafia boss (Stephen Gray) facing off the ragtag gangster wannabes.

The dark comedy short film, inspired by gangster classics such as A Clockwork Orange, is out on Amazon on March 5.