As the show kicks off it's third season with some new cast members and storylines, one can't help but wonder how and why you are still drawn in to Mzansi Magic's prison drama, Lockdown.

Well, that is probably because the producers went straight to the source in their research. Although having on-set consultants is nothing new in the TV business, The Lockdown team took it a step further and hired the prisoners. “We hired ex-prisoners to work on the show as extras in scenes. They know how to act behind bars because they’ve actually lived it, they’ve been there and know the environment," explains executive producer Annelie van Rooyen in an interview with TV Plus Magazine.

She went on to add "it means that our cast are getting first-hand help from people who can say, ‘No, this would never happen,’ or ‘These people would never be together in a cell,’ and ‘That isn’t the language being used.’ That adds authenticity to the show and it tells real stories.”

The production team takes pride in this as they are affording the former inmates an opportunity to earn a living (which is hard to come by in their case) and it exposes them to new skills and gives them access to an industry they may previously not have had access to. 

Lockdown season 3 airs every Monday at 8pm on Mzansi Magic, DSTV channel 161 and season 1 and 2 are currently available on ShowMax. 

• What to read next: A Lockdown Soundtrack is on the way
  

Main image credit: instagram.com/mandla_n/