Ross Kemp turns 50: His four hardest moments, from accosting a Hamas suicide bomber in Gaza to being shot at by the Taliban

The Eastenders actor noted it was 'about to kick off'. But he didn't get out of there. He stayed, looked death in the eye and told it he was Grant Mitchell.

Forget Prince George – Britain’s hardest man turns 50 today.

No, not Danny Dyer.

The other one, who used to play Grant Mitchell in Eastenders and now follows the world’s most dangerous gang members into abandoned meeting points he’s never heard of to converse in a language he doesn’t speak.

It’s fair to say that, as sensational as it may be, Ross Kemp On Gangs is seriously compulsive viewing. It sees the former TV son of Babs Windsor traverse treacherous war zones, accost murderers, terrorists and even suicide bombers – and that’s all before he casually survives a hail of bullets. Done. Dusted. Back in time for tea.

So what better way to celebrate the bald bastion’s milestone than looking at four of his very hardest moments?

Hard Moment One: That time he was guerrilla attacked by the Taliban in Afghanistan

The bullets were so close to his face, Kemp tells the camera, all the while still rolling while he desperately tries not to get shot, he could feel the air moving around his skin. He and his crew are in open ground as they desperately scramble away from the attack and make their way to a nearby building. He survives. Just. It’s a truly terrifying watch.

Hard Moment Two: That time he accosted a fully armed Hamas suicide bomber in Gaza

Kemp knew he was about to speak with the leader of a terrorist group connected with Hamas in Gaza. But he didn’t know he was about to witness a 24-year-old law student, armed with explosives, record his martyrdom video ahead of an attack. He barely flinches, and the interview he manages to score after the crude handheld camera stops rolling is as sad as it is harrowing.

Hard Moment Three: That time he swatted away an assault rifle and shouted ‘Are you going to kill me?’ at one of the most dangerous fighters in Papua New Guinea

Really needs no introduction. Probably the hardest thing anyone’s done on TV in the history of TV. Or something.

Hard Moment Four: That time he walked, unarmed, into the headquarters of the most dangerous gang in the UK

The Brownies. OK, so this one is a joke. It’s actually from The Impressions Show. And it’s not Ross Kemp, its John Culshaw. In case you didn't spot that.