A Bit of a Stretch - The Podcast

Turning the Screw

Prisons are pretty miserable for the inmates, but what about the officers? Chris talks to two ex-prison officers about riots, accidental spice attacks and bad pay. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Have you every wondered what life is really like behind bars? Chris Atkins is a documentary maker who went to prison for tax fraud in 2016. He spent nine months in HMP Wandsworth, one of the most dangerous and dysfunctional prisons in the UK, and has now interviewed 20 ex-prisoners about their time in jail. Their stories are shocking, uplifting, heartbreaking, hilarious, and often downright weird. These incredible testimonies form this eight part podcast series. In Wandsworth Chris got loads of letters peppered with questions - What's the food like? What do you wear? Tell me about the showers... This podcast answers all those questions, and takes you headfirst into the biggest prison crisis in history. It reveals a collapsing system that is failing victims and wider society, and reveals how the human spirit can thrive in the darkest corners. Each episode is centred around a different theme, like Arrival, Family and Change.4 Stars in The Times: A frisson of horrified sympathy. "Good grief,” you think. “What if that were me?”. Chris Atkins is a three time BAFTA nominated film maker, who has worked for Channel 4 Dispatches and BBC Panorama. His book about his time in Wandsworth, A Bit of a Stretch, is out now. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.