Prisoner
The Australian cult TV drama series Prisoner was produced by Grundy Television and originally shown on Network Ten during the years 1979-1986. In all 692 episodes were made.
Since the original showing in Australia, Prisoner has been run and rerun in many countries. Swedish TV4 showed all episodes during the years 1994-2000. Following a demonstration by Swedish Prisoner fans outside the TV4 building in Stockholm on 31 March 2000, the company decided to rerun the series. Something which to the joy of the fans began later that year and ended in October 2004. Prisoner was showed in Sweden under the name "Kvinnofängelset" which means "The prison for women" (kvinna = woman, kvinno = for women, fängelse = prison, fängelset = the prison).

In October 2006 Shock Records began releasing all Prisoner episodes on DVD.

Prisoner describes life in and around a Melbourne women's prison, Wentworth Detention Centre. We follow the prisoners at H Block, the warders and a lot of other persons who have some connection to them or the prison.

Among its fans, Prisoner has gained the position of cult series. There have been long discussions and many theories about what makes Prisoner so great. Among other factors, I think good manuscripts, good actors and a special touch by the series' producers have contributed to the success.

Prisoner is realistic and non-glamourous, contrary to a lot of mass-produced TV entertainment. Effects and properties are toned down, instead writers' originality and actors' brilliance dominate. Prisoner is a mixture of realism, drama and excitement, spiced with a pinch of humour.

One of the series' strengths is unpredictability. As in real life, everything is not just black and white. Among the prisoners there are innocents, while some of the warders act criminally. During the series, many characters come and go, but their destinies can seldom be guessed. Sometimes a sympathetic character gets a tragic end, while it can go well for an unsympathetic. But as often the characters get the happy or unhappy end they deserve.

Finally, after a long and successful production, the people behind Prisoner managed to achieve an ingenious and spectacular ending. This surely also contributed to making the series legendary and memorable.

Let us begin by giving you a brief history of the show. Originally named Prisoner in Australia, non-Aussie viewers got their first glimpse of life inside a prison for women in Australia's ficticious Wentworth Detention Centre during the late 80's.

Retitled Prisoner: Cell Block H for overseas viewing, the series was one of the most watched Australian programmes. However time has since taken it's toll on Wentworth and Prisoner is often laughed up at, due to the quality of set design and acting (which at the time was of a very high standard for a drama series). Incidentally, a large number of the cast were classically trained actors who had many years of theatre experience behind them.

Made by Grundy Television (now known as FremantleMedia Australia), Prisoner was the first of it's kind and tackled issues long before any other shows dared to - rape, homosexuality, violence and murder to name but a few were all well made storylines during the 8 year run of the series. All in all, 692 episodes were made.

Prisoner in effect broke all of the rules set out by previous Aussie made soaps such as The Young Doctors, The Sullivans and The Restless Years - no pretty young faces, no nice homes and no romance. This seemed to surprise everyone who tuned in during the first airing; perhaps nobody quite knew what to expect about a drama series set inside a prison for women. They were immediately gripped. introduction page Early characters from the series (left to right):
Lizzie Birdsworth, Bea Smith, 'Mum', Monica Ferguson, Chrissie Latham


The series was exported to America, and in 1987 the UK's ITV station decided to show it late at night - when the majority of people would be in bed. ITV expected interest in Prisoner to gradually drop but it didn't. Over 10 million UK viewers tuned in well after 11pm every episode, glued to the screen. This kind of viewing audience is something that soap operas these days just dream about. An Australian drama series would not get anywhere near as many viewers today. Series' such as Neighbours have lost their original appeal from the early days of them being broadcast. The novelty has worn off - we know what to expect.

There have been many re-makes of Prisoner, however most of them have been unsuccessful. A number of fans would love for the series to be remade and set in the present day, but it seems very unlikely that this would happen. Maybe we'll see a 'Prisoner: 20 years later' one-off special in a few years time. If the series was made again the whole format would have to be completely changed to bring it into the 21st Century, and some fans think that this would lose it's appeal.

Prisoner has been shown on the Channel 5 as well as ITV here in the UK. It's also been shown around the world and even managed to make prime-time airing in the US where it hooked over 20 million viewers! There is no country currently showing the series, which is a shame. However, DVDs are now available - so all isn't lost! Check out our DVD Release page for more information.

Prisoner fans are lovingly called Blockies. They don't care what time of the day the series is shown - as long as they get their regular fix of life inside the walls of Wentworth! Out with the old, in with the new (left to right):
Myra Desmond, Judy Bryant, Bev Baker, Nora Flynn, Rita Connors

FULL LYRICS TO "ON THE INSIDE"
Verse 1
He used to give me roses
I wish he could again
But that was on the outside
And things were different then

Verse 2
We build our world together
With a love so clear and strong
But that was on the outside
Where did I go wrong?

Chorus
On the inside the sun still shines
And the rain falls down
But the sun and rain are prisoners too
When morning comes around

Verse 3
Last night I dreamed we were together
Sharing all the love we'd known
'Til I had to face the nightmare
Of waking up alone

Repeat Chorus

New Chorus
On the inside the roses grow
They don't mind the stoney ground
But the roses here are prisoners too
When morning comes around

Verse 4
He used to give me roses
I wish he could again
But that was on the outside
And things were different then