Ross Kemp to explore world’s most notorious prisons in new Channel 5 series

Actor and TV presenter Ross Kemp will discover first-hand what it is like to live in the world’s most dangerous prisons for an upcoming Channel 5 series.

The Bafta-winning documentary maker, known for his hard-hitting Extreme World films, will immerse himself in the world’s most “high-security and high-risk prisons” housing gang leaders, serial killers, violent criminals, drug lords and mass murderers to experience living among “society’s most dangerous”, the channel said.

Ross Kemp: 72 Hours In… will see the 59-year-old on the “frontline of law enforcement’s fight against gangs, ruthless killers and organised crime”, immersing himself in the notorious prisons of Latin America to the penitentiaries of South-East Asia, Channel 5 said.

Kemp has made a career out of throwing himself headfirst into some of the very worst places the world can provide, from drug dens in the rainforest to the prison cells of Belmarsh.

On the new series, he said: “I’ve been to some of the toughest prisons in the UK and all around the world. I thought I’d experienced it all, and taken every adventure, but this time we’re going even further than before!

“I’m looking forward to my first documentary series with Channel 5 and taking you all on this journey with me.”

Channel 5 said Kemp will explore what it takes to be part of the teams that “often risk their lives” to keep the peace and run these complex institutions, with the eight-part series set to begin filming this summer.

Federico Ruiz, commissioning editor for Unscripted at Channel 5 and Paramount+, said: “We’re thrilled to expand our working relationship with Ross, who is no stranger to immersing himself in some of the world’s most dangerous environments.

“This series will see him push himself further than ever before and experience raw, visceral reactions when coming face-to-face with some of the world’s most dangerous criminals locked up in extraordinary prisons.”

Tom Popay, creative director and executive producer of Chalkboard, said: “This show is a rare opportunity to enter some of the most notorious prisons across the world.

“We’ll pull back the curtain to show the inner workings of these complex institutions, and share what it’s like to be an inmate inside them.”

It comes after former EastEnders actor Kemp revealed he had turned down a trip to see the Titanic wreckage on an OceanGate submersible for a TV show, following the implosion of the deep-sea vessel which resulted in the death of all five people aboard.