C5 shelves Kemp’s dangerous prisons show amid cash crisis
Ecuador chaos was final straw for star’s big budget series
ROSS Kemp has had the plug pulled on his Channel 5 documentary series about the world’s most dangerous prisons.
The show Ross Kemp: 72 Hours In… has been hit by problems including chaos in Ecuador and budget issues.
The show was first halted last October but Channel 5 has now confirmed it will not go ahead at all.
A spokeswoman said: “Filming had begun on the series but due to unforeseen production challenges, we made the practical decision to halt filming and will not be progressing further.”
Former EastEnders star Kemp, 59, is known for his …On Gangs TV franchise and the prison series was announced last summer. The channel said he would spend time “in high-security prisons, mixing with gang leaders, serial killers, violent criminals, drug lords and mass murderers to see first-hand what it is like to live among society’s most dangerous people”.
He said at the time: “I’ve been to some of the world’s toughest prisons. I thought I’d experienced it all but this time we’re going even further.”
But it is understood that while one episode was concluded in Columbia, difficulties arose over access to other prisons and the time needed in each country.
There is also said to have been “tension” between producers at Kemp’s Freshwater Films and Chalkboard TV and the network over how much it would all cost.
Ecuador has ongoing unrest including an outbreak of prison rioting in January. Sources told news site Deadline: “Ecuador was a big episode and there was that whole massive issue that erupted literally days before filming. Budget issues then made it unrealistic to continue.
“Ross is the debris in this. He went to other side of the world to film an episode in a high-security prison that’ll never air.”
The star is said to be in discussions with Channel 5 over future programmes.