About Prisoner: Cell Block HAbout Prisoner: Cell Block HPrisoner is an Australian soap opera that is set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women’s prison. In the United States and United Kingdom it was billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H, and in Canada as Caged Women. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation in Australia, and aired on Network Ten, running 6. February 1. 97. 9 to 1. December 1. 98. 6, after originally only devised as a 1. The series was inspired by British television drama Within These Walls, which had achieved moderate success in Australia. Prisoner producers even approached Googie Withers of Within These Walls to play the role of Prisoner’s governor, an offer that she declined. Because of an injunction brought by UK- based ATV, which considered the title too similar to their own series, The Prisoner, it was originally not possible for overseas broadcasters to screen the show under the Prisoner title, which necessitated a name change. In March 2. 01. 2, it was announced that the series would be “reimagined” on Foxtel in a new version entitled Wentworth. Prisoner was created by Reg Watson, who had previously produced the British soap opera Crossroads from 1. Australian soaps as The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours. Initially conceived as a sixteen episode stand- alone series, the storylines primarily concentrated on the lives of the prisoners and, to a lesser extent, the officers and other prison staff. Prisoner (Prisoner: Cell Block H in the United Kingdom) is a long running Australian soap about the inmates at the fictional women's prison Wentworth. Cast & Crew; Fan Reviews; News; Photos; Trivia; 7.7. As the initial episodes began to air and were met with enthusiastic reception, it was felt Prisoner could be developed into an on- going soap opera, and as such, the initial storylines were developed and expanded, and new plots and characters phased in. The themes of the show were often radical, including feminism, homosexuality and social reform. When the series launched in early 1. If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it’s like for a woman.”. The series examined in detail the way in which women dealt with incarceration and separation from their families, and also the recurring theme of released inmates often being drawn into a circle of re- offending. Within the walls of the prison, the major themes of the series were the interpersonal relationships between the prisoners, the power struggles, friendships and rivalries. To a certain extent, the misfits who found themselves within the walls of the Wentworth Detention Centre became each other’s family, with Bea Smith (see below) as a mother figure.
Several lesbian characters were featured throughout the show’s run, notably prisoners Franky Doyle and Judy Bryant, along with corrupt prison officer Joan Ferguson. Beginning. The viewers’ introduction to the world of Wentworth Detention Centre involved the arrival of two new prisoners, Karen Travers (Peta Toppano) and Lynn Warner (Kerry Armstrong), later known as “Wonky Warner” as nicknamed by “Beatrice Smith” (Val Lehman). Travers had been charged for the murder of her husband, while Warner protested her innocence after being convicted of the abduction and attempted murder of a child. Both women are sent to the prison’s maximum security wing (H Block) where they are horrified by their new surroundings. Karen finds herself face- to- face with a former lover, prison doctor Greg Miller (Barry Quin), and is sexually harassed by her violent, bullying lesbian cellmate, Franky Doyle (Carol Burns). Lynn finds herself ostracised by the other prisoners because of her crime (prison populations are known for their intolerance towards criminals who commit offences against children) and is terrorised by the prison’s “top dog”, the self- styled “Queen” Bea Smith (Val Lehman), who “accidentally” burns her hand in the laundry steam press in one of the series’ most iconic scenes. The other prisoners are rather less volatile, including the elderly, garden- loving Jeanette “Mum” Brooks (Mary Ward), a bickering comic relief double act with teddy- clutching misfit Doreen Anderson (Colette Mann) and alcoholic old lag Lizzie Birdsworth (Sheila Florance), as well as seductive prostitute Marilyn Mason (Margaret Laurence), who entices prison electrician Eddie Cook (Richard Moir) into amorous encounters around the prison. It was initially reported that none of the original cast from Prisoner would appear in. They preferred the original series Prisoner and accused Wentworth of being. Prisoner: Cell Block H: Betty Bobbitt, Carol Burns, Elspeth Ballantyne, George Mallaby, Gerard Maguire, Glenda Linscott. Cast & Crew; Fan Reviews; News; Photos; Trivia; Prisoner: Cell Block H Cast FILTER BY ROLE. Popular Australian drama Prisoner: Cell Block H is back tonight as Channel 5’s Wentworth Prison. But when Prisoner: Cell Block H closed its doors for good in 1986 what happened to the stars? From Neighbours to Nemo here's. The prison officers, or “screws” as they are called by the women, comprised the firm but fair governor Erica Davidson (Patsy King), flanked by the diametrically opposed dour Deputy governor Vera Bennett (Fiona Spence), dubbed “Vinegar Tits” by the inmates, and compassionate senior officer Meg Jackson (Elspeth Ballantyne). The early episodes are a potent cocktail of violence and mayhem; involving Lynn Warner’s punishment burning, another prisoner hanging herself in her cell, unrequited Sapphic passion, a fatal stabbing and a flashback sequence inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, in which Karen Travers stabs her abusive husband to death in the shower. The first major story arc- defining event in the series is the turf war for top dog status between Bea Smith and Franky Doyle, culminating in a prison riot in which Meg Jackson is held hostage, and her husband, prison psychiatrist Bill Jackson (Don Barker), is stabbed to death by inmate Chrissie Latham (Amanda Muggleton). Increase in production. Prisoner premiered in Australia on 2. February 1. 