What is Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History?
Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History is a new three-part history series. It follows presenter Rob Rinder as he visits three famous British prisons and traces a history going back centuries – from petty crooks to infamous gangsters, hangmen, extreme brutality and explosive riots.
Who is Rob Rinder?
Rob Rinder, sometimes known as Judge Rinder, is a British barrister and TV presenter. From 2014 to 20204 he acted as a judge in the ITV reality courtroom series Judge Rinder. In 2016, he was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. In 2018 he appeared on Who Do You Think You Are?, where he found out more about his grandfather Morris Malenicky, a Holocaust survivor and former refugee. In 2020, he presented the documentary series My Family, the Holocaust and Me. He was recently seen co-presenting the travel programme Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.
When is Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History on TV?
The first episode of Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History will be broadcast on Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday 21 July. It follows Rob Rinder as he visits Dartmoor Prison in Devon. Here, the stories of the past he learns about include the tale of a prisoner so angry at his mistreatment that he broke into the jail with the intention of killing a warden. It’s a story that brings one of the episode’s central questions into focus: what happens when those in charge push prisoners to the absolute limit? The series features interviews with former prisoners who compare their experiences to those who went before.
In episode 2, to be broadcast on 28 July, Rob visits Shrewsbury Prison in Shropshire and learns about the origins of capital punishment and a dynasty of hangmen. In episode 3, to be broadcast on 4 August, he visits Shepton Mallet in Somerset, once home to the notorious Kray twins.