The 69-year-old television host will not only observe the prison regime, but will confront the realities of life inside the facility.
Viewers will get to hear first-hand what life is like as Richard speaks to the inmates as well as the prison guards.
Speaking about the documentary, he told Daily Mail: “I was genuinely thrilled to be asked to front this film for 5.
“It’s not every day you’re given the chance to step inside a place as extraordinary and talked about as CECOT.
“What struck me straight away was the sheer scale of it, and the stories behind it.
“In meeting the people who run the prison and those living inside it, what unfolds is a fascinating and often surprising look at justice, security, and the human realities behind the headlines. It’s been a remarkable experience.”
Inside the prison, more than 80 inmates are forced to sleep in metal bunks stacked four beds high.
Unlike anything in the UK, prisoners are not allowed family visits, recreational spaces or rehabilitation programmes.
Guy Davies, Consultant Editor for Commissioning 5, expressed: ‘This access to CECOT was a tantalising prospect.
“Richard is, at heart, a first-class popular journalist and we were thrilled to get the chance for him to serve some time there. I think viewers will be very surprised by the results.”
Richard and his wife Judy Finnigan were mainstays on our television screen while hosting This Morning from 1988 to 2001.
After leaving ITV, they hosted their own chat show, Richard & Judy on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008.
Since 2017, he’s been one of the main relief presenters on Good Morning Britain.
