A British actor planned to film a TV show on the Titan sub, but it was deemed not 'fit for purpose' by a production company, report says

• A British actor had planned a trip on OceanGate's Titan sub to film a Titanic documentary last year.
• Ross Kemp's trip was canceled as the sub was deemed not "fit for purpose," the BBC reported.

A British actor had planned to join an OceanGate trip to the Titanic wreck to film a TV show, but it was canceled due to safety concerns.

Ross Kemp, known for his role on the British soap opera "EastEnders" and documentaries such as "Ross Kemp in Afghanistan," was pulled out of the trip in the Titan sub after the production company deemed it not "fit for purpose," the BBC reported.

OceanGate's Titan reportedly imploded in the Atlantic Ocean, killing all five passengers on board, authorities said on Thursday. Debris "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber" had been found near the site of the Titanic wreck, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said.

After examining the submersible, production company Atlantic Productions deemed the vessel unsafe, Kemp's agent, professor Jonathan Shalit, said

"Their team checked out this OceanGate submersible and pulled out of using it, as it was simply not considered safe or fit for purpose," he said, reported The Sun.

"They found other sub dives which have been safe and successful but, by that point, Ross was so busy with all his TV shows that he was unable to commit the time," Shalit said.

"I am just relieved not to have had my post note in history as the agent who killed Ross Kemp," he added.

Kemp, 58, had wanted to make a documentary marking the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in 2022, The Sun reported.

Several safety concerns have been reported with the OceanGate sub since it lost contact with its surface vessel.

One lawsuit said that David Lochridge, a former OceanGate employee, had flagged "quality control and safety issues" as far back as 2018.

"The paying passengers would not be aware, and would not be informed, of this experimental design, the lack of non-destructive testing of the hull, or that hazardous, flammable materials were being used within the submersible," the filing says.

Lochridge claimed the company fired him for voicing his concerns.

Another actor, who traveled on the submersible last year, said there were communication failures. In contrast, "Titanic" director James Cameron warned OceanGate officials that the vessel could lead to "catastrophic failure."

The CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, had previously admitted that the Titan's design had "broken some rules."