Banged Up season 1 — a complete guide to Channel 4’s new four-part series
Ever imagined how you’d cope in prison? For seven celebrities, that idea becomes an unnerving actuality in C4’s new immersive reality series Banged Up.
Among the stars taking part are Sid Owen (EastEnders), Tom Rosenthal (Plebs), MP Johnny Mercer, Marcus Luther (Gogglebox) and singer HRVY. They’ve all agreed to call HMP Shrewsbury home for [up to] seven days and live cheek-by-jowl with reformed criminals, who have all been instructed to act as they did when they were in prison. Gripping, unsettling and compulsive viewing, this promises to be a very real-feeling piece of reality TV.
Here, Sid Owen gives us his inside guide to the first-ever series of Banged Up…
Banged Up season 1 — release date
Banged Up season 1 debuts with its first episode on C4 on Tuesday, October 31 2023 at 9.15 pm.
Episode two is available to watch on C4 on Tuesday, November 07 2023.
The final two episodes air on the same week. Episode three is available on C4 on Tuesday 14th November 2023 at 9.15pm. The fourth episode airs on Wednesday 15 November at 9pm.
Episodes are released weekly on All4.
Banged Up season 1 — celebrities
EastEnders’ Sid Owen, Friday Night Dinner’s Tom Rosenthal, MP Johnny Mercer, Gogglebox’s Marcus Luther, singer HRVY, journalist Peter Hitchens and ex MP Neil Parish have volunteered to spend up-to seven days inside with former criminals and prison guards to experience first-hand UK prison life, from strip searches and solitary confinement to violence and drug dealing. And while everyone has different reasons for taking part, for Sid its deeply personal.
Growing up, Sid’s now-deceased father David Sutton was a bank robber. One of his brothers was in and out of prison for theft, another was sentenced to eight years for drug trafficking. After his mother Joan died of cancer when he was seven, a young Sid found acting and strongly believes it saved him from following in their footsteps.
“It’s a big part of the reason I wanted to do this. My dad went to prison for armed robbery — I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I met him — and my brothers went to prison too. I wanted to get a taster for what they went through because I could have quite easily gone down that wrong road,” Sid told What To Watch in an exclusive interview.
“I got dealt a lucky card with acting. I used to go to the Anna Scher Theatre after school. It was basically acting classes for poor kids. Directors and producers came to watch us and I got my first job when I was around eight. One thing led to another and I continued to work, and when I was 16, I joined EastEnders.”
Banged Up season 1 — filming location
Banged Up was filmed at the decommissioned HMP Shrewsbury.
During their time in the notorious Victorian jail — which has featured in Coronation Street, Time and Happy Valley — the stars live under real prison conditions with reformed, self-confessed murderers, drug dealers and violent robbers, who’ve agreed to behave as they did inside. The incarcerated are overseen by former governor Clare Pearson and a team of ex-prison staff.
“It feels like the real deal. We get pushed and tested. The noise, aggression and shouting eventually affects your psyche. You’re on your toes and the defence barriers are up, while you get to know who to speak to and who to avoid. My survival skills were to just get on with people,” reveals Sid.
“There were big characters in there, but as a child I grew up in a hostile, volatile, dangerous environment myself. I could empathise with a lot of them because I grew up in similar backgrounds in a council estate, beyond the breadline with no parents. They’ve committed crimes for whatever reason or other, but there's always a backstory. I heard a lot of sad stories.
“Let’s just say it was an emotional rollercoaster, a lot happened in a week. It was definitely a good experience, but one to leave behind. It’s certainly put me off for life! Never again!”
More on Banged Up season 1 from Sid Owen…
Sid on HMP Shrewsbury… “It is one of the most haunted prisons in the UK. I didn’t spot any ghosts but a lot of people did. I don't believe in ghosts, but it was a nasty place, dirty and horrible. I wouldn’t choose to do it again. And because we filmed in June and July this year it was hot as well.
“Speaking to the other inmates, who’ve been released from prison themselves, they said this brought it all back, you know, being in prison again. It’s as close as close can be and certainly an eye-opener.”
Sid on the other celebrity inmates… “I got to know Marcus a bit. You'd get to the gym or rec with someone and that was our chance to chat with the other celebs. I was gutted I didn't get to know Tom, as I hardly got to speak to him. But Harvey was a lovely kid. Neil and Peter, I didn't get a chance to speak to.”
Sid on passing time… “Nighttime was very boring. You’d be in your cell from about 7 pm and then that's it until 8 am the next morning. So that’s 13 hours of straight banged-up. If you sleep six to eight hours, that’s a lot of time just sitting there doing nothing.
“I found myself in the mornings banging on the door shouting, wanting to get out.”
Sid on prison food… “The food was terrible,” says Sid. “It was like school dinners — chicken nuggets, chips, beans, horrible white bread, corn beef sandwiches. It wasn't very nice, but then I don't suppose they send you to prison for a culinary experience do they?”
Is there a trailer for Banged Up series 1?
Yes, there is a trailer and it is every bit as action-packed as you would imagine.
You can see the celebrities trying to get used to prison life and meeting fellow inmates, but will they last the full week inside? You can watch below...
