Ex-Glasgow bouncer creates 'gritty' STV Player gangland drama despite having no TV experience

A former Glasgow bouncer has created, written and starred in a “gritty” gangland drama on STV Player despite having zero filmmaking experience.

Anton O’Donnell came up with the idea for the 45-minute film while working on the doors of bars on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.

Concrete Jungle tells the story of emerging Glasgow gangster Jamie McGregor, who, when double-crossed in a drug deal, must use any means necessary to repay a huge debt.

Under immense pressure from a ruthless underworld boss to recover the stolen money, Jamie turns to his family – the only people he can trust – for help.

With just two weeks to repay the debt, and a chilling threat to his life if he doesn’t, Jamie is forced to carefully navigate a treacherous world of deception and danger – with the unforgiving streets of Glasgow as the backdrop.

Concrete Jungle has already shot to the top of STV Player’s most-watched chart, and is the former bouncer’s passion project.

With no prior filmmaking experience, the 39-year-old from Paisley wrote, co-directed and executive produced Concrete Jungle himself – and even stars as the main protagonist.

He told STV News: “I always felt shows like The Sopranos and The Wire hadn’t been done in Glasgow properly – the city’s got that heart to it. Glasgow was missing something.

“I spent many long nights writing away, and I would watch some of the shows on the TV and thought my idea was better.

“A lot of people told me I was wasting my time and my money, but because it was my first time doing it I had that naivety, delusion – the drive to do it myself.

“I was working 18-hour days between two jobs and I wanted to film the pilot in a week – that was seven years ago.

“I hired two talented lads to help me bring my vision to life: cinematographer, Bryan McIntyre, and co-director, Graeme Watt, who also edited the film.

“I realised on the first day it was going to be harder than I thought but I came home as high as a kite. I was obsessed about it 24 hours a day.

“The response has been unbelievable.

“To have the backing of STV Player and to be able to share the pilot with a wider audience is a dream come true, and I hope to continue Jamie’s story and make more episodes in the future.”

A TikTok account set up earlier this month to promote Concrete Jungle’s launch on STV Player has gone viral, with over 225,000 combined views on trailers for the film, and comments describing it as “Glasgow Top Boy vibes” and “River City meets The Krays”.

Richard Williams, managing director of Digital at STV, said: “Along with major soaps, dramas and sporting events, it’s also hugely important for us at STV Player to back brilliant, homegrown, independent filmmaking – and Concrete Jungle fits that bill to a tee.

“Anton has created a compelling story with multi-dimensional characters and relatable Glaswegian dialogue and admirably brought his vision to the screen through sheer tenacity and hard work.

“We’re delighted to give Concrete Jungle a home on STV Player and continue STV’s legacy of supporting emerging talent from across Scotland.”

Concrete Jungle is available to stream now, exclusively on STV Player.