TV SERIES · 1979– · AUSTRALIA
Prisoner
62 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
62 Interesting Facts About Prisoner
Interesting Facts (43)
- #001
On Thursday 13 February 1986, legendary Rat Packer Sammy Davis Jr. was seen arriving at the Nunawading studios aboard Network Ten's "Eyewitness News" helicopter to visit the series' set and gallery. When he met the cast, he expressed his admiration for Joan Ferguson, much to Maggie Kirkpatrick's amusement. Davis wanted to appear as a guest star opposite The Freak, but no suitable filming date could be found and the series was soon heading toward its end. Sammy invited Maggie to his next Melbourne concert; she accepted on the condition that he sing "My Funny Valentine" to her, which delighted him and he did so.
- #002
Sheila Florance left the series to care for her sick husband Jan Balawaider, to whom she had been married for more than 30 years and who sadly died of cancer shortly afterwards in October 1983. She also stated that playing Lizzie Birdsworth had taken a toll on her and that she felt her story had been told.
- #003
In early 2000, after episode 692 aired in Sweden, fans demonstrated outside the TV 4 building that broadcast the series, demanding it be shown again.
- #004
In the early stages of Prisoner (1979), the producers hired a former prisoner as a script consultant. To the staff's surprise, their new script consultant was filmed during a bank robbery. The series also tried to hire former corrective services officers as consultants but was refused.
- #005
After episode 327 aired, the series was banned in all prisons. This was because prisoners in a real prison followed the story and set fire to their prison as happened in the series.
- #006
Cassandra Lehman played Bea's daughter Debbie Smith in an uncredited flashback appearance. Cassandra is the real-life daughter of Val Lehman, who played Bea; her other daughter, Joanne Lehman, played the stuck-up young Yvonne whom Smith encounters while on the run.
- #007
After her request for a pay rise was refused, Anne Phelan proposed that Myra Desmond be killed while protecting her friends, asking for a fee proportional to that of existing cast member Betty Bobbitt, whose workload she believed would fall to her. She was highly amused to learn that staging her exit story cost Grundys more than granting her pay demand would have. Phelan was not at all pleased that a helicopter was funded for Marie Winter's escape story while the cast were in the middle of contract negotiations. (The helicopter belonged to Channel 10 for its "Eyewitness News" series and was used twice in the series.)
- #008
While filming a fight scene, Val Lehman (Bea Smith) accidentally broke Amanda Muggleton's (Chrissie Latham) nose. Similarly, a badly timed punch saw Lois Collinder (Alice Jenkins) genuinely strike Geneviève Lemon (Marlene Warren) on the chin on camera.
- #009
Story editor Coral Drouyn was sacked in 1985 after taking the blame for a joke made by one of the story writers. Drouyn explained in 2022 that she was dismissed following the publication of a satirical poem about Grundys, and that Grundy was furious when he found out. Drouyn did so because the person who wrote it was young and she wanted to protect them, particularly as it was her daughter Kelly Lefever (née Bermingham).
- #010
Lexie Patterson's dog Pocco, who appeared in the 1986 season, was in fact her real-life name; this was convenient because she also genuinely belonged to Pepe Trevor and would react accordingly on screen.
- #011
The prison's exterior facade has been left in place since 1986. The 'Wentworth Detention Centre' sign was said to have been stolen; only the upright windows in the top two rows (added as dressing to the studio wall only) were still present. Because the building was the Nunawading studios where both series were recorded, it could often be seen from the exterior of Erinsborough High School next to Neighbours (1985).
- #012
Bev "The Beast" Baker was conceived as a long-term addition to the cast. The writers immediately realised that the psychotic former nurse and serial killer was too disturbed to be ordinary, and wrote her out after only six episodes.
- #013
The venue for Meg Jackson and Bob Morris's 1980 wedding — Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Doncaster — was reused seven years later by director Rod Hardy for Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell's famous Neighbours (1985) wedding. It was also the setting for Joyce Barry's wedding to Mervin Pringle and for Pippa Reynolds and Ben Fulbright's wedding.