Banged Up season 1 — episode guide
Episode 1
Sid Owen, best known for playing Ricky Butcher on EastEnders is the first to enter decommissioned HMP Shrewsbury. Close behind him are Googlebox’s Marcus Luther and MP Johnny Mercer, and all three are in for a rude awakening as soon as they walk through the doors.
Being stripped of his home comforts and locked in a cell for more than 13 hours a day is harder than Sid expected, and forces him to take drastic action.
Pushed to his limits, and doing things he never thought possible, Johnny begins to question what the prison system is really here to do - punish or rehabilitate?
While Marcus tries to remain true to his values, his beliefs single him out and leave him open to retaliation.
Joining in future episodes are Tom Rosenthal, HRVY, Peter Hitchens and Neil Parish.
Episode 2
Former Tory MP Neil Parish arrives for a stint behind bars and finds himself in a cell with international drug dealer Chet Sandhu, who doesn't exactly provide a warm welcome. When former convicted burglar Tony targets Neil for a series of pranks, Neil politely declines Chet's suggested toothbrush-and-razor self-defence system and pursues an alternative avenue...
Pop star HRVY rose to fame at the age of 14, has lived on the same street since he was a baby and has never had a 'real job'. He has actively avoided places of danger like 'the kebab shop at night' but now he wants to throw himself into the lion's den to widen his world view. In this episode he has a rude awakening when he refuses to take off his gold bracelet during processing and his cellmate, Iraqi refugee Akhi, spots it and rips it from his arm for 'safe keeping'. Word soon spreads through the prison about the bracelet, leading to three inmates holding HRVY hostage.
Elsewhere, former EastEnders actor Sid Owen tries to break petty criminal Liam's cycle of crime with an acting class and Gogglebox star Marcus Luther attends an anger management course.
Episode 3
The final two VIP inmates enter HMP Shrewsbury...
Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens believes that prisons should be disciplined and austere. He's given a job handing out lunch to the inmates before he attends a drug support group meeting, where his controversial views on addiction cause fireworks and fury.
Meanwhile, comedy actor Tom Rosenthal, star of Friday Night Dinner and Plebs, is the last celebrity to arrive and, as a self-confessed liberal, he believes the prison system is creating criminals rather than healing them. Tom's first act of defiance is to smuggle in a pouch of tobacco in traditional prison fashion. Tom is given a less-than-warm welcome by the inmates, including having his plate of food smashed out of his hand by prison joker Tony Gooch. Retreating to his cell, Tom decides to retrieve his contraband tobacco...
Elsewhere, convicted robber Akhi Ahman invites pop star and influencer HRVY to a prayer session with the other Muslim inmates. A surprise cell search catches former MP Neil Parish off guard, leading to a punishment from the Governor and an awkward conversation with Chet. MP Johnny Mercer meets his new cellmate, Offil Allen. After Offil explains how violence was the norm for him growing up, Johnny offers to help him...
Episode 4
It's now six days into the experiment and HMP Shrewsbury is at boiling point in this final visit to Banged Up.
As the inmates run amok and staff struggle to keep control, the VIPs must grapple with how to survive, cut off from the outside world.
Comedy actor Tom Rosenthal is growing frustrated at the prison rules. When inmate Timmy jumps on the prison's suicide safety netting, the officers shut all the prisoners in their cells...
Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens meets his cellmate, 21-year-old Tom Roberts, once dubbed 'Britain's Naughtiest Schoolboy' in the Daily Mail. Tom challenges Peter on the label, before horrifying Peter as he describes his violent crimes which earned him the nickname 'jaw-breaker'. Following a creative writing session, inmate Yusef Bouattoura reveals that he can't read or write, and Peter encourages him to learn. Opening up with his cellmate, Tom, Peter discusses his mother's suicide and his disappointment at never having sisters.
Pop star and influencer HRVY is roped into a secret drone delivery. Gogglebox star Marcus Luther hunts for an illicit phone to watch his son online, which leaves him feeling more homesick than ever. To cheer Marcus up, former contract killer Kevin Lane obtains some potent prison hooch. Kevin stages an impromptu cell party with the other celebs, complete with music and wild dancing.
Former MP Neil Parish performs a selfless task and vows to make amends with his wife on release.
As the experiment comes to an end and the celebrity inmates return to their normal lives they reflect on their time inside... Does prison work? And what have they learned during their stay?
Banged Up season 1 — additional information
Johnny Mercer’s Banged Up experience was filmed separately. He had committed to taking part prior to being appointed a cabinet minister.
The working title for Banged Up was originally HMP.
The series was commissioned by Channel Head of Documentaries Alisa Pomeroy with Documentaries Senior Commissioning Editor Madonna Benjamin and Commissioning Editor Rita Daniels.
Alisa Pomeroy said: “This is the sort of television that Shine makes so brilliantly for C4, in the vein of precursors The Island and Hunted. Once again, they've constructed an immersive documentary precinct where real stories play out. We've always wanted to rig a prison with cameras at C4, and this series comes as close as possible, allowing us to explore some of the big questions about the UK prison system and whether it works.”
The series was produced by Shine with executive producers Tim Whitwell and Tom Clarke and series producer Emma Young.
Tim Whitwell said: “For the first time, we have rigged a prison to find out what really happens in the cells after bang up. This series aims to enthrall and entertain, whilst kickstarting a national debate about crime and punishment.”
