Banged Up Abroad - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Banged Up Abroad is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

documentary

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

/docudrama

Docudrama

In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....

television series created by Bart Layton that was produced for Channel Five and that premiered in March 2006

2006 in television

2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...

. Banged Up Abroad features stories of people who have been arrested while travelling abroad, usually for trying to smuggle illegal drugs

DRUGS

Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...

out of a country and have received lengthy prison

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

sentences as a result. A second series was broadcast in 2007, a third series during August and September 2008, and a fourth in October 2008.

Episode format

The episodes typically follow the same format or structure. An episode contains a mix of original interview

Interview

An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...

footage and reconstructed footage of their journey. The convicted or captured are shown talking about their experiences, over dramatic reenactments of their respective experiences. The episodes focus on the events leading up to the arrest or time in captivity.

In one case, at the end of the episode, the convicted are shown sitting with handcuffs on, where they are still in jail. In most cases the convicted or captured have returned home from where they are telling their story. In other cases the convicted or captured is shown revisiting the country of the incident.

Series 1 (2006)

Episode 1: Costa Rica/Mexico (Scott and Lucy's Story)

Scott Campbell and Lucy Baker are British travellers arrested in Mexico.

Episode 2: Thailand (The Sandra Gregory Story)

Sandra Gregory

Sandra Gregory is a British woman who was imprisoned in Thailand for drug smuggling after being caught trying to smuggle heroin out of Bangkok's Don Muang Airport. She later wrote a book about her experiences, titled Forget You Had a Daughter. It was released as a hardback in 2002 by Vision...

is arrested in Thailand trying to smuggle heroin into Japan.

Episode 3: Sydney (Mark's Story)

Mark is arrested in Sydney after attempting to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. to Australia.

Episode 4: Venezuela/Margarita Island (Denis and Donald's Story)

Donald MacNeil, a yachtsman, is arrested after being pressured to collect an enormous, 30-million-pound shipment of cocaine.

Series 2 (2007)

Episode 1: Venezuela (James and Paul's Story)

Jim Miles and Paul Loseby, two British teenagers, are arrested in Venezuela for trying to smuggle drugs.

Episode 2: Peru (Krista and Jennifer's Story/Peruvian Prison Nightmare)

Krista Barnes and Jennifer Davis are two American women arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru.

Episode 3: Nepal (Piers' Story)

Piers Hernu, a British traveller, is arrested trying to smuggle gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

in from Hong Kong to Nepal.

Episode 4: Colombia (Glen's story)

Glen Heggstad, an American adventurer, is kidnapped by the Colombian National Liberation Army

National Liberation Army (Colombia)

National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....

Series 3 (2008)

Episode 1: Kuwait (Scott's Story)

Scott White is arrested in Kuwait for selling hashish

Hashish

Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...

, then escapes from jail during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait

Invasion of Kuwait

The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...

Episode 2: Peru 2/Lima

Russell Thoresen, an American traveller, is arrested in Peru for trying to smuggle cocaine.

Episode 3: Bangladesh

Lia McCord

Eliadah McCord

Eliadah "Lia" McCord is an American woman who was convicted of smuggling heroin in Bangladesh at the age of 18. She was subsequently sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment, but was pardoned after four years and six months at the request of Congressman Bill Richardson...

, an American teenager, is arrested in Bangladesh for trying to smuggle heroin.

Episode 4: Pakistan

Amardeep Bassey, a British journalist on the way to Afghanistan for an assignment, is arrested in Pakistan and accused of being a spy.

Series 4 (2008)

Episode 1: Peru 3/Cuzco

Sarah Jackson convinces her friend Simon to go to Peru with her in order to serve as her unwitting drug-smuggling accomplice. Jackson is currently serving a seven year sentence.

Episode 2: Taiwan

Taiwan's most-wanted criminal breaks into the house of McGill Alexander, a South African army colonel, and takes him and his family hostage.

Episode 3: Ecuador

An American, Daniel Van De Zendrewe, is arrested trying to smuggle cocaine from Ecuador to Europe.

Episode 4: South Korea

Cullen Thomas, working with his girlfriend "Rocket", is arrested trying to smuggle hashish from the Philippines to South Korea.

