Channel 4 renews controversial reality show for a second series – before the first even hits screens
WE’RE about to spend some time behind bars in Banged Up, a new show set in a men-only prison.
But before that series has even aired, Channel 4 are already teeing up a sequel.
Whereas the first incarnation — set to start on October 31 — looks more like sitcom Porridge, the follow-up series will more closely resemble ITV Noughties hit Bad Girls, as it will be set in a women’s jail.
That will see a collection of lucky female celebrities also sampling the joys of a life inside a cell, while we all relish the drama from the comfort of our sofas.
A TV insider said: “Channel 4 are pretty sure that Banged Up will hook viewers when it airs, so they’ve been considering this sequel for some time.
“And doing a women’s version in a women’s prison and an all-female line-up of prison staff was a no-brainer.
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"Though, of course, they’ll be watching closely to see what the reaction is to the first series.”
A Channel 4 insider said: "If the first series does well, we'd love to explore doing a series in a women's prison."
The debut season of Banged Up will feature six famous fellas doing time and gaining a real insight into how gritty life is for inmates.
The star-studded cast includes former EastEnder Sid Owen, Friday Night Dinner actor Tom Rosenthal, Gogglebox’s Marcus Luther, singer Hrvy, former MP Neil Parish and columnist Peter Hitchens.
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They get slapped behind bars in the now decommissioned Shrewsbury Prison, along with real former prisoners.
The celebs are forced to perform an array of menial tasks against a background of body searches and real fights breaking out.
Actor Tom also felt he had to smuggle tobacco into the jail, carefully hidden up his bum, so that he could curry favour with the staff and inmates.
But as anyone who used to watch Bad Girls will know, we shouldn’t expect a women’s prison to be a holiday camp by comparison.
Sam set to bring the fire
IT’S about to get very spooky on Paramount+.
The Serpent Queen star Samantha Morton is playing with fire in new series The Burning Girls, as her character Reverend Jack Brooks searches for the truth behind a countryside legend.
Moving into sleepy village Chapel Croft with her daughter Flo – played by Lockwood & Co’s Ruby Stokes – the cleric soon discovers the community’s dark secret.
It is then that the burning girls, two youngsters burnt at the stake hundreds of years before, start haunting her in the chapel she works in.
And while she is warned by the villagers that seeing the twins spells nothing but trouble, it won’t stop Jack and her daughter from trying to find out more.
Based on the CJ Tudor novel of the same name – inspired by real-life events in Sussex – the series was adapted into six episodes for the streaming service.
The Burning Girls is available to watch on Paramount+ now.
THE One Show and Autumnwatch will join forces for three wildlife specials.
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Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Gillian Burke star in the films focusing on the seasonal changes to our plants and animals.
The specials will air next week on The One Show on BBC One.