The Lock Up (TV series)

The Lock Up is an observational documentary series following the staff of the custody suite at Priory Road Police Station in Hull. It was first broadcast on 4 February 2011 on BBC Three. The first eight-part series was filmed over the course of a year; during the year, around 6,500 prisoners passed through the suite, and the issues custody officers had to deal with included attempted suicides and a range of troubled people including drug addicts, minors and violent individuals. The first series was shown on BBC Three and repeated on BBC One. The second series made its debut on BBC One on 28 August 2012 and is narrated by John Thomson.

The show follows the format of filming the overnight shift at Priory Road Police Station reception where a variety of miscreants, mainly drunken youths and violent characters are booked in and locked up for the night in the cells. The show involves a good deal of humour generated by the banter between the prisoners and the officers on duty. Some of the characters booked in to the lock-up are vulnerable people, many are violent and prone to spitting. The end of the show is marked by the handover to the next shift and the release of detained miscreans either to discharge without charge or for processing for court.

Lucy Mangan, writing for The Guardian, described the show as a "lesser version" of Channel 4's Coppers. Also writing for The Guardian, Phelim O'Neill said that "plain-speaking Humberside custody officers provide the commentary on the never-ending tide of all human life that passes through their care".