Ross Kemp reveals he was set to make a documentary about using the Titan submersible to visit the Titanic wreck – before his production company ruled it was too dangerous
Ross Kemp has revealed he nearly made a documentary on using the Titan submersible to visit the Titanic wreck – but his production company decided it was too dangerous.
The 58-year-old, who is best known for playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, is now a daredevil documentary maker – who this year fronted the new series of Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter.
Kemp’s agent, InterTalent boss Professor Jonathan Shalit, said: ‘Their team checked out this OceanGate submersible and pulled out of using it, as it was simply not considered safe or fit for purpose.
‘I am just relieved not to have had my post note in history as the agent who killed Ross Kemp,’ he said according to The Sun.
Ross Kemp (pictured) has revealed he nearly made a documentary on using the Titan submersible to visit the Titanic wreck but his production team ruled it too dangerous
The OceanGate submersive (pictured) was ruled unsafe by Kemp’s team
Kemp was planning to create a documentary in 2022 that marked the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
It has been confirmed that the five victims onboard the submersive were killed instantly when the OceanGate vessel suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’ just 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, according to the US Coast Guard.
Kemp holds a deep sea diving certificate which allows him to dive at up to 40 metres.
A TV insider said when crews made enquiries about filming him using the submersive, OceanGate said no training was required to be onboard.
They added: ‘The company was looked at initially because they were a well-known organisation, but after Atlantic started asking questions, any plans quickly unravelled.’
Discovery Channel’s Josh Gates revealed this week that he had been on the sub when it ‘did not perform well’.
Gates, who presents Expedition Unknown, tweeted that there is more to the ‘history and design’ of Titan that has not been revealed yet.
He said: ‘To those asking, Titan did not perform well on my dive. Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns with OceanGate.
Kemp, who fronts exploration documentaries, was planning to create a documentary in 2022 that marked the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic
Mike Reiss (left) and Joe Gates (right) both went onboard the submersive on separate occasions
‘There’s more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public – much of it concerning.’
Meanwhile, Simpsons writer Mike Reiss said he had previously travelled on the sub and said he prepared himself to never get off the vessel after he signed a waiver which listed ‘three ways to die on page one’.
Mr Reiss was one of just a handful of people who have ever been on the exclusive expedition to the bottom of the ocean, joining a crew on OceanGate Inc’s sub last year to tour the doomed ship.