97. 9 and instantly struck a chord with the audience, initially prompting the producers to extend the life of the series from a 1. This decision immediately impacted on format and characterisation, and a number of changes were made to the series. Most significantly, the series’ production schedule increased from making one hour- long episode per week to two episodes per week. This led to the departure of Franky Doyle the show’s first break- out popular character, after just 2. Carol Burns chose to leave the series, feeling that she could not continue her portrayal with the increased production rate. Introduced as a borderline psychotic given to bouts of furniture- throwing violent rage, Franky’s character was explored through her unrequited love for fellow inmate Karen Travers, who warmed to her and tried to teach her to read, finally emerging as an unloved, illiterate, deeply frustrated social misfit and a tragic anti- heroine. Franky’s exit saw her escaping from Wentworth accompanied by Doreen Anderson, and shot dead by a policeman after being on the run for three weeks. As the series began to gather momentum, new story arcs were introduced. Karen Travers decided to appeal against her sentence and was eventually released from prison, resuming her romantic relationship with Dr. Greg Miller and becoming involved in prison reform. As original characters began to leave the series (Mum Brooks, Lynn Warner, Karen and Greg all appeared beyond the initial sixteen episodes, but had made their exits by the end of the 1. Greg leaving early 1. Monica Ferguson (Lesley Baker), sneering career criminal Noeline Burke (Jude Kuring), idealistic murderess Roslyn Coulson (Sigrid Thornton) and imprisoned mother Pat O’Connell (Monica Maughan), as well as many shorter term inmates with briefer storylines. Prostitute Chrissie Latham, a minor character seen briefly in the early episodes, returned in a more central antagonistic role, and a new male Deputy governor, Jim Fletcher (Gerard Maguire), added a touch of testosterone to a female- dominated series. Bea, Lizzie and Doreen. As Prisoner entered into production for a second year in 1. The characters were made up of a recognisable set of archetypes. The prison population comprised a core group of sympathetic prisoners – a top dog (who was developed from the tough, intimidating character of early episodes into a more sympathetic, reasonable if hot headed “leader”), an elderly inmate, a wayward youngster – and other characters, such as an antagonist who threatens the top dog’s control, a middle- class prisoner out of her depth in the prison, remand prisoners waiting for their trial and hired heavies used for “muscle”. After the departures of early leads such as Franky Doyle, Karen Travers and Lynn Warner, the trio of Bea Smith, Doreen Burns (nee Anderson) and Lizzie Birdsworth emerged as the front- line prisoners. Bea was the tough, ambivalent yet maternal leader, softened after being a mostly unsympathetic character in the 1. The death of Bea’s teenage daughter Debbie (Cassandra Lehman) from a heroin overdose not only explained her motivation for killing her husband on her release early in the series, but also explained Bea’s uncompromising hatred of drug offenders and clouded judgement whenever children were involved. Doreen was a well- meaning but inept tragi- comic figure, who was often easily influenced by others, and Lizzie was a mischievous elderly rascal with a “dicky ticker” . The Bea- Lizzie- Doreen dynamic was joined early in the 1. Judy Bryant (Betty Bobbitt), an American ex- pat lesbian who deliberately gets herself imprisoned to be with her girlfriend, scheming drug dealer Sharon Gilmour (Margot Knight). Initially introduced solely for the storyline concerning Sharon (and serving as an opponent for Bea during her stay), Judy was received well enough by viewers for her to remain in the series as a regular, and stayed as part of the core group of prisoners (and becoming Bea’s unofficial “second in command” in the process), and eventually became the show’s longest serving inmate (with a few spells on the outside), and the second longest running character behind Elspeth Ballantyne’s portrayal of Meg Jackson, later Morris. The mix of officers also established a template of character types. The progressive governor Erica Davidson, whose approach to the job was to the right of warm- hearted warder Meg Jackson, but to the left of the acidic Vera Bennett, with firm but fair Deputy governor Jim Fletcher often switching sides between Vera and Meg.
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