Channel 4 commissions Prison: Britain’s Criminal Past from Twenty Twenty

3 November 2022

Channel 4 Specialist Factual have commissioned a 3x60 series Prison: Britain’s Criminal Past from Twenty Twenty Productions.

The series will uncover the fascinating history of prisons in the UK, bringing untold prisoners’ stories to light and revealing a detailed picture of society, crime and punishment in Britain across hundreds of years, right up to the present day.

Over the course of centuries, millions of people have been locked up in Britain’s jails and every prison cell has countless hidden stories to tell. Through travelling the corridors, cells and long-abandoned spaces of a different prison in each episode, viewers will learn what life was, or still is, like there from the first-hand accounts of inmates stored in archives and expert interviewees, bringing to life criminals whose stories have often been long forgotten.

Prison: Britain’s Criminal Past will also address big questions that are still relevant today - what is the right age of criminal responsibility? Should women go to jail - even if they’re separated from their children? And ultimately, does prison actually work?

Prison: Britain’s Criminal Past was commissioned by Channel 4 Specialist Factual commissioning editor, Emily Shields and will be made by Twenty Twenty Productions (part of Warner Bros. International Television Production, WBITVP) with executive producer Ruth Kelly.

James O’Reilly Creative Director, Twenty Twenty said: “You can learn so much about a society by the way it treats its prisoners. Uncovering the hidden lives of inmates in Britain in this series will give us a fascinating insight into an alternative national history, told for the first time through the voices of those people on the wrong side of our prison walls” 

Emily Shields, Commissioning Editor added: “Channel 4 are delighted to be working with the Twenty Twenty team in Bristol on Prison: Britain’s Criminal Past. The series promises to shed light on a host of untold stories, exploring our changing perspective on crime, justice and the very essence of what is right or wrong.”

For further information, please contact:

srosier@channel4.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Twenty Twenty is a multi-award-winning production company which has been making original, innovative programmes for global audiences for over thirty years. Recognition for their work includes awards from BAFTA, Emmy, Grierson and the Royal Television Society.

Shows Twenty Twenty have created include the global hit First Dates, which recently aired its 19th series on Channel 4 and has launched in 19 different territories around the world; as well as First Dates Hotel, which recently aired its 7th series on Channel 4.

Other programming includes the award-winning documentary series A House Through Time, which after four successful seasons is one of BBC Two’s highest-rating factual series; and All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star, a competition format hosted by Katherine Ryan, which recently aired its second series on BBC Two.

Twenty Twenty’s upcoming slate of programming includes Save our Squad with David Beckham, a brand new series airing on Disney+ on 9th November; Paranormal: The Flintshire Poltergeist is a true-crime thriller with surprising twists on BBC Three, and factual entertainment series Five Star Chef, a brand new competition format jointly commissioned by Netflix and Channel 4, set inside London’s Langham Hotel featuring Michel Roux Jr.

Twenty Twenty is part of Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP).