Cardiff prison holds about 750 inmates

The daytime series will follow staff and inmates at men's prison HMP Cardiff and Drake Hall - a female semi-open prison in Staffordshire.

The BBC said the five-part Behind Bars would tackle issues surrounding overcrowding and day release.

The 45-minute programmes in July will be fronted by presenters Nick Knowles and Nadia Sawalha.

The series, being produced by the TV company behind BBC One's City Hospital, will last for one week.

It will cover issues such as catering and overcrowding, as well as looking at what happens on day release.

Prison regime

A BBC spokesman said: "Not many people have had a taste of prison life or know anything about prison life. The programme will be looking at what happens in prison day-to-day."

"It will be entertaining as well but we're not going to shy away from issues like overcrowding, and other things that affect prisons."

HMP Cardiff, on Knox Road, is a "category B" prison which holds male adult prisoners, predominantly from south-east Wales.

It has about 750 inmates, almost 100 of whom are serving life sentences.

The regime inside includes full-time education, employment in prison workshops and training courses.