- #014
The Box Hill Brickworks location used for Meg and Ann's storyline (where they were kidnapped and left on their own) was later abandoned for safety reasons and heritage-listed.
- #015
The shower block leaked water from the governor's offices and in later years sometimes flooded the lower floor of the studios until a new line was laid.
- #016
The series is known for the 'Prisoner curse'. Many of its actors could not find other acting roles after finishing the series. Philip Hyde, who played Rodney, took on one more acting role before retiring from acting. Many cast members died young, and many refused to attend events held by the series. Many never spoke to their Prisoner colleagues again, and many returned to theatre.
- #017
One of the most accurate parodies of the series was Let the Blood Run Free (1990), in which Nurse Pam Sandwich and Matron Dorothy Conniving-Bitch are sentenced to WDC. Costumes and set pieces from the series were reused, as in an opening shot. Perhaps unintentionally, the flat of the clearly painted 'Oriental Shoes' shop (behind the doors of the original Driscoll House) also turned up in the deception.
- #018
In late 1981 (episode 244), the prisoners were issued new uniforms covered with the WDC emblem. These were made by the local Victorian firms Ecole-Wagner and Johnson Pty. Ltd. from denim supplied by Yarraville Textiles Pty. Ltd., with checked shirts by Roxy. The officers' uniforms would not finally be upgraded from grey serge to khaki until early in the 1984 run (episode 438).
- #019
Anne Phelan was concerned about the superficial presentation of violence in the series and always reflected this in her performance: if Myra Desmond fought physically, she would continue to play 'injured' in subsequent episodes whether or not the scripts mentioned or indicated it.
- #020
Val Leheman produced a series of limited-edition T-shirts for the 40th anniversary celebrations in 2019. Unfortunately, due to an error, the shirts celebrated Prisoner's 40th "Anninversary". That is not the correct spelling of the anniversary. This made the T-shirt an even greater collector's item for enthusiastic fans.
- #021
The long-running British series Coronation Street (1960) paid tribute to the series in August 2001, when Hayley Cropper was arrested after being kidnapped; the establishing shot indicated that the prison was called Barnhurst. At the same time, Terry Duckworth was serving his sentence in HMP Brentworth. The previous year, the soap's episode EastEnders: The Return of Nick Cotton (2000) showed its villainous title character leaving HMP Blackmoor.
- #022
In several episodes Vera mocks Barnhurst, calling it "soft" in episode 158, and in an ironic turn of events Vera would be promoted and become Governor of Barnhurst in episode 224.
- #023
In 1980, Saturday Night Live (1975) aired a parody of the series titled "Debs Behind Bars". In the sketch, the inmates (including guest host Teri Garr) are debutantes introduced to the "icky" living conditions in prison. In the early 1990s, the Seven Network's comedy sketch programme Fast Forward (1989) parodied Prisoner; Gina Riley (Bea Smith), Jane Turner (Lizzie Birdsworth; she had appeared in the series as the blind arms dealer Belinda Johns), Magda Szubanski (Doreen) and Marg Downey as an officer (Joan Ferguson) gave a comic spin to scenes from the series.
- #024
The series finale aired in Melbourne in the year the series ended, but due to clashes with the Sydney TV schedule it would be postponed in Sydney until the following year, and Sydney's viewership dropped so much that Channel 10 had no option to air the finale in 1987.
- #025
From episode 617, the gym set introduced as an additional area of Wentworth was equipped with equipment from the Moorabbin-based supplier Workout Workshop. Along with the occasionally misspelled closing credit, its distinctive red-and-white branded product range was prominently featured on screen.
- #026
Production was suspended for two weeks in late 1981 so that ATV10 could reassign studio staff and equipment for its extensive coverage of the Melbourne Cup Spring Racing Carnival at Flemington Racecourse.
- #027
In the final scenes, the only part of the set still standing and not struck was the solitary confinement cell holding Joan Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick), where she delivered her iconic Joan monologue. It was the last scene filmed for the entire series.
- #028
When Officer Heather Rodgers mysteriously disappeared in 1984, her boyfriend Dennis Cruickshank carried out an unsuccessful search for her. In reality, Victoria Nicolls had grown tired of the commute between Sydney and Melbourne and felt her personal life was suffering. The door was left open for her, but she chose not to return, so her character was never mentioned again.
