Marcus Redwood, known as 'Britain's hardest bouncer,' has revealed the terrifying moment a shotgun was shoved under his chin in front of his four-year-old son. The incident followed a violent altercation at a nightclub in the mid-1980s.
Redwood estimates he has knocked out approximately 1,000 men during his career working on doors in southern England. He has now written an autobiography, Big Guy: The True Story of Britain's Most Notorious Bouncer, detailing his wild past.
The Nightclub Fight That Sparked the Threat
One night in the mid-1980s, four men previously barred from a club for causing trouble were allowed in by another doorman. Redwood pulled one aside and warned that if they acted up, they would be thrown out 'hard.' Within five minutes, a full-on fight broke out, and the group was forcibly removed.
Outside, the four men threatened Redwood before violence erupted again. In his book, Redwood writes: 'So, I walked out towards the four guys on my own. I dropped the first three unconscious on the floor and chased the other one away. They all jumped into a black cab, and I heard that two out of the three had to go to hospital.'
The Gunpoint Confrontation
Two weeks later, Redwood and his son Damion, then four, were in Ramsgate for their Sunday tradition of renting a video. As they walked into the shop, Redwood spotted the same four men, now dressed in shooting gear. He assumed they wouldn't cause trouble in public.
But as he left the shop, a shotgun was shoved in his face. Redwood recalls: 'The guy hadn't taken the shotgun out of the case — he had his arms in the case with his fingers on the trigger. He just shoved the muzzle end under my chin and said: “What do you think of that, then? You’re not so tough now, are you?”'
Redwood replied: 'Mate, listen, why don’t you put that gun down and I’ll batter all four of you like I did the other week. I’ve got my kid with me.'
The video shop owner took Damion inside and called the police. As sirens approached, the man fled. Redwood decided not to file a formal complaint, instead vowing to handle it himself.
Seeking Revenge
Redwood knew that on Monday nights, a bar in Ramsgate served cheap drinks and attracted around 1,000 people. He went there looking for the men but found no one the first two weeks. On the third Monday, three of the four walked in.
After introducing himself, the trio followed him outside. Redwood writes: 'I hit the guy who I thought was the biggest problem first and knocked him out cold. I then brought my elbow back and smashed the second one in the face and broke his jaw. I just grabbed the third guy with both hands, picked him off the ground, slammed him on the floor and stamped on him. I demolished all three of them in seconds.'
Doormen jumped on him to calm him down, but Redwood says his point was proven: 'Those guys never so much as looked at me funny after that. If they saw me walking down the street they’d cross over.'
