I heard about a TV show that had some of the cast act the role of
prisoners and the others acted the role of wardens.  The filming had
to stop when the role playing got out of hand and cruelty was being
inflicted on the "prisoners" by the "wardens".  Can you help me get
specific information about this?

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 02 Feb 2006 07:10 PST

Dear Meerschaum,

Could you be thinking of "Celebrity Alcatraz"?

It's an extreme reality show in which stars are sent to live under
harsh prison conditions in the grimmest, toughest jail on earth. There
are real cells, with real bars, with real rules and real wardens. The
only way the celebrities get out is if viewers vote to release them.

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Clarification of Question by meerschaum-ga on 02 Feb 2006 08:34 PST

I was not thinking about Celebrity Alcatraz.
As I understand it, both prisoners and wardens were actors.
The cruel behaviour of the "warden" actors led the filming to be abandoned.
This story was told to me, without specific reference, as an
illustration of human role playing behaviour.

Dear Meerschaum (nice username!), 

In 2001, the BBC announced their intent to produce a reality TV show
called "The Experiment", that would reenact the "Stanford Prison
Experiment". The Stanford Prison Experiment was a real experiment in
social psychology, that took place at Stanford University in 1971.

During this experiment, psychologist Philip Zimbardo divided the
students who've volunteered to take part into two groups: one would be
"wardens" and the other "prisoners". The experiments had horrendous
results. After only six days, the guards have become "sadistic" and
the prisoners distressed and depressed in a way that showed signed for
real concern: Zimbaro had to stop the experiment.

You can read all about this experiment on Wikipedia: 

Wikipedia: The Stanford Prison Experiment
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Prison_Experiment> 

Here is some information about the BBC's "The Experiment". The BBC
stopped "The Experiment" a day earlier, but refused to say this was
because of its failure to avoid the abuse that was part of the
Stanford Prison Experiment.

John Crace, "The prison of TV", The Guardian,  May 14, 2002,
<http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,714927,00.html>

BBC "BBC denies aborting 'prison' reality show" 24 January, 2002,
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1779816.stm>

Victoria Mapplebeck, "These feelings inside..." The Observer, May 12,
2002, <http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,714770,00.html>

James Meek, "TV experiment reruns jail study", The Guardian, May 3,
2002, <http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,709316,00.html>

Matt Wells, "BBC2 delays 'unfair' prison experiment", The Guardian, 
April 10, 2002, <http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/socialsciences/story/0,9846,681767,00.html>

----, "BBC halts 'prison experiment'" The Guardian, January 24, 2002,
<http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/socialsciences/story/0,9846,638487,00.html>

BBC: Concerns force edit of reality show
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1921185.stm> 

Zimbardo, by the way, was an advisor for another BBC reality-show: 
"Psychologist puts the 'real' into reality TV" 
<http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/01/zimbardo52.html>

And here is another inetersting, similar, show. About a year ago, the
British Channel 4 had another "reality show" of kind: "The Guantanamo
Guidebook" was a show meant to demonstrate how one can break under
torture, of the type allegedly used in Guantanamo. The show was
criticised by various groups: human rights activists claimed it
trivialises torture, while the White House claimed: " " The war on
terrorism is serious business. To trivialize it in this manner is an
insult to the lives of those killed by terrorist." (SOURCE: Revolting
TV: "The Guantanamo Guidebook",
<http://treyjackson.typepad.com/junction/2005/03/revolting_tv_th.html>).

BBC: Guantanamo Guidebook
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/review/4304955.stm> 

Fox News Guantanamo Guidebook' to Air on U.K. TV
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146918,00.html> 

Damian Love, "Pain, but no gain: the reality of torture", Sunday
Herald, <http://www.sundayherald.com/47945>

I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
clarification on this answer before you rate it. My search strategy:
stanford prison experiment reality tv

Thanks for a totally comprehensive answer.  My work is done!

Thank you for the rating and the tip!