A GANG of celebrities are getting banged up behind bars.
But I can reveal it is all a TV experiment for a Channel 4 show HMP, featuring a line-up of famous faces who get to sample life inside.
A new Channel 4 show will see celebrities experience life in prison
A pilot for the programme has already been made and bosses at production company Shine are now casting with a view to filming a full series later this year.
A TV insider said: “The idea behind the show is it gives people who might have zero experience of prison life, or the criminal justice system in general, a taste of just what it is like.
“That could include celebs from a walk of life where they’ve looked at incarceration from a different angle, whether they are ex-police officers, politicians, or actors who have played crooks but never actually been banged up.
Single-sex jail
“They’re expecting it to be a tough watch and a tough endurance test for those taking part, but the fact it is so challenging is part of its appeal.”
Creators of the show, which could reach our screens this autumn, are trying to make the experience as authentic as possible.
To that end they have actually got hold of a former prison where filming will take place.
Unfortunately, that also means it will have to be a single- sex jail, as it would be in real life, so it is the turn of the fellas to get put behind bars first.
But if the format proves a success, there is obvious scope for a second series to feature female stars.
I reckon the producers should ask the public to nominate inmates.
I’m sure viewers would relish the sight of their least-loved celebrities swapping luxury lifestyles for dingy cells.
SUSPECT NEV HITS THE BARS
RALF LITTLE is seen being led to a cell as his Death In Paradise cop character is sent to jail.
DI Neville Parker has been arrested for allegedly murdering a suspect in the BBC1 crime drama.
Ralf Little is seen being led to a cell as his Death In Paradise cop character is sent to jail
Last week’s episode ended on a cliffhanger after he was taken away by police.
Tonight’s instalment will also be a nail-biter as the investigation gets under way.
Viewers see CCTV footage showing an agitated Neville visiting the victim, former forensics professor David Cartwright, shortly before he was found dead.
In the eyes of the lead investigator, that makes Neville look guilty.
It is now up to the inspector’s police colleagues on the island of Saint Marie to prove his innocence.
Watch how it unfolds at 9pm on BBC1.
SANDI’S ESCAPE LAUGHS
SANDI TOKSVIG doesn’t like travelling solo.
So she has recruited a bunch of famous companions to join her for the latest run of Channel 4 getaways series Extraordinary Escapes.
Sandi Toksvig has recruited a bunch of famous companions to join her for the latest run of Channel 4 getaways series Extraordinary Escapes
Comic Eddie Izzard will accompany Sandi in the Republic of Ireland, Loose Women host Judi Love joins her in Cumbria’s valleys, while After Life star Roisin Conaty meets her in wild Wales.
Comedian Rosie Jones heads to the North Sea coast in the Midlands and Smack The Pony’s Doon Mackichan links up with Sandi at an Irish eco-resort.
Sandi said: “To spend time with these fantastically funny people has been the utmost joy.”
