Watch and Learn - Tennis legend Boris Becker gives insight into life inside a prison in Britain

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Everyday is survival. If you're not if

Everyday is survival If you're not if

you're with the wrong crowd, you get

you're with the wrong crowd you get

into fights, you get into trouble.

into fights you get into trouble

Prison life is very much about bullying

each other. So, you got to be with the

each other So you got to be with the

right bully, otherwise they bully you.

right bully otherwise they bully you

Um, it's a real sentence. I mean, I

Um it's a real sentence I mean I

guess it's supposed to be, you know,

guess it's supposed to be you know

real sentence, but whoever says prison

real sentence but whoever says prison

is easy is lying.

is easy is lying

How much of that danger did you

experience directly? Were you threatened

experience directly Were you threatened

yourself verbally, physically?

yourself verbally physically

As I said, every day is is a fight, but

As I said every day is is a fight but

I had two occasions. Once with a with a

I had two occasions Once with a with a

Scottish prisoner, you know, I can't

Scottish prisoner you know I can't

obviously name his name in HMP Onsworth

who wanted to involve me in a fight with

the wardens and then a real serious one

at HMP Hunter where a prisoner

threatened to to, you know, kill me to,

threatened to to you know kill me to

you know, slit my throat

you know slit my throat

because uh I I talked to him the wrong

way and I I spotted him maybe doing

something he shouldn't be doing. So,

something he shouldn't be doing So

it's it's uh I had a harsh reality of

prison, what what prison can be like.

prison what what prison can be like

Uh fortunately, um I had a couple of uh

Uh fortunately um I had a couple of uh

of inmates that were protective and that

that you know looked after me, otherwise

that you know looked after me otherwise

I wouldn't have made it.

I wouldn't have made it

Yeah, we talk a lot about the safety and

Yeah we talk a lot about the safety and

conditions in UK prisons on this

program, Boris, and obviously you've

program Boris and obviously you've

experienced it firsthand. You saw this

experienced it firsthand You saw this

danger and these threats daily. You

danger and these threats daily You

know, a couple of incidents involving

know a couple of incidents involving

you directly.

you directly

Can we talk about the safety aspect? Did

Can we talk about the safety aspect Did

you feel safe in prison? Because you

you feel safe in prison Because you

actually mention in your book, you say

actually mention in your book you say

in Onsworth the wardens are in charge

until they weren't. How safe did you

until they weren't How safe did you

feel in the UK prison system?

feel in the UK prison system

You know, you think that, you know, mine

You know you think that you know mine

mine was a white collar crime as they

say,

say

but my my next next door cell neighbor,

but my my next next door cell neighbor

he was a murderer. Or opposite was a

he was a murderer Or opposite was a

pedophile. And on the right there were

pedophile And on the right there were

there were people smugglers and serious

drug dealers. So everyone is together.

drug dealers So everyone is together

So naturally naturally there's

frictions. I mean uh another huge

frictions I mean uh another huge

importance uh in prison is is religion.

importance uh in prison is is religion

You know which god you believe in or or

you don't believe at all or whether

you're white or you're black. But they

you're white or you're black But they

all put everyone together. So naturally

all put everyone together So naturally

within the first day everything goes

off.

off

Recently the UK government announced

that it was going to give thousands of

stab vests to wardens. Now you're on the

stab vests to wardens Now you're on the

outside looking in. Do you reflect on

outside looking in Do you reflect on

your time in there and see the

vulnerability of those that were there

to protect you? As you said, in the

to protect you As you said in the

grand scheme of things, just a handful

grand scheme of things just a handful

of them looking after thousands of of

dangerous inmates in many cases.

dangerous inmates in many cases

Look, I think the wardens need to be

Look I think the wardens need to be

more protected. There need to be more of

more protected There need to be more of

them. Uh you know, they they prison life

them Uh you know they they prison life

is very difficult for the wardens and

the prisoners.

the prisoners

And you know, there's huge

And you know there's huge

responsibility on them. They have to

responsibility on them They have to

deal with us on a daily basis and and

and not everyone not everyone is nicely

educated. So, it's a it's a tough job

educated So it's a it's a tough job

and I think they need to be more

protected.

protected

Yeah. Something else you were very open

Yeah Something else you were very open

about was the the drug use you saw. It

about was the the drug use you saw It

was prevalent in prisons. It was it was

was prevalent in prisons It was it was

common place. Did that shock you?

common place Did that shock you

I I didn't know. You pretty much could

I I didn't know You pretty much could

get everything inside. talking about,

get everything inside talking about

you know, the drugs, talking about small

you know the drugs talking about small

phones, talking about, you know, food

phones talking about you know food

and whatever you want. It even even even

and whatever you want It even even even

a bit of bit of alcohol in on the

weekends. Uh

weekends Uh

so that shocked me. Uh you know, it

so that shocked me Uh you know it

depends depends of your influence. It

depends depends of your influence It

depends on your network on the outside.

depends on your network on the outside

And the most common drug inside was

called spice. I've never heard it

called spice I've never heard it

before, but uh uh uh many prisoners are

before but uh uh uh many prisoners are

are high on spice and you see them on

the weekends

and then they form their own group. So

and then they form their own group So

So I mean every everyone knows that once

you're inside, everyone know who's doing

you're inside everyone know who's doing

what. It's just a lot of people choose

what It's just a lot of people choose

to look away.

