Britain’s Notorious Prisons “Strangeways” S1E1 12 January 2023 on ITV

Britains Notorious Prisons

Tonight (Thursday 12 January 2023), ITV broadcasts an episode of the series Britain’s Notorious Prisons!

Strangeways Season 1 Episode 1 Episode Summary

First in a series of two documentaries about Britain’s Notorious Prisons.

Using first-hand testimony from past inmates and staff, this episode describes how Manchester’s Strangeways became one of the UK’s most notorious jails.

A high security prison, Strangeways has housed some of the country’s most dangerous convicts – including serial killers Ian Brady and Harold Shipman.

The prison was also infamous in the past for its Dickensian and degrading conditions, including overcrowding (three to a cell designed for one) and the practice of slopping out, where a bucket in each cell was shared as a toilet, and then emptied out in sluices with unsanitary consequences.

The programme shines a light on the 1990 riot, which decimated the prison as inmates took over for 25 days, as well as scandalous tales of prison officer behaviour and the overt racism which took place behind the prison walls in the seventies and eighties.

Ex-prisoner Paul Downs talks of the violence when he did time in the eighties. He said: “The screws were brutal, hair triggered. They would literally jump all over you. You’d curl up in a ball on the floor and they’d kick you, then they’d stretch you out and kick you again. Cos they all wore Doc Martens. You know it was the screws’ favourite footwear for caving your face in. It was just a violent, filthy, anything goes regime.”

Speaking of the 1990 riots, ex-officer Peter Hancox said: “When I saw the devastation that had gone on, it’s something that I will never ever forget. I know I shouldn’t be saying it, but I was stood there in tears. It was as if part of me had been destroyed.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We have worked hard to improve HMP Manchester, and inspections show this is working. (its) most recent independent report found a reduction in violence and assaults at the prison.”

What Time is the “Strangeways” Episode On?

The Strangeways episode of Britain’s Notorious Prisons will be broadcast on January 12 2023 on ITV at 9:00 PM.

Is the “Strangeways” Episode New?

The Strangeways episode of Britain’s Notorious Prisons is all new!

Britain’s Notorious Prisons Strangeways Cast & Stars

Main Cast

Strangeways Episode Videos & Previews


Watch Britain’s Notorious Prisons Strangeways Online

Britain’s Notorious Prisons Series Information

Britain’s Notorious Prisons reveals the reality of life behind the walls of two of the UK's most infamous prisons, Strangeways and Wormwood Scrubs.

Manchester’s Strangeways and London’s Wormwood Scrubs have housed some of the country’s most dangerous convicts, including serial killers, rapists and paedophiles.

Featuring exclusive first-hand testimony from past inmates and staff, this two-part series for ITV and ITVX uncovers what really goes on behind the famous prison gates, uncovering the drug abuse, violence and some of the biggest events in both prisons' histories.

The two-part series highlights the past behaviour of some prison officers and the abuse of power, which had a detrimental impact on the running of the prisons and added to the hostile environments that prisoners became accustomed to.

The programmes investigate a vast array of issues impacting the prisons including the overt racism in the seventies and eighties in Strangeways, extreme prisoner violence in Wormwood Scrubs, and the potential long lasting impact of covid on the prison system.

As we hear from those who lived and breathed the prisons over the decades, the raw, uncut stories need to be seen to be believed, as the shocking truth is explained and interrogated.

Olly Green

I specialize in reviewing and analyzing the latest television shows and trends, offering insightful commentary and recommendations to readers. With a keen eye for quality writing, compelling storytelling, and memorable characters, I provide an engaging perspective on the world of television.

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