Ross Kemp was supposed to go on Titanic sub for TV show

Ross Kemp was supposed to take a trip on the OceanGate submersible to the wreckage of the Titanic for a TV show but the idea was called off over fears for his safety.

According to the BBC, the actor and documentary presenter was set to visit the wreck of the Titanic last year in the Titan submersible before the production company pulled the plug.

Atlantic Productions deemed the vessel to be 'not fit for purpose' after deeming the submarine unsafe once they'd checked it out.

Plans to keep the TV show going in some form by using a different sub diving company were floated but according to Kemp's agent by the time they were looking into alternatives to OceanGate he was booked up and 'unable to commit the time'.

The OceanGate submersible Titan is believed to have suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' which would have killed all five people on board the vessel pretty much instantly.

Multinational search and rescue efforts confirmed they found some debris from the submarine including the Titan's tail cone near the wreck of the Titanic.

Sky

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US coastguard said the debris they had found pointed towards a 'catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber', meaning everyone on board is dead.

He said: "Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them."

“And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”

There were five people on board: British billionaire Hamish Harding; French maritime expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet; Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

Becky Kagan Schott/OceanGate

Military microphones picked up the sound of the implosion at the time contact was lost with the Titan, but an extensive search and rescue effort was made and there were discussions over how much air the five might have.

Titanic director James Cameron slated officials for not announcing they'd picked up the sound of the implosion sooner.

The filmmaker is an avid deep-sea explorer who has visited the wreck of the Titanic 33 times and he slated the 'prolonged nightmarish charade' which he worried gave 'false hope' to the families of the deceased.

Cameron said he'd hoped he was wrong about the submarine having imploded and all aboard being dead all along despite 'knowing in my bones' they had not survived.