There's a real brutality to the death penalty you can't get away from

Dan Walker tells YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI why he wanted to take a closer look at America's capital punishment system

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FOR British journalist and TV presenter Dan Walker, there was only so much he could understand about the death penalty in America, from 5,000 miles away.

How strange it must feel to be on death row and not have a clue about what will happen to you, especially if you are innocent.

It’s why Dan, known for presenting on the likes of Classic FM and Football Focus, headed Stateside to examine America’s death penalty system at close quarters, and interview people from all sides of the debate, including convicted prisoners, executioners, families of victims and inmates who have been exonerated, for his one-off documentary, Dead Man Walking: Dan Walker On Death Row.

In the ITN series, the current 5 News presenter also looks at whether Britain could return to capital punishment and learns about the emotional toll death row has on those who carry out executions.

Here, Dan, 48, discusses the project and the effect his findings have had on his Christian beliefs and views on capital punishment.

How did making the documentary affect you personally?

I thought a lot about this. I think I tried not to go into my research with any pre-judgment. Whenever I do a subject like this, I want to meet the people and try and understand where they're coming from, and why they tick the way they do. It’s easy to judge from this side of the pond until you get there and you see how ingrained in the system it is.