Ross Kemp documentary goes behind the scenes with armed Black Country police

Ross Kemp and the Armed Police will take viewers behind the scenes with the region's firearms officers in footage filmed across the Black Country and Birmingham earlier this year.

Kemp was spotted several times in the region during filming - including at McDonald's restaurants in Bentley Bridge, Wolverhampton and Stourbridge - and posed for photos with Walsall and Wolverhampton Force Response officers.

The show, which examines how armed police are dealing with the rise in gun crime in the region, will premier on ITV at 9pm next Thursday.

WATCH: Ross Kemp and the Armed Police trailer

In the documentary, Kemp dons a bullet-proof accompanies the police on house raids and embeds himself with the team, while he also meets gun smugglers who claim the police have lost control of illegal arms importation.

Kemp also meets the families of victims of gun violence, including the mother of a 14-year-old who was gunned down last year in a gang-related incident, and visits the National Ballistics Intelligence Service where seized guns are stored.

The former Eastenders actor turned documentary maker accompanied the West Midlands Police Operational Support Unit and also worked with the British Transport Police, Northumberland Police and South Yorkshire Police in the making of the documentary.

Speaking ahead of the prime-time show, Kemp said on Twitter: "Coming to ITV on Thursday 6th September at 9pm, my new documentary, Ross Kemp and The Armed Police. A year in the making, hope you can watch."

Earlier in the year Kemp hit out at reports that claimed he'd found Birmingham more terrifying than Afghanistan, describing the articles as 'fake news'.

The 54-year-old said "Saying I wore the same body armour working with armed police in Birmingham as I did in Afghanistan has been turned into headlines saying it was more terrifying and shocking filming in Birmingham than in Afghanistan?! This is fake news and, I think, insulting to those who served in Afghanistan."

The actor turned investigative journalist received rave reviews for his 2004 documentary series Ross Kemp on Gangs that explored modern gang culture in the UK.

He followed this up with a number of popular series that included Ross Kemp in Afghanistan and Ross Kemp: Extreme World.