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Disgraced former Tory MP and ex-head of the Efra Committee Neil Parish has swapped Parliament for prison to take part in Channel 4's new reality show Banged Up.

The Somerset-based farmer is appearing alongside five other famous faces, including EastEnders' actor Sid Owen, MP Jonny Mercer and journalist Peter Hitchens in the programme which follows the progress of the celebrity inmates as they attempt to cope with life in the decommissioned HMP Shrewsbury.

Each ‘prisoner' will share a cell with a reformed criminal and will be put through strip searches, as well as being required to carry out typical day-to-day tasks monitored by real-life prison officers.

Mr Parish, who is due to make his appearance on screen next week, was forced to resign as an MP after he admitted watching pornography while in the Houses of Parliament. The married, father-of-two had represented the constituency of Tiverton and Honiton for 12 years.

During the show which aired for the first time on October 31, viewers saw Mr Owen quizzed by his reformed money laundering cell mate Reece McCoy who went on to recall how one prisoner had been given ‘scalding' which led his face to begin ‘bubbling' after being doused in boiling water in sugar.

Mr Mercer, currently Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs, and a former commando was paired with contract killer Kevin Lane. The MP for Plymouth, Moor View appeared relaxed as he asked his new companion whether at the time of his crimes he had considered the consequences. Mr Lane replied he ‘felt bad' about one job during which he ‘kidnapped, beat, gassed and almost drowned the wrong man'.

Mr Parish is expected to make his debut when the show is next broadcast on Channel 4 on November 7.