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Banged Up takes place in HMP Shrewsbury, which has been shut down for ten years and is about to get an influx of newcomers – a mix of celebs and real prisoners, one even teaching about how to kill people in prison.
The guards are all former prison guards, there’s a former governor – Clare Pearson, while all the prison rules are real.
They’ll all be watched by 40 cameras, and the first participant to spend 8 days inside for a very long week, is actor Sid Owen, aka Ricky from Eastenders… I mean, ahem… RICKYYYYYYYY!!
He comes from a jailbird family, who’s learning what’s it’s been like for a number of relatives, from a complete strip search, to having all of your personal belongings taken away from you, so no-one takes in a mobile phone. Inside, Sid gets to learn some incredibly harsh realities about prison, about what can happen to some people in there.
The second candidate is Tory MP Johnny Mercer, and as far as I’m concerned, he can stay inside, forever. He’s holed up with a very violent lifer – admitting some crimes for which he was convicted, yet someone who does put together a very nice tuna and mackerel salad.
Third up is apparent Gogglebox ‘star’ Marcus Luther (no, me neither), who instantly gets the backs up of some, while Mercer learns the surprising way to get some tobacco while locked up.
And if you’re lucky, you’ll find some poo in the shower…
Further episodes will also feature Friday Night Dinner‘s Tom Rosenthal, apparent singer HRVY, disgraced former Tory MP Neil Parish – the one who looked up fruity content on the internet on his phone while in the House of Commons, yet claimed he was searching for tractors, and, finally, the joke of journalism, Peter Hitchens from the Mail on Sunday… so, we’re back to the crap, again.
I’ll definitely catch more of this!
Banged Up is on Channel 4 from tomorrow at 9.15pm, and will then be on All 4.
Yes, I still call it ‘All 4’. I know it’s technically been rebranded Channel 4, but if I was to say it’s on Channel 4, then it’s on Channel 4… you’d think I’d gone mad.
The series is not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Prisoners:
Sid Owen
Johnny Mercer
Tom Rosenthal
Marcus Luther
HRVY
Peter Hitchens
Neil Parish
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.