Ross Kemp: Return to Afghanistan made its début this week on Sky 1 and Sky 1 HD.  Last year Kemp travelled to Helmand Province with the Royal Anglian Regiment and now, almost a year on, this five-part series sees him return to the area and the fighting around the town of Musa Qala, which has been in and out of the Taliban's control over recent years.

As was the case with the original series, Ross Kemp is a brave, insightful and sensitive reporter who conveys the fear, bravery and hardships of the British soldiers of 16 Air Assault Brigade who are based in the region and comprise 1Delta Company, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment.  He has clearly earned their respect and as such is treated very much as one of the team, which only serves to heighten the emotional impact the programme has on its viewer, whether that be excitement, disbelief or just plain horror.

Sky describe the series as “unmissable”, and they're right.  In the first of the series Kemp was joined by almost a million viewers, a five-fold increase on the average number during 2008 for the same slot, and I'd expect equally strong figures for the remaining parts, airing at 10pm each Sunday.

In a recent documentary, a member of a Liverpool gang who was too cowardly even to even show his face, told Kemp that “it sh*ts on Afghanistan 'round here,” before running away at the first sign of a police car.  I'm sure our men out in Helmand could teach that boy a thing or two.

Ross Kemp Kenya Special: Meeting the Mungiki was a harrowing, shocking and deeply moving insight into Kenya’s Mungiki organisation and their relationship with the country’s impoverished people, the Kwekwe secret police and the Kenyan Government led by President Mwai Kibaki.  The Mungiki, a politico-religious sect accused of torture, murder and extortion – preying particularly upon those who live in Kenya’s slums – are in direct opposition with Kenya’s leaders, who in turn have been accused of killing thousands of the group in both reprisals against rioting and attempts to quash their political aspirations.

It was against this backdrop of abject poverty and extreme violence that Ross Kemp’s ninety-minute documentary for Sky 1 and the third in the series of superb ‘On Gangs’ programmes was set.

All three programmes have been empathetic and free from any hint of over-dramatisation, instead Kemp has left those involved to describe and explain their shocking situations, at times putting himself in grave danger whilst doing so.  Facing, then calming an angry mob in order to hear their grievances was surely beyond the bounds – or even the conception – of many a qualified journalist, regardless of whether some elements may or may not have been stage-managed.  Gunmen killed one of the programme’s interviewees, Mungiki leader Charles Ndungu, just a day after Kemp’s departure and many other contributors gave their opinions on the nation’s poverty at great personal risk.

Filmed and broadcast in high definition, the imagery alone rendered this viewer speechless on more than one occasion.  From the endless sea of tents at Eldoret Showground which is home to fifteen thousand displaced Kikuyu people, to the destitute picking through the Dandora landfill site near Nairobi (one of the most toxic places on earth) for scraps of waste material, one could almost smell the poverty and desperation.  However, the most harrowing scene was that of the country’s glue addicts, some of whom were just babes in arms, a sight that almost reduced Kemp to tears.  Orphaned children, left to fend for themselves on the streets, told how their dreams were to kick the habit and perhaps some day, be able to go to school to learn art.  Another special dedicated just to this subject, will premiere next Monday, September 27th, on Sky 1 and Sky 1 HD.

Scenes such as these made me feel ashamed.  How can the west ignore such poverty and humanitarian injustice?  Is it ignorance or unforgivable apathy on the part of our leaders, some of whom are so misguided when it comes to priorities that they’re willing to squander in excess of nine billion pounds on a glorified sports day.

Hopefully Ross Kemp’s documentary will redress the balance by making more people aware of the horrendous plight of people living in Kenya and other third world countries, where poverty, violence and corruption are rife.  It is the type of brave, unforgettable and deeply moving program-making that should be shown to every man, woman and teenager living in this country.

Yes, it was that good.  Both Kemp and his production team are to be highly commended.

Sky have teamed up with Save the Children to raise funds for, and raise awareness of the plight of Kenya’s street children.  Details of the appeal and how to donate can be found on the Save the Children website.