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Ross Kemp on Gangs

Ross Kemp
  • Posted at 11:40am
  • 03 October 2007
  • by RhodriMarsden-RT
  • 6 comments

You can't help but wonder how the crew for Ross Kemp on Gangs go about securing his various meetings with vicious gangland thugs. I can't imagine a ditzy researcher ringing up and saying, "Hi, is that The Brutalizer? Oh hi, sorry to bother you, I just wondered if you might like to hook up with an actor from Romford who used to do the Fruit ’n Fibre ads? Hello?"

No, clearly Ross Kemp is described to these people as a fellow hard man, a bloke who has seen a good few people blown away by grenades in disused multistorey car parks, someone who isn't afraid of a small amount of aggro, or even a massive amount of aggro if that's the amount of aggro that comes along.

And then he has to turn up, shake hands with them, and make an effort not to accidentally lapse into small talk about awards ceremonies or how great the fish cakes are at The Ivy, lest he sustains a nasty head wound from a plank with nails in it.

As someone who has never even been punched in the face, let alone shot with an assault rifle, I have some respect for Kemp for choosing to hang out with these unpleasant individuals.

Not that he digs particularly deep, or asks them many searching questions, but would you? If you were interviewing someone who was heavily armed and wearing a mask, I wouldn't blame you for sticking to casual questions like "How's the weather been?" or "Do you enjoy the music of George Benson?"

This is the third series of the Bafta Award-winning Ross Kemp on Gangs. The first programme was set in the murder capital of the world – Kingston, Jamaica – where someone is killed every six hours. This fact, however, wasn't deemed hard-hitting enough for the viewers of Sky One.

So when Kemp was shown around a confiscated arsenal of weapons (or "hardware", as he called them) the soundtrack featured the boom of superimposed studio gunfire as he gave us the model number of each piece of artillery. You know, just to remind us what they do. "They all work," said Kemp, "and they'll all kill you." I'll just make a note of that, Ross.

It's unsurprising that the notion of brutal death is dwelt upon extensively. "If we went in there," Kemp says at one point, "we'd probably be shot." He examines the side of a house riddled with bullet holes. "If someone does this to a wall," he says, "imagine what they'd do to flesh and bone."

He senses "violent undercurrents" even when there are no guns in sight - and when there are, he'll ask the people holding them whether they've shot anyone yet this year, rather like asking them whether they've planted their runner beans yet.

The climax of the show came when Kemp was finally granted access to a don, or the leader of a Jamaican gang, to ask him about why the normal Yardie response to someone looking at you a bit funny is to chop their feet off. The don rather disingenously blamed violent movies, which is like me blaming Fern Britton for me being a bit overweight.

If the police had been smart, of course, they'd have just followed Kemp around for a fortnight and he'd have taken them straight to all manner of criminals, but for some reason they didn't bother. Might be worth bearing in mind for the next series, eh?

Ross Kemp on Gangs is on Sky One (Sky 106) on Mondays at 9:00pm.

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Comments

  • Posted on 13 October 2007
  • at 9:32am
  • by lucious

i ave alot of reespect for ROSS he is a real man...Wishing him all the best in hes job

  • Posted on 04 October 2007
  • at 12:33pm
  • by MazY

It is a gift you should be proud of: being as sarcastic as you are while managing to dodge being punched in the face. Not many can pull it off.

  • Posted on 03 October 2007
  • at 3:33pm
  • by themanwhofellasleep

There's something bizarrely charming about Ross Kemp though. I can imagine him walking up to people and asking them if they've ever killed someone using a shoe. Or a lettuce.

  • Posted on 03 October 2007
  • at 2:36pm
  • by RhodriMarsden-RT

Rob: its award status is especially bizarre when you realise it was up against Stephen Fry's magnificent documentary about manic depression.

  • Posted on 03 October 2007
  • at 1:14pm
  • by marysiak

I've never seen it, but it reminds me of that bit in that Ewan MacGregor thing where he tried to bike across outer Mongolia where he ends up in this Russian mafia house surrounded by Kalashnikovs and tittering in terror.

  • Posted on 03 October 2007
  • at 12:36pm
  • by robsoft

Fair play to you for watching, Rhodri. Every time I notice this in the schedules I wince. I presume this must all take place abroad or something, because quite honestly the concept of having the taller bald one from EastEnders turn up and ask if you've seen his 'bruv' whilst consciously eyeing your various brandished weapons would surely be too much for any self-respecting violent criminal.

It's possibly the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day (and I've been listening to Ocean Colour Scene and Shed Seven, so you can imagine how many ridiculous things I've heard today already).

I cannot believe it's won awards. I'm genuinely intrigued.

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