- #029
Series creator Reg Watson found the first few episodes too bleak (and personally too dark), so he handed all creative and executive production decisions to Ian Bradley, who produced the series with his approval from that point on.
- #030
Sister Anita Selby's 1985 storyline came about after audience response reports told the Grundys that a nun sent to prison would attract curious viewers. Their vanity held that Joan would be extremely hostile towards her, since Anita had been deprived of the convent life Joan had long desired for herself because of her sexuality. Writer Coral Drouyn called the plot stupid: it was established that Joan's rejection by the army was her motivation, and she was not even Catholic, let alone defrocked. The Grundys pressed on and put the idea to Maggie Kirkpatrick, who rejected it outright.
- #031
George Mallaby had to leave the role of Paul Reid suddenly due to his health. As a result, his move to Adelaide to buy a business with his son Paul takes place off screen, and conversations between Paul and Meg Jackson reveal what happened. Paul's role in the ongoing storyline with prisoner Gail Summers was taken over by the recurring character Captain Barton, a Salvation Army officer.
- #032
Val Lehman found the storyline in which male prisoner Alan Farmer was mistaken for a woman (Ellen) so absurd that she refused to film any scenes for it. The Grundys solved the problem by creating a story in which the character, Bea Smith, escaped and was not seen for several episodes. The recurring character Helen Smart served as a replacement for Bea throughout the storyline.
- #033
In the series' early episodes, Fairlea, a real-life women's prison in Victoria, is regularly mentioned, and prisoners are transferred in both directions. Likewise, the men's prison Pentridge, named in the early years, was a real facility. In episode 65, the fictional women's prison Barnhurst is first mentioned, Fairlea is written out of the script, references to Pentridge are later removed as well, and the fictional Woodridge takes its place as the main men's prison. The advantage was that the writers could depict negative events in these prisons without creating the impression of any real-life corruption or incompetence. Fairlea and Pentridge closed in 1996 and 1997 respectively, after the privatisation of the Australian prison system.
- #034
Edna Pearson's 1984 poisoning plot was largely cut after its first transmission in Melbourne, when Emily Perry, who had been sentenced to 287 days in prison before her conviction was quashed, threatened the Grundys with legal action. Mrs Perry, Adelaide's so-called "black widow", was accused of poisoning her husband Kenneth (who, like Edna's husband Harry, supported her) after her first two husbands and her brother died in suspicious circumstances resembling arsenic administration. An uncut Pearson storyline aired in Malta in March 2000; in 2010 there was a (nearly) uncut UK DVD release. The Pearsons separated over "irreconcilable differences"; by her death in 2012 (she was still married to Kenneth), many people involved in the case were convinced of Perry's guilt.
- #035
Christmas occurs only once in the series, during the first year's run. Australian series traditionally take a summer break from recording during December; this is usually shown on screen by changes in hair length between episodes, where the actors find time in real life for a correction, but not within the narrative.
- #036
The series first aired in the United States on 8 August 1979 on KTLA in Los Angeles, initially shown under its original title Prisoner on Wednesdays at 20:00, and was the first Australian series broadcast in prime time in the United States. Its first two episodes were shown as a two-hour special, and it was watched by a quarter of television viewers in the Los Angeles market, finishing second for the night behind only Charlie's Angels. The series was later banned in Salt Lake City.
- #037
Gerda Nicolson could often be seen practising tai chi movements in the studios before the other actors arrived.
- #038
Val Lehman and Elspeth Ballantyne were not speaking to each other because of a disagreement during the series' first production, but they remained professional while filming their scenes together.
- #039
In the much-criticised scene in which Marie Winter escapes by helicopter, a dummy was used instead of a stunt performer because Grundy refused to allocate the budget.