"Kidnapped Abroad" (2008)

In 2008, five additional episodes were produced, each one about a kidnapping, under the alternate title "Kidnapped Abroad".

Chechnya/Nightmare in Chechnya

Camilla and Jon, who run a children's centre in Grozny

Grozny

Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...

, are kidnapped by Chechnyan soldiers, then raped and tortured.

India/Hostage to Terror

Rhys Partridge and Béla Nuss

1994 kidnappings of Western tourists in India

The 1994 Kidnappings of Western tourists in India was the abduction of four tourists in New Delhi, India on October 20, 1994 by Kashmiri separatists.-Background:...

are kidnapped by Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh is a British-born militant of Pakistani descent with links to various Islamist militant organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, al-Qaeda, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the Taliban.He was arrested and served time in prison for...

while travelling in India.

Philippines: Fatal Mission/Kidnapped by Terrorists

Gracia

Gracia Burnham

Gracia Burnham and her husband Martin were American Protestant missionaries in the Philippines with the New Tribes Mission for 17 years from 1986....

and Martin Burnham are Christian missionaries in the Philippines who are kidnapped by members of Abu Sayyaf

Abu Sayyaf

Abu Sayyaf also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya is one of several military Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern Philippines, in Bangsamoro where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country...

, a Muslim fundamentalist group.

Uganda/Death in the Jungle

Safari guide Mark Ross and his tour group are kidnapped by Hutu

Hutu

The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...

rebels in Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

Malaysia

Monique and Callie Strydom, while vacationing in Malaysia, are kidnapped by a Muslim militant group and held hostage for four months in the Philippines.

Series 5 (2009)

Episode 1: Caracas/Venezuela Blues

David Evans is arrested trying to smuggle drugs from Venezuela to Amsterdam.

Episode 2: Philippines/Terror Island/Kidnapped in the Philippines

Church volunteer Greg Williams is kidnapped and tortured by members of Abu Sayyaf.

Episode 3: Puerto Vallarta/Mexican Justice/Cop Killer

Jake Libbon gets arrested in Mexico for selling marijuana, then is falsely accused of shooting two police officers.

Episode 4: Brazil/Brazil's Worst Prison/Busted in Brazil

Hollywood "party animal" Brendan Cosso and three friends are arrested trying to smuggle cocaine out of Brazil.

Series 6 (2009)

Episode 1: Indonesia/Escape from Hell/Busted In Bali

Chris Parnell is arrested in Indonesia after being accused of smuggling hashish.

Episode 2: Mexico/Boy From The Ghetto/Busted in Mexico

American teenager Alex Silva is arrested trying to smuggle marijuana from Mexico into the U.S.

Episode 3: Cuba/What's in The Bag

American Kahlilah Saleem is forced by her boyfriend to smuggle cocaine through Cuba in order to see her daughter.

Episode 4: Iraq/Kidnapped In Iraq

Journalists Scott Taylor and Zeynep Tugrul are kidnapped by insurgents who accuse them of being American spies.

Episode 5: Barbados/Busted and Pregnant

British teen Zara Whittaker is arrested at an airport trying to smuggle cocaine out of Barbados.

Episode 6: Ecuador/Master of Deception/Betrayed in Ecuador

Zoe McGarry, an Irish woman living in London, receives an eight-year prison sentence in Ecuador after the rucksack she was carrying is found to contain drugs. She was duped by someone who asked her to help her.

Episode 7: Sierra Leone/Jungle Siege

Major Phil Ashby

Phil Ashby

Major Phil Ashby QGM is a former Royal Marines Commando officer, notable for his escape and evasion in the jungles of Sierra Leone in 2000.-Early life:...

tasked with disarming rebel fighters became trapped and attempted a daring escape.

Episode 8: Jamaica/Jamaican Getaway

T.K. White and her girlfriend are sent to Kingston's notorious central prison after attempting to smuggle marijuana.

Episode 9: India/Delhi/Party Girl

Clare Matthews, a British woman on extended vacation in Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

, ends up in an Indian prison after attempting to mail hashish

Hashish

from Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

Series 7 (2010)

Episode 1: Istanbul/The Real Midnight Express

The 1977 book Midnight Express
Midnight Express (book)
Midnight Express is a 1977 book by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer about Billy's experience as a young American who was sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey to the US. An adaptation of the book was made into an American film of the same name directed by Alan Parker in...

