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Duck for cover as Sky One/Sky One HD's exclusive documentary series Ross Kemp In Afghanistan comes to DVD.

Actor and now presenter Ross Kemp (Eastenders, Ultimate Force, A Line In The Sand) journeys to Britain’s front line in Afghanistan with his BAFTA winning documentary team to experience first hand the British Army’s attempts at bringing peace to one of the world’s most dangerous war zones and to witness the Army’s attempts at bringing about a sea change in this hugely volatile region.

How will he cope, faced with the harsh conditions experienced on a daily basis by the highly-trained soldiers of the British Army?

Intolerable

A hard hitting and thought provoking documentary series for Sky One Ross Kemp in Afghanistan focuses on the British Army’s deployment in Helmand Province and features exclusive access to the Vikings – 1 Royal Anglian.

The series chronicles the experiences of British soldiers as they adapt to life in a hostile environment, battle against a fanatical enemy; the Taliban, and attempt to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Ross also meets soldier’s families in the UK to see how they cope when their loved ones are away as well as meeting the families of soldiers who didn’t make it home alive.

During three separate deployments, Ross lives through some of the most extreme and stressful conditions imaginable. On the front line there’s the constant threat of attack from the enemy, not to mention the intolerable desert environment with sand storms and temperatures well into the 50’s. Ross isn’t in a hermetically sealed bubble miles from the troops. He spends weeks with them; he eats when they eat, he sleeps when they sleep; he gets shot at when they get shot at. Ross experiences exactly what the soldier experiences.

Ross comments; "Conditions in Afghanistan are intolerable. The heat is stifling and there's the constant threat of snipers, RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) attacks and land mines. During one engagement between B Company and the Taliban we were pinned down by enemy fire in open ground; bullets fizzed by inches from our heads, hitting the ground on either side of us. It was the most frightening experience of my life. I’ve never hugged the ground as tightly as I did when that happened. It's definitely the closest I have ever come to dying. I was so scared."

Filmed in High Definition (HD) – a television first for a war zone – Ross Kemp in Afghanistan offers a unique perspective on the war and allows the audience to witness the conflict in HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The broadcast will also include a red button commentary from director John Conroy and series producer Matt Bennett.

Helmand Province

Director John Conroy comments; “Filming under such pressures is immense. This is the first time a HD camera has been taken into a war zone and used in this way. It’s delivered some truly amazing pictures and audio. During the contact where Ross and I were pinned down by the Taliban you can hear the bullets fizzing past us, getting closer and closer. It was terrifying. It’s a big piece of kit, but was well worth it.”

Travelling through the war-torn Helmand Province with First Battalion, The Royal Anglian (1 Royal Anglian) Regiment, Ross discovers first hand what it’s like to fight on Britain’s front line and participates in a range of the Battalion’s activities - from protecting convoys to major offences in the Sangin Valley; Guarding the hydroelectric dam in Kajaki to house to house clearances in Taliban held villages.

For most of his time with 1 Royal Anglian, Ross finds himself alongside ‘B’ Company, a group of roughly 130 soldiers. Men like Lance Corporal Pete Toynton from the Fire Support Group and Company Sergeant Major Tim Newton. These men are only too aware of how dangerous Afghanistan can be. During their time in Afghanistan The Royal Anglian Regiment have taken the brunt of the fighting and have lost 9 men since the conflict began.

Here's how the episodes break down:

Episode 1

Ross prepares for deployment and joins up with 1 Royal Anglian as they train during a cold British winter on Salisbury Plain. They’re training for what they will face in Afghanistan - which includes convoy protection and deploying from troop transporting Chinook helicopters. During one exercise Ross’ group is attacked and Ross and several others are told that they have been ‘killed’ by the enemy. It’s a sobering thought. Three months later and Ross will be playing this scenario out for real. At the end of the episode we see Ross leave the UK and arrive in the Afghanistan war zone.

Episode 2

Episode two sees Ross arrive at the Army's Camp Bastion, he’s given a medical briefing then straight out on an offensive operation in the ‘green zone’, a thin strip of agricultural land that lines the banks of the Helmand. It’s during this first foray that Ross experiences the dangers faced each day by British soldiers. Only a few hours out from base and the convoy immediately behind Ross’ hits an explosive device. It’s a sobering moment when the crew learn that Corporal Darren Bonner has been killed. Later on in episode two as B Company patrol they come under fire from Taliban positions. Ross and the crew are pinned down for some minutes by enemy fire before the Army can extract them.

Episode 3

Episode three focuses on the life of the soldier – what’s it like to live on Britain’s front line at the Now Zad base. It’s at Now Zad that the Royal Anglians suffered their first casualty, Private Chris Gray, killed during a fierce fire fight with Taliban fighters in May 2007. Ross meets his mother, Helen Gray and talks to her about how it feels to have lost her son to the conflict.

Episode 4

While Ross is back in the UK three soldiers from B Company are killed in a tragic 'blue-on-blue' (a term used to describe so called 'friendly-fire', where allied forces mistakenly target each other) accident. On 23 August Privates Aaron James McClure, Robert Graham Foster and John Thrumble died when the air support called in to help defeat the enemy hit the compound in which the three were engaging the Taliban from. Eight days later Ross returns to the frontline to be with the men of B Company and 7 platoon. The documentary tells the story of how the men were affected by the attack. The families gave the production team exclusive access to video footage showing the moments before, during and just after the bomb destroyed the compound; and they talk with the men who tell Ross how they feel about what has happened. Ross joins the fire-support group as they attack Taliban positions and re-assert their dominance of the area since the 'blue-on-blue' attack. This is just one-half of the operation.

Episode 5

For the final instalment Ross joins 1 Royal Anglian as they capture and destroy the compound in which the three men were killed. At times the Taliban are no more than 50 metres away. Back in the UK Ross talks to the Foster family about their tragic loss and interviews Corporal Stuart Parker - a soldier who miraculously survived the bombing. After six months overseas 1 Royal Anglian returns to the UK. It’s an emotional moment as their families meet them on the parade ground. They’ve been away fighting on Britain’s distant - but not forgotten - frontline for six whole months.

First shown to massive popular aclaim in January this is candid and brutally honest, and a very personal account of British soldiers at war from presenter Ross Kemp.

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