- #040
Many characters, both officers and inmates, initially had very small roles and gradually developed over time. Officer Joyce Barry first appeared in episode 29 and remained a minor recurring character for years; she would not become a full-time regular until Colleen Powell's departure in episode 456 (Colleen herself had begun as a minor character). Lou Kelly was a non-speaking extra until head writer Coral Drouyn noticed actress Louise Siversen's potential and decided to develop the character. In interviews Drouyn confirmed that had she realised how good an actress Siversen was, she would have developed Lou's character as a potential Top Dog after Bea Smith's departure instead of bringing Ann Phelan in as Myra Desmond.
- #041
After Val Lehman's departure from the role of Bea Smith, the producers immediately decided they wanted the recurring character Myra Desmond to return to the prison as the new Top Dog. However, Ann Phelan, who played the role, was not immediately available. The producers were so keen to bring her back that the writers created the character Minnie Donovan as a temporary Top Dog to keep things going until Phelan was free. Head writer Coral Drouyn later said this gap did the character of Myra a favour, because had Myra replaced her immediately she would have been compared unfavourably with Bea.
- #042
Lesley Baker was invited back in late 1983 to revive her character Monica Ferguson from the series' first year; it was intended to be revealed that she was a relative of Officer Joan Ferguson. Baker declined (the idea was apparently replaced by Joan's niece Lucy being admitted), but instead rejoined the cast briefly as 'Tinker' Belle Peters, who befriends the fugitive Maxine Daniels.
- #043
When the first episodes met with an enthusiastic reception, it was considered that Prisoner could be turned into an ongoing soap opera. The first storylines were developed and expanded with the help of the Department of Corrective Services; the series later dropped the Department's assistance, a move that was criticised.
Production Story (4)
- #044
Maggie Kirkpatrick planned to leave the series in season 9, so a story was devised in which she would be imprisoned (the exciting event of season 8) and killed off in season 9, creating a "Whodunnit?" storyline. The series was cancelled at the end of season 8, so the intended cliffhanger was replaced by the series' resolution instead.
- #045
'Prisoner' was created by Reg Watson, who had produced the British soap opera Crossroads (1964) from 1964 to 1973 and would go on to create the Australian series The Young Doctors (1976), Sons and Daughters (1982), Neighbors (1985) and Richmond Hill (1988). Inspired by the British prison drama Within These Walls (1974), the series was initially conceived as a 16-episode run with a pilot episode bearing the working title "Women Behind Bars".
- #046
Among the series' early consultants was a former prisoner who noted that there was in fact very little action in women's prisons, since a large proportion of the women were drug-dependent and spent most of their time in a world of their own. The writers created the storyline in which Top Dog Bea Smith fiercely opposes drugs in order to minimise their presence in the prison following her daughter's death.
- #047
Glenda Linscott had planned to leave the series in season 9, feeling the show was harder for her than she had anticipated, so a storyline was devised in which Rita would die of cancer. However, the series was cancelled at the end of season 8, and Connors was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma but was never seen dying of it.
Behind the Scenes (5)
- #048
The food in the dining room scenes was usually served cold or vaguely stale, since it had to be carried a quarter of an hour from the kitchens to the set. The cast noted that the food was so bad that if they had to reshoot a scene it would be left uneaten (background artists had few such concerns). This explains the prisoners' habit of pushing the food around their plates rather than eating it. Dining room scenes were also planned together; the cast were faced with breakfast and dinner in one go, and many were reluctant to tackle these eagerly for the sake of their health and figures.
- #049
During the filming of the scene in which Carol Burns (Franky Doyle) tears apart the rec room set, one of the extras panicked as Franky flew into a rage and eventually had to be talked out and rescued from under a chair.
- #050
In a podcast interview, Val Lehman revealed that she was the cast's unofficial union representative and secured better conditions for the extras, and that she also refused to attend events to which the crew were not invited. Lehman also revealed that she had fallen out with one of the producers and with a behind-the-scenes crew member from Grundys, as a result of which her character was written out of the series. However, Lehman's departure, after she was invited back several times but refused, had a domino effect, with Sheila Florance also leaving the series for the same reason.
- #051
The series was planned to run for 16 episodes, then extended to 20 and then indefinitely. Carol Burns decided to leave after this extension because she was living in a caravan next to the set in the Channel 10 car park and could not continue playing Franky given the tight filming schedule. It was said that on the last day of filming she stayed on set after everyone had left, and only two of the series' camera operators remained. Carol, said to have been deeply affected by her final day of filming, asked if they wanted to come for a drink. Both declined and left her "just stood there", staring into space.
