Blackburn’s World Cup winning centre Will Greenwood is going to prison with former teammates in a new ‘Mean Machine’ inspired TV series.

Greenwood, 50, and teammates from the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup winning England squad will enter a prison to build and train a team of inmates to take a team from arch-rivals Australia.

It will be a true ‘Mean Machine’ story – the film in which star footballer Vinnie Jones builds a team to take on the guards – and will be screened on ITV and titled Grand Slammers.

Teammates joining Greenwood for the show are, captain Martin Johnson, Mike Tindall, Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Robison, Matt Dawson, Phil Vickery and Ben Cohen.

Johnson lifted England’s only William Webb Ellis Cup in Sydney in 2003 after Wilkinson slotted a drop goal to cement his place in rugby union folklore.

The show will be set in HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire, a Category C prison home to one of the last remaining rugby pitches in English prisons.

The show will feature two 90-minute episodes, which the production company creating it say will give a “vivid insight into the power of sport to change lives as the England legends open up to inmates about how rugby had a profound impact on them during formative periods and gave them a purpose in life”.

Kate Teckman, head of development, factual entertainment, at ITV, said: “In this new series we’ll see some of the greatest sporting heroes England has ever produced reunite on the pitch for the first time in 20 years to go into a prison and build a rugby team with men who live their lives behind bars.

“For some of these England legends, rugby presented a positive pathway and an opportunity to fulfil their potential.

“So, with re-offending rates from ex-prisoners at an alarming level, these World Cup winners are engaging with young men who’ve made big mistakes to show them how the game they love can offer the possibility of taking positive steps to move forward.

“At a moment when rugby union will be in the spotlight, during this autumn’s Rugby World Cup, Grand Slammers will provide a revealing insight into both England’s legends and the power of the sport that has defined so much of their lives.”

Kitty Walshe, chief executive at Remarkable Factual and RDF, added: “Grand Slammers would not be possible without the collective efforts of John Gormley and his staff, as well as our incredible sporting heroes who won the hearts of the nation 20 years ago.

“Everyone involved passionately believes that rugby is a sport that has the power to change people’s lives and what we see unfolding across the series is often raw with a range of emotions surfacing as our England legends bring their full commitment to their work with the inmates.”

Born in Blackburn, Will Greenwood attended Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall in Hurst Green before going to Sedbergh School, then had a glittering rugby union career including 55 caps for England.

It’s not the first time Greenwood has been involved in a rugby-themed show aimed at helping people improve their lives and learn values through the sport, having presented School of Hard Knocks alongside Scott Quinnell on Sky Sports.