Channel 5 goes behind bars with Ross Kemp prison docuseries

Ross Kemp

Paramount-owned UK broadcaster Channel 5 has commissioned Ross Kemp: 72 Hours In… (working title), a docuseries following the titular filmmaker and actor as he goes behind bars in some of the world’s most high-security, high-risk prisons.

Co-produced by Chalkboard TV and Freshwater Films, the 8 x 60-minute series will see Kemp come face to face with gang leaders, serial killers, violent criminals, drug lords and mass murderers to discover first-hand what it’s like to live life inside amongst society’s most dangerous.

From the notorious prisons of Latin America to the uncompromising penitentiaries of South-East Asia, Ross will be on the frontline of law enforcement’s fight against gangs, ruthless killers and organised crime. He’ll find out what it takes to be part of the teams that often risk their lives to keep the peace and run these complex institutions.

The series, which is set to begin filming this summer, was ordered by Federico Ruiz and Kate Ansell, commissioning editors, Channel 5 & Paramount+, and will be executive produced by Tom Popay for Chalkboard and Ross Kemp for Freshwater Films.

“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,” said Ruiz.