'I was in awe of these magnificent fish'

Sir Lenny Henry, Lucy Punch, Rachel Riley and more talk diving with sharks in ITV's Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters.

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It's been 50 years since Steven Spielberg released Jaws, the iconic thriller that terrified audiences with its tale of a man-eating shark wreaking havoc on the fictional resort town of Amity Island.

Based on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel, the Oscar-winning film follows police chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider, marine biologist Matt Hooper, portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss, and shark hunter Quint played by Robert Shaw as they set out to destroy the deadly predator.

To mark the milestone anniversary, ITV is launching a new series in which seven shark-phobic celebrities travel to The Bahamas to confront their fears - and the creatures themselves.

In Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, celebs including comedian Sir Lenny Henry and Motherland and Amandaland star Lucy Punch are joined by three shark experts for a daring underwater adventure that challenges everything they thought they knew about these misunderstood animals.

"The whole premise of the show is that yes, we are going to experience sharks in their own environment, but we are also going to disprove the notion that sharks are immensely antihuman creatures that react in a threatening and malignant way," explained Sir Lenny, 66.

"We want to show that you can interact with sharks, we can learn from them, and they are valuable to the food chain."

"At times it was very scary. It feels dangerous, and they're huge and intimidating," added Punch, 47.

"But I was surprised at how exhilarating - and sometimes even peaceful - the shark encounters were. I was in awe of these magnificent fish."

Also taking the plunge are Call The Midwife's Helen George, presenters Rachel Riley and Ade Adepitan, McFly bassist Dougie Poynter, and comedian Ross Noble.