Celebrity on the front line: Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (Sky Television, 2008)

Abstract

Of the various television documentaries dealing with British military operations in Helmand Province, among the most successful have been those fronted by TV actor Ross Kemp. This article examines the development, airing and reception of the first of these, Ross Kemp in Afghanistan. The aims of the filmmakers and the needs of the Ministry of Defence and British Army are examined, along with Kemp’s time as an embedded reporter with 1 Royal Anglians in 2007, and the responses of critics, soldiers and the viewing public to resulting the series, in an effort to discern why it worked for all concerned.