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ACTOR AND PRESENTER Ross Kemp is to look at Northern Ireland and the Troubles for his new series, Ross Kemp: Extreme World.
The BAFTA award-winning documentary maker talks to Anna Daly on Ireland AM about the third series of the show this morning.
This time around, he looked at Northern Ireland 15 years after the Good Friday Agreement, the crack cocaine epidemic in Brazil and sex-trafficking in Mumbai and Calcutta.
Ross acknowledged that there will be some controversy surrounding the series, especially the Northern Ireland section.
“I think there’s very little to defend, to be honest with you,” he said.
The one thing I love about what we do is there’s no agenda. A lot of people will watch the films and say ‘why are you explaining this, why are you explaining that?’, and you’ve got to bear in mind that there’s a whole generation of people living in Luton, that live all around parts of the UK, that have no understandings of the troubles.
He said that “if you told them there was a 60-foot peace wall in Belfast they wouldn’t believe you, and even if you told them what the Good Friday Agreement was, they wouldn’t understand what it is and the good I believe that has come from that is something worth celebrating”.
Kemp said of the Northern Ireland of today:
Of course there are divisions and it will take a lot of time for those divisions to disappear and maybe generations. It’s pretty obvious saying this but I still think it’s worth saying and celebrating the fact that I think Northern Ireland, and I went to Northern Ireland during the Troubles, that it’s a very different place and a far better place than it was.
While visiting Papua New Guinea during filming, Ross was held-up at gunpoint, and ended up interviewing his potential captors. Daly questioned Ross on the dangerous nature of working on a series like this while being a husband and father.
He told her that everyone on the team is in the same situation as him and he tries to be a safe as possible. He also spoke about the strange things that can happen in violent situations.
“Laughter, funnily enough, is one of the best ways of dealing with it, your brain naturally sends you, when you’re being shot at, I can’t count the amount of time we were in ambushes in Afghanistan where we ended up laughing,” he said.
“There was nothing we could do about this situation you’re in and to release the tension, I think so that you can operate properly, or the overload of adrenalin, you end up laughing.”
Asked about his former Eastender character Grant Mitchell, Kemp said: “I’ve got a lot to thank that character for but I’m not Grant Mitchell, I am not Grant Mitchell.”
Asked if he would return to Albert Square, he said: “You always say ‘never say never’, I always say that and it gets me off the hook. I really enjoy what I do now.”
Ross Kemp: Extreme Worlds airs on Tuesday 21 January at 9pm on Sky1 HD. Ireland AM airs Monday to Friday from 7am – 10.45am on TV3.
And that was a party political article on behalf of the Fine Gael party!
@Anthony Curran: scroll down and you’ll have the SF political article featuring Mary Sue
@Liam23: Mary Sue, Brilliant
@Anthony Curran: and the journal,,
@james rowan: the journal so one sided we can comment on this fg article but we cant comment on the Mary Lou article above,,,
Why is leo getting so much press from the journal?? He is intending on making a run for president in the future?? Seems like he is settling himself up for it
@and the hit’s just keep coming: he’s about as likeable as a mouth ulcer on your tongue that keep rubbing off your teeth
@and the hit’s just keep coming: he had his chance.. drank from the poison chalice … wudnt send him for a bag of chips.. all mouth now..
@and the hit’s just keep coming: Exactly, I have said as much myself in the past. He is following the exact same strategy that got him to the position of Taoiseach, giving statements and releasing soundbites on everything and anything, just to promote his brand and keep himself in the news and recognisable.
While actually having nothing of value to say on them, much less anything of value to contribute in response to them.
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: Comment says more about the mentality of SF supporters than it does about about Leo Varadkar.
What’s the story will all the leo posts? Haven’t we suffered enough of this gombeen already?
@Damien Leahy: im glad im not the only one can see he is getting a lot of free press for some reason
Leo, nobody likes you. Stay safe.
@Paul Gorry: a little bit ominous no??…
@Donna Fallon: Sure you’re living in a tent, i seem to remember Donna? Did Leo come good for you?
Great puff piece for the party that gave print media and associated online media 0% tax to pay. Keep em happy. Good job.
Leo your forehead is after getting very tall.
On Friday:
Nationalists/Independents ✅✅✅
Woke Zombies (FF, FG, G, SF, PBP, LAB, SD)✖️✖️✖️
I think Varadkar is going for the Michael D ”hairy mudguards over the ears” look.
Áras, here we come!
@Finn Barr: ‘Nationalists’ put Fine Gael back to the top of the polls, lol!
@Finn Barr: woke zombies all the way over the “nationalist” traitors!
@Finn Barr: I agree, he’s probably after a piece of Aras!
Who believes this fella, when he took over from enda Kenny, he scraped in and they had to form a government with their sworn enemies… what an absolute bluffer… never lost it never will
When Leo wakes up in the morning, Christina Finn is waiting at the end of his bed to ask if she can write another puff piece about him and / or Fine Gael.
What energy has he brought he’s boring snivelling useless like all before him
And nobody mentioned immigration.
This isn’t Journalism its propaganda
FG and FF should officially join forces and become one party. There is zero difference between them now, and they have been great bedfellows in government in destroying the country. A vote for FG is a vote for FF and vice versa.
Whilst I am not the greatest fan of Leo Varadkar, it amuses me that he gets so much grief on here for being useless. He has made more of his life and achieved beyond anything his immature detractors on here ever will. Like him or not, he puts all of you to shame and stands head and shoulders above you all.
@Sun Rise: You’re correct he gets a lot of grief for being useless. It amuses you that he gets so much said grief? Jaysus h christ STOP with that nonsense.
“What about the children Leo?” …….Trump is a bad man…..
Leo made more of his life than all the useless keyboard warriors on here
@Peter Byrne: says the useless keyboard warrior peter Byrne.
Did a bad job in government but lets vote him president. As ff and fg can do no wrong but sinn never in government getting alot bad publicity. Lets not forgot the state country and that man was part of it.
Anyone who gives a preference for ff, fg, liebour sinn Fein social democrats people before profit need accept everything they get from these traitor’s
Varadkar did a runner & left a mess behind, but cant leave the limelight & is back again telling everyone how to run things. He abandoned the stage, he shouldn’t be getting any airtime, he had his chance & his legacy will be how he abandoned those who get up for work every morning, the very ones he said he supported. Don’t want to hear or see his face again.
Sadly K O . Sinnfein are the only party big enough to challenge these shower. Do not trust impedance who they get money from to run and then when in if get in too small to challenge sad but is true. 100 years enough need give sinnfein chance then judge them
Coffeesaoich.
He’s a complete disgrace to this country and so is everyone in FG who backed Regina Doherty, normalising her another proud Thatcherite. Officially too scared of his constituents not to just run for cover and was a horrible Taoiseach
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