MUMBAI: Infotainment broadcaster Discovery Networks International (DNI) has announced a new series that invites viewers into the inner workings of some of the world?s most notorious gangs.

?Inside The Gangsters? Code? is a five episode one hour series from production company Nerd TV. It follows ex-mafia street boss Lou Ferrante as he delves into previously impenetrable communities of gangsters and seeks out their hidden leaders.

The show will air on Discovery Channel in 217 countries across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Latin America from end of February 2013.

Through the show Ferrante, once a street boss for the New York mob, uses his insider smarts to shed new light on very different gang cultures, characters and modes of operation in El Salvador, the Philippines, New Mexico, Italy, and Poland. Incredibly, these gangs frequently have codes of practice that dictate life both inside and outside the prison walls; they run their activities, grow and prosper behind bars, yet continue to terrorise and control communities living outside.

Ferrante will set out to explain gang origins, history, developing networks of power, motivations and political sway in graphic detail, and with an insider?s insight and passion never before applied to the subject. In order to explore each gang, Ferrante will immerse himself in their respective cultures, both inside and outside of prisons. He will live alongside prisoners, talk to guards, get under the skin of gang members, and meet top tier ?soldiers,? following the trail of gang power from prison to the outside world, meeting key figures and family to provide an insider?s perspective on a notoriously clandestine world.

DNI VP production, development, factual programming Elizabeth McIntyre said, ? ?Inside The Gangsters? Code? offers exclusive insight into empires that operate both within and beneath the apparent culture. The knowledge and passion, risks and challenges undertaken by Lou give a completely new perception to organized crime. We have seen in the past scripted dramas about mob life, but by exploring the operation beyond mere stereotypes, the audience gains a real and vivid understanding that spans globally.?

Nerd TV executive producer Jago Lee said, ?In this series, Lou is able to combine his long experience as a New York mobster with a wit, intelligence, and appetite for truth-seeking that is all his own. Lou is a remarkable new talent, and his unique approach compellingly reinvents the story of gangs and gangster life on television.?