Ross Kemp Explores Prisons in New Channel 5 Series

Chalkboard TV and Freshwater Films have joined forces to co-produce the eight-part docuseries Ross Kemp: 72 Hours In… (w.t.) for Channel 5.

The eponymous BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker, actor and author will enter some of the world’s most high-security, high-risk prisons housing gang leaders, serial killers, violent criminals and drug lords to discover what it takes to be part of the teams that risk their lives to keep the peace and run the complex institutions.

The series will be executive produced by Tom Popay for Chalkboard and Kemp for Freshwater Films. It is set to begin filming this summer.

“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,” said Federico Ruiz, commissioning editor of unscripted at Channel 5 and Paramount+. “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.”

Popay, creative director and executive producer at Chalkboard, added, “We are excited to be working with Ross and Channel 5 on Ross Kemp: 72 Hours In… (w.t.). 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.”

Kemp commented, “I’ve been to some of the toughest prisons in the U.K. 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.”