After being taken to the nation's heart through his stint in the Australian jungle for 'I'm A Celebrity….Get Me Out of Here', Joe Pasquale must have thought the future would be bright indeed.

Though reality show winners have enjoyed future successes in a variety of fields, surely the comedian could never have conceived that, two years down the line, he would be bunking up with murderers and rapists in some of the world's worst prisons, all in the name of TV ratings.

However, that is exactly what he and a number of fellow celebrities will be doing this autumn for Virgin1's 'The Prisoner: X' show, which will follow the stars as they undergo a "series of intimate, personal journeys", in places more often than not referred to as 'hell on earth'.

And what a diverse bunch of celebrities the producers have lined up, with the show set to be a highlight of the TV guide once the nights start to draw in.

Alongside the squeaky-voiced funnyman, sprinting star Linford Christie will be doing time in Belize's Central Prison, where should he step out of line, he will be promptly shot by the dozens of snipers guarding the roof.

Meanwhile, actors Marc Bannerman and Will Mellor will also be doing bird in some of the world's toughest penitentiaries, as will Debra Stephenson.

Also appearing, but unlikely to have such a culture shock as the above pampered showbiz stars, are Donal MacIntyre (for whom the death row of Louisiana State will seem like a walk in the park compared to gangland London or the world of football hooliganism), and Jack Obsorne, whose new trim frame is down to his risking his neck in a series of daredevil stunts for his own reality show.

Commenting on the forthcoming series, Virgin1's director of programming Daniela Neumann explained that the days of celebrities getting a cushy deal are over, with Prisoner: X pushing its stars to unprecedented limits.

"For the first time ever we will genuinely see these celebrities eat, poo, sleep and shower in the most disgusting prisons in the world," he said.

"These are personal and intimate journeys for people who are used to soft cotton sheets, fine wine, gourmet food and toilet paper."

With the new series set to air in the autumn, Virgin1 looks to be going from strength to strength, with its status as one of the stars of the digital age confirmed with the recent acquisition of P Diddy's reality show 'I Want to Work for Diddy'.

Following in the footsteps of Jade Goody, the rap mogul will select a PA over the course of 13 episodes, with producers saying that the star will make Sir Alan Sugar look like the world's most easy-going boss.