A controversial Channel 4 reality show has been ‘renewed for a second series’ before the first has even aired, according to a new report.
The four-part documentary series, Banged Up, that will hit screens on October 31, will follow a group of celebrities as they swap their normal lives for a stint at the decommissioned Shrewsbury Prison.
The participants were locked up for eight days, during which they were kept in cells, given jobs and subjected to body searches. They were attended to by real former prison guards and real ex-criminals.
Now, the channel is reportedly eyeing up a selection of female celebrities for a second series.
A TV insider told The Sun: ‘Channel 4 are pretty sure that Banged Up will hook viewers when it airs, so they’ve been considering this sequel for some time.’
On screen: Banged Up, that will hit screens on October 31, will follow a group of celebrities as they swap their normal lives for a stint at the decommissioned Shrewsbury Prison
‘And doing a women’s version in a women’s prison and an all-female line-up of prison staff was a no-brainer.
‘Though, of course, they’ll be watching closely to see what the reaction is to the first series.’
The first series, which launches at the end of the month, will see EastEnders actor Sid Owen, Gogglebox star Marcus Luther and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens tale part.
Others celebrities taking part include ex-MP Neil Parish, comedian and actor Tom Rosenthal and former Strictly Come Dancing star HRVY. It is understood Matt Hancock was approached but declined to take part.
The participants were able to question their cellmates about their experience of being incarcerated and examine the impact their jail time has had on them.
The experiment was run by a former prison governor with 20 years’ experience at some of the UK’s most notorious prisons and all participants lived according to current UK prison rules.
Owen, who played Ricky Butcher in the long-running soap, has spoken in the past about how his father was jailed for his part in a robbery when he was a child.
Up next: Now, Channel 4 is reportedly eyeing up a selection of female celebrities for a second series, according the The Sun
Cast: The first series, which launches at the end of the month, will see EastEnders actor Sid Owen (pictured), Gogglebox star Marcus Luther and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens tale part
In a heartbreaking memoir called From Rags to Ricky, the EastEnders star detailed his difficult upbringing, which included an absent father and a terminally ill mother.
As a result of their severe lack of money growing up, Sid and his brothers would roam about their community getting involved in burglaries.
Because Sid was young, he was four years old when he first started ‘nicking stuff’, he was able to fit in to tight spaces that his elder brothers were not, and they referred to him as Spiderman.
The actor confessed he and his siblings used to go out on Christmas Day to go ‘on the rob’ for presents, and they would sit around a stolen tree comparing their ‘gifts.’
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