Prisoners to become stars of fly-on-cell-wall documentary

THE BBC is making a "docusoap" about life in a women's prison, raising the possibility that thieves, drug addicts and even murderers could become as well known as Maureen from the Driving School series.

Chris Terrill, the director responsible for successful docusoaps such as Cruise and HMS Brilliant is currently filming inside New Hall Prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. He says the material he is gathering is so compelling that the BBC is grappling with the difficult question of how to handle it. His "characters" include drug addicts and young offenders and, he says, viewers will become intensely involved with their lives inside the prison, perhaps without being aware of the crimes they have committed.

BBC bosses now have to consider whether to allow a series of programmes which is likely to develop characters with such household appeal that they become media stars.

It is against BBC guidelines to allow criminals to use television to benefit from their crimes. The Corporation will also need to consider the sensitivities of their victims. In a debate about the future direction of docusoaps at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Mr Terrill was joined by Jeremy Mills of Airport and Hotel fame, and ITV's Grant Mansfield who, when at the BBC, was responsible for Driving School, Holiday Reps and Vets School.

"When we started doing Vets School we thought we would be lucky to find four or five who would want to do it, but out of 65 students there were only four or five who didn't want to be in the film," said Mr Mansfield.

The experience has been just the same at New Hall, where prison officers are particularly keen to take part. "The stereotype of the prison warder is so bad, they were worried that it would be perpetuated if we only filmed prisoners," said Mr Terrill. Filming began in May and will continue until Christmas.

Steve Hewlett, the new Director of Programmes at Carlton, criticised cheating in docusoaps, for example when Maureen in Driving School wakes up at 4am to be tested on her Highway Code.

Jeremy Gibson, the BBC executive who commissioned Driving School, said: "It would have been lunatic to have a film crew all night in her bedroom waiting for her to wake up."