'Britain's most notorious prisoner', jailed here in Milton Keynes, stars in Channel 4 documentary tonight

‘Britain’s most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson has been filmed speaking from his Milton Keynes prison cell in a Channel 4 documentary to be shown tonight (Monday).

'Bronson: Fit to Be Free?' airs at 9pm and tells how Bronson is hoping to be freed after a public parole hearing set for March 6 and March 8.

It asks: “Charles Bronson is the UK's most notorious prisoner. Locked up for 48 years and due a parole hearing, is he safe to be released?”

The Luton-born criminal is shown speaking to his photographer son George Bamby on secure video calls from the prison.

He says: “I'm focused, I'm settled, I can actually smell and taste freedom like I've never, ever done in me life.

“I'm now anti-crime, anti-violent. What the f**k am I still in prison for?”

Of an attack on a prison guard that extended his sentence dramatically, he said: “I went over the top as I normally do. I never hurt the man. Mentally, obviously I did. He didn't deserve what he got, but did I deserve a life sentence just for wrapping him up?”

Bronson has been convicted 17 times of of violent offences and has taken 11 hostages. One of these was a prison art teacher, whom he held at spear point for more than 40 hours in 1999.

But the 70-year-old now insists he is 'a changed man'. He spends his time doing detailed artworks, which have been exhibited nationally and also used to raise money for charity.

In 2019, Bronson launched a successful judicial review and achieved a legal first by challenging the requirement that all parole hearings be held in private.

His long history of offending starting in 1964. In October 1974, he was sentenced to seven years behind bars for robbery, aggravated burglary, assault with intent to rob and possession of a firearm. In December 1975, he was convicted of the unlawful wounding of another prisoner. In December 1978, whilst still in custody, he was convicted of wounding with intent.

He was released from prison in 1987 - but in June 1988 he was convicted of robbery and sentenced to seven years in jail.

Following his release, he was convicted of carrying a firearm with intent in September 1993 and sentenced to eight years in prison. He has remained in jail since then.

In 1997 took two prison staff and three prisoners hostage - and was sentenced to a five-year consecutive sentence. But before that term was up, he took another prison worker hostage for three days.

In 2014 he was convicted of actual bodily harm - and sentenced to a further 24 months.

In the documentary he says: “When you're locked up in a concrete coffin, 23 hours of a 24 hour day, sometimes in life you've got to do something mad…The madder it is, the more dangerous it is, the better it f*****g is. I've gotta be honest with you, I've had a fucking party.”

Meanwhile, a fundraising page has been set up by his son to raise money for a 'dream caravan' for Bronson to live in upon his hopeful release. It has raised £3,100 of the £25,000 target.