The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Insiders
Insider views from the exercise yard and cells of the notorious Durham Prison.
From the collection of:
Overview
‘Society hides its mistakes in places like this.’ Phil McDonnell reports from a formidable top-security prison with a view from the exercise yard of Durham Cathedral that will never be seen by those on the outside. This is a sombre and moving documentary that dwells on the long and lonely hours for prisoners in claustrophobic and overcrowded cells, building tension with discordant music and shots of the panoptic cell blocks.
We don’t know exactly when this Tyne Tees Television documentary was first broadcast, but it was probably filmed in 1965. Earlier in 1961 the Government decided to take action against a spate of prison escapes. At the time, Durham had an impressive record of 6 years without a break out and it was decided to house the most difficult prisoners here, in a “prison within a prison” thought to be escape-proof, which became known as the famous E-Wing. However, the unthinkable occurred when the infamous convicted armed robber John McVicar made a break for freedom from E-Wing on 29 October 1968, and went on the run across County Durham.
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