, and the Oscar-winning 1978 film on which it was based, also called Midnight Express
Midnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...

, told the story of 20-year-old college student Billy Hayes - his imprisonment for drug smuggling and his escape from a prison in Istanbul, Turkey. But for legal reasons, the book, which Hayes co-wrote, was not completely accurate; and the film version strayed even further from the truth, for artistic reasons. In this episode, Billy tells the full story of being sent to the infamous Turkish Sagmalcilar prison and eventually escaping.

Episode 2: Iraq/Saddam's Iraq

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Tom Lynch and his fellow contractors decided to get out of Iraq while they still could, but were captured by Iraqi soldiers and taken to a notorious prison in Baghdad, where they must listen to inmates being tortured to death.

Episode 3: Tokyo/Tokyo Justice

After accepting an offer to work as a hostess in Japan, Jackie Nichols meets a charming Israeli drug smuggler and agrees to smuggle hashish with him. She gets away with it four times, but the fifth time, she's not so lucky.

Episode 4: Bangkok

A 28 year old English teacher named Tim Schrader agrees to smuggle 8 kilos of heroin into the U.S. to solve his financial problems. Although he knows he could receive the death penalty, the money is too tempting to resist.

Episode 5: Spain

With his girlfriend pregnant, musician Michael Morey agrees to smuggle cocaine from Quito to Spain. He barely makes it through Ecuadorian customs, but when he lands and goes through Spanish customs, he's not so lucky.

Episode 6: Panama

Young American backpacker Mark Wedeven and his companions decide to cross from Panama to Colombia through the jungles of the Darién Gap

Darién Gap

The Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest separating Panama's Darién Province in Central America from Colombia in South America. It measures just over long and about wide. Roadbuilding through this area is expensive, and the environmental toll is steep. Political...

, where they are kidnapped by a paramilitary group.

Series 8 (2011)

Episode 1: USA/The Real Goodfella

Henry Hill, the inspiration behind Martin Scorsese’s movie, relives his descent from Mafia wise guy to a spell in Terminal Island Penitentiary.

Episode 2: Saudi Arabia/Saudi Bootlegger

Gordon Malloch's bootleg booze racket fuelled a party lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, until he got caught and found himself facing four years in jail.

Episode 3: Philippines/Prisoner Of Love

Briton David Scott tells the story of finding his soulmate in the Philippines – and risking a 14-year prison sentence for adultery.

Episode 4: Mexico/Funny Money

After heading to Mexico with a suitcase of fake money to buy drugs, Californian bodybuilder Jeremy found himself behind bars and in big trouble.

Episode 5: Mauritius /Heroin Sting

After being caught with a kilo of heroin in Mauritius, Brigene Young faced 45 years in jail – unless she could help catch the drug traffickers.

Episode 6: Spain/Daredevil Drug Runner

The tale of Chris Chance, whose daredevil life smuggling cannabis into the UK concealed in a rubber body suit led to a nasty prison sentence.

Episode 7: Argentina/The Cocaine Trap

Stephen Sutton got caught up when he was offered $15,000 to transport cocaine disguised as gold – leading to an 11-year jail sentence.

Episode 8: Peru/Drug Dealer Revenge

Company director Robert Pringle got seven years in a violent South American lock-up after being pressured into drug smuggling by his dealer.

Episode 9: Columbia/Teenage Drug Smuggler

Vivian Carrasquillo faced a crash diet in jail after an attempt to raise funds for gastric bypass surgery by becoming a drug mule backfired.

Episode 10: Thailand/Backstabbed In Thailand

Military veteran Kim Hood faced a life behind bars in a squalid Thai prison after being caught smuggling 14 kilos of heroin with a friend.

International airings

National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...

Sveriges Television

Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...

& National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel

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National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Adventure

National Geographic Adventure, formerly known as Adventure One but now commonly known as Nat Geo Adventure, is a subscription TV channel part of National Geographic Channels International and News Corporation...

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National Geographic Channel (Australia)

National Geographic Channel Australia and New Zealand is a subscription television network that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society...

Canal D

Canal D is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media. Canal D focuses on documentary programming primarily in the form of documentary-style television series that focus on a variety of topics such as crime, biographies, nature, science, and more.-History:In June...

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...