On The Inside (The TV Theme From Prisoner Cell Block H)

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Prisoner was the first Australian series to feature a primarily female-dominated cast [ citation needed] and carried the slogan "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it would be like for a woman!" [2] In some areas of Australia, the Prisoner finale did not air until well into 1987. One example is in Sydney, in which TEN-10 did not screen the final two episodes until 29 September 1987, where they aired in a late-night slot at 11:05 p.m.; two years earlier, TEN-10 began airing Prisoner once a week, instead of twice. [13] In some areas of Australia, Prisoner was taken off the air long before the final episode; examples include Perth, where Nine Network station STW-9 cancelled the series after Episode 542. [14] (STW and Seven Network outlet TVW-7 shared Network Ten's programming until the sign-on of NEW-10 in 1988.) Betty Bobbitt self-published From the Outside, in 2011, which are her memoirs of her career which included playing the role of Judy Bryant on Prisoner. [23]

New story arcs were introduced. Karen Travers appealed against her sentence and was eventually released, allowing her to resume her relationship with Greg Miller and becoming involved in prison reform. As original characters began leaving the series (Mum Brooks, Lynn Warner, Karen and Greg appeared beyond the initial sixteen episodes, but most had left by the end of the 1979 season; Greg left in early 1980), new characters arrived: hulking husband-beater Monica Ferguson ( Lesley Baker), career criminal Noeline Bourke ( Jude Kuring), troubled murderess Roslyn Coulson ( Sigrid Thornton) and imprisoned mother Pat O'Connell ( Monica Maughan), in addition to shorter-term inmates with brief storylines. Prostitute Chrissie Latham, a minor character in the early episodes, returned in a more central antagonistic role and a male deputy governor, Jim Fletcher ( Gerard Maguire), joined the female-dominated cast.

Notes

Peta Toppano's first name was spelled in the closing credits as "Peita", her actual spelling. Both "Peta" and "Peita" are used in other television programs, movies, and magazine articles. Prisoner premiered in Australia on 27 February 1979. [nb 4] Its success prompted the producers to extend the series, first from 16 to 20 episodes and then indefinitely. The production schedule increased from one- to two-hour-long episodes per week; Carol Burns left the show after 20 episodes, feeling that she could not continue playing Franky Doyle with the tighter schedule. Her storyline sees her as an escapee from Wentworth with fellow inmate Doreen Anderson, and after being on the run for three weeks, she is shot dead by a policeman. [12] The series, produced by the Grundy Organisation, was conceived by Reg Watson and filmed at the then Network Ten Melbourne Studios at Nunawading and on location. A stage version of Prisoner, based on the original scripts, was produced in 1989 and toured the United Kingdom. Elspeth Ballantyne (Meg Morris) and Patsy King (Erica Davidson) reprised their characters and Glenda Linscott (Rita Connors) played a new character, Angela Mason. A second tour, with Fiona Spence ( Vera Bennett) and Jane Clifton (Margo Gaffney), followed in 1990; Jacqui Gordon (Susie Driscoll) played new character Kath Evans. The actor was more concerned about the soap’s violence. “One week you’d be raped and the next you’d be at someone with a bit of lead pipe,” she said.

Sheila Florance biography titled "On the Inside" was published in 2016 by Helen Martineau, which details her career as an actress and performer, including her role as Lizzie Birdsworth on Prisoner. a b Doughty J (8 October 1987). "Allan Caswell Loves His Country". The Courier-Mail. Nationwide News Pty Limited. Under the half-hour format, the original episodes were broadcast in two parts, though some scenes were censored or removed for the US telecast. February 1979 was when the series debuted on ATV-10 as a two-hour special; the show had its national debut in Sydney on TEN-10 the night before on 26 February, where it was televised as a two-part premiere, with the second part seen on 27 February.Ian Bradley served as original producer and then executive producer, from series 2, whilst associate producer and screenwriter was Ian Smith, who appeared as an actor in the series as Head of the Department Ted Douglas, prior to becoming famous as the character Harold Bishop in Neighbours; another screenwriter, Anne Lucas, also acted briefly in the series playing prison bookie Faye Quinn. [3] Bobbitt joined a year into the show’s seven-year run (1979-86), when Judy, a taxi driver, got herself convicted for trying to smuggle drugs into the prison to be with her lover. She left in 1985 after appearing in 430 episodes. The series is loosely based on British prison drama series Within These Walls, although it focuses more on the prisoners or inmates, rather than the prison staff led by officious governor Faye Boswell, played by Googie Withers, who was even approached by producers of Prisoner to play the governor. [4] Other series to have featured Prisoner spoofs included The Paul Hogan Show, Let the Blood Run Free, Naked Video and The Krypton Factor. Beirne, Rebecca (2008). Lesbians in Television and Text after the Millennium. Palgrave Macmillan. p.35. ISBN 9780230615014 . Retrieved 13 November 2018.