- #052
During the filming of a scene, actor Gerard Maguire was hit on the head so hard that he actually suffered a concussion, and on top of that he nearly ended up under a truck but managed to pull himself off the road just in time.
Characters & Cast (7)
- #053
Over eight seasons, the series produced more than 100 hours of television a year. Val Lehman said that because the series aired twice a week, the cast often worked 15 hours a day.
- #054
Maggie Kirkpatrick admitted that when she started on the series she had very little camera experience and was unsure what to do when her character had no lines in a scene. In the end she did what she did in theatre: stood still so as not to distract the other actors on set. Viewers felt her character's stillness was eerie and it contributed to her fame as "The Freak". In later seasons, when Kirkpatrick was more comfortable acting on screen, she said directors scolded her if she did too much in a scene, because it weakened her menace.
- #055
Val Lehman (Bea Smith) was originally considered for the role of Vera Bennett. Maggie Kirkpatrick had auditioned for that role. Other candidates for the role of Bea Smith included Betty Bobbitt (Judy Bryant), Maggie Kirkpatrick (Joan Ferguson) and Carole Skinner (Nola McKenzie).
- #056
Amanda Muggleton explained that she had initially tried to audition for the series but was unable to attend, so she took action to get to the set and asked producer Ian Bradley to read her for the role of Marilyn Mason, but in the end she played Chrissie Latham, the best-known role of her career.
- #057
Rita Connors was originally conceived with entertainer Rhonda Burchmore in mind, to the extent that she was to have a theatrical streak, sharing Joyce Pringle's interest in dance. Burchmore did audition for the role, but Glenda Linscott was considered a better fit for the series and won the part, which pushed the character down a tougher bikie-gang path.
- #058
Given the 1981 Nick Clarke storyline (the Morrises hired him to keep him on the straight and narrow), it makes sense that Ned Manning generally shaved a decade off his age for casting directors. The scripts never state outright that Nick had recently left high school, even though Ned was a grown man in his early thirties (which is why he reminds Meg of her young son Marty, who was not at school, and he confesses his adolescent crush on her).
- #059
A comedy/musical version of the series, in which Maggie Kirkpatrick revived the role of Joan Ferguson alongside series fan Paul O'Grady (as the inmate Lily Savage), toured and had West End runs in 1995 and 1997. Val Lehman criticised the production and questioned why a drag queen would be in a women's prison.
Deeper Meaning (2)
- #060
Sandy Edwards' reign was cut short in 1982 when Louise Le Nay discovered she was pregnant (apparently on her first day on the series). As with Terrie Waddell's Lisa Mullins later in the run, the bump was hidden for as long as possible, but she eventually had to leave. Sandy's departure was left open-ended, but after her daughter's birth the actress chose not to return. As a result, viewers never learned whether Edwards escaped in the prison's garbage truck or was killed by Kate Petersen and thrown into the truck.
- #061
Asked whether there was friction among the cast, many actors confirmed there was, since they are no longer close. One of the actors said they were not invited to the series' 40th anniversary celebration, while another brushed off the celebrations because one of the longest-serving actors had not been invited to the event. Gossip among the cast stems from Val Lehman, her failure to get along with the actors, and her very vocal criticism of the media company that ran the series on Channel 10; these disagreements also include her disputes with Colette Mann, Elspeth Ballantyne and Maggie Kirkpatrick, who had things to say about Lehman after she refused to invite the three of them to events she hosted. It is not known whether Lehman has reconciled with a former actor with whom she fell out.
Life & Family (1)
- #062
When Joan's Blackmoor ally Cynthia Leach was first mentioned, she was named Cynthia Drouyn, likely as a tribute to series writer Coral Drouyn. Coral's grandmother, Bertha Coppin, was immortalised in the series when Ettie referred to her as the mother Meg spent time with; Drouyn also gave her acting surname, Kelly, to the unnamed Lou when the character was promoted to a larger role.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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