to look away

You stayed strong in there by keeping

your head down and as you said finding

allies in prison, men that you thought

allies in prison men that you thought

you would never in the real world as it

were form alliances with, dangerous men

were form alliances with dangerous men

in many aspects. But you do talk about

in many aspects But you do talk about

the mental health aspect of prison and

you talk about the fact that there are

eating disorders uh in prison. There is

eating disorders uh in prison There is

self harm. What did you learn about the

self harm What did you learn about the

mental health aspect of a prisoner

inside?

inside

Look, if you're mentally not strong

Look if you're mentally not strong

enough, you're not going to make it. So

enough you're not going to make it So

you have to find ways to overcome you

know anxiety your frustrations uh the

loneliness the solitude at night um and

and the length you know some of these

these longtimes as we call them you know

10 or 15 years yes they've done their

crime they must serve their time but

it's it's I mean what do you do you know

after so many years and there's another

thing that people say that once you're a

certain amount of years inside they stay

8 to 10 uh prison never leaves you even

on the outside

because uh you know life is brutal. Uh

because uh you know life is brutal Uh

again you know we shouldn't be

complaining because we've done something

wrong but then once once you're stuck

inside there is there is not much you

can do. So mentally you have to find

can do So mentally you have to find

ways to occupy yourself. Mine was sport

ways to occupy yourself Mine was sport

and mine was stoicism. It's a

and mine was stoicism It's a

philosophy. I was a student. I became a

philosophy I was a student I became a

teacher that gave my my days a bit of

purpose and a bit of sense and a bit of

income. you know, you you you earn about

income you know you you you earn about

15 pounds a week and if you you know, if

15 pounds a week and if you you know if

you get another job or two, it's another

you get another job or two it's another

one or two pounds a day

in order to buy some food and some stuff

on you on you on the weekend, you know.

on you on you on the weekend you know

So, it's it's survival of the fittest,

So it's it's survival of the fittest

literally.

literally

As a foreign national, you ended up

As a foreign national you ended up

serving a majority of your time in a a

prison for foreign uh nationals in

Oxfordshire, HMP Hunter. you were given

Oxfordshire HMP Hunter you were given

the option under the early release

scheme that had recently come in um to

serve less time in prison if you agreed

to be deported. You jumped at the

to be deported You jumped at the

chance. And in your book, you talk about

chance And in your book you talk about

discussions you have with other foreign

national inmates about why they too

wouldn't jump at the chance. What were

wouldn't jump at the chance What were

some of the the reasons they gave you?

some of the the reasons they gave you

Because for you, this was a chance to

Because for you this was a chance to

cut your prison sentence short, be

cut your prison sentence short be

released, and be able to go to your home

released and be able to go to your home

country or another country.

country or another country

Well, first of all, my home country is

Well first of all my home country is

called Germany. It's not called

called Germany It's not called

Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, or Iran. I

Afghanistan Syria Pakistan or Iran I

wouldn't want to go back there either.

wouldn't want to go back there either

And they said, I have my livelihood in

And they said I have my livelihood in

the UK. I was born and raised here. I

the UK I was born and raised here I

have children. I have a life. I don't

have children I have a life I don't

even speak the language of these

countries. you know, my my barber for a

countries you know my my barber for a

while, he was from Palestine and he

while he was from Palestine and he

said, "Boris, why would I want to go

said Boris why would I want to go

back to Palestine?" You know, I'd be

back to Palestine You know I'd be

dead within the first week. So, that's

dead within the first week So that's

the reason they won't accept it because

they would be dragged to the wrong

country. Germany, I got lucky.

country Germany I got lucky

The downside, of course, is that you're

The downside of course is that you're

now not allowed back into the UK, having

now not allowed back into the UK having

been deported. Um, as you say, it's a a

been deported Um as you say it's a a

place you consider home, the UK, for

place you consider home the UK for

personal reasons and for professional.

personal reasons and for professional

Your reflections on that and how you're

working, I would imagine to be able to

working I would imagine to be able to

return at some point.

return at some point

I'd love to, you know, I love I love the

I'd love to you know I love I love the

UK, in particular London. You know, two

UK in particular London You know two

of my children are born in London, so I

of my children are born in London so I

feel sort of as a as a Londoner. Um, you

feel sort of as a as a Londoner Um you

know, the All England club, Wimbleton,

know the All England club Wimbleton

is for me the best club in the world. uh

is for me the best club in the world uh

uh and I've done so many things in that

club. So I'd love to come back into S

club So I'd love to come back into S

SW19 and as a as a guest as a friend

uh uh because it was such a long time a

part of my life and then you know

Wimbledon is so strongly connected with

with the with the rest of my life. We

with the with the rest of my life We

wouldn't be talking here if I wouldn't

be a Wimbledon champion. So there I'm

be a Wimbledon champion So there I'm

I'm working closely with the Home

Office. I'm working closely with the

Office I'm working closely with the

Ministry of Justice and they say your

case is very complicated and unique and

I go welcome to the club.

I go welcome to the club

Well Boris Becker it's been a pleasure

to talk to you and thank you so much for

talking to us about your memoir uh

inside. We really appreciate your time.

inside We really appreciate your time

Thank you.

Thank you

Thank you very much for having me.

Thank you very much for having me

Appreciate it.

Appreciate it

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Tennis legend Boris Becker gives insight into life inside a prison in Britain