person or book cover
Val Lehman in the title sequence for Prisoner (screen cap)
form y separately published work icon Prisoner series - publisher   film/TV  
Alternative title: Cell Block H; Prisoner: Cell Block H
Issue Details: First known date: 1979... 1979 Prisoner
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Television series.

Prisoner told stories of the inmates of Wentworth Detention Centre, a women's prison. The show had its roots in the similar UK drama series Within These Walls, but presented storylines with a much harder and sometimes controversial edge, including themes such as lesbianism, murder, and drugs.

Key characters in the series included Bea Smith (aka Queen Bea), who ran things from the prisoners' side, and prison guards Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson and Vera 'Vinegar Tits' Bennett. Other inmates included the elderly Lizzie Birdsworth and lesbian Franky Doyle.

Notes

  • The series is known as Prisoner: Cell Block H outside Australia, due to the similarity of the title to that of Patrick McGoohan's television series The Prisoner.

  • Award-winning and individually published episodes in this series will be included on AustLit.

    Content indexing in process.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1979
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Related Works

Prisoner Cell Block H : The Musical Don Battye , Peter Pinne , Peter Pinne (composer), 1995 single work musical theatre

Especially written for English audiences, this pantomime-style spoof of the original Australian drama series was 'played strictly for laughs' with intentional overacting and sets that sometimes wobbled (satirising the urban myth that the television series did this in some scenes).

Songs from the show include : 'Not Above the Law,' 'I'll be a Star,' 'Trouble,' 'I'm Innocent,' and 'Style' (all sung by Lily Savage) ; along with 'I Feel Like I Want to Boogie,' 'I Never Told Him I Loved Him,' 'Give Me a Man' and 'Why Not For Me?'
form y separately published work icon Wentworth Emma J. Steele , Lally Katz , Pete McTighe , Giula Sandler , Timothy Hobart , John Ridley , Marcia Gardner , Max Conroy , Kim Wilson , ( dir. Jet Wilkinson et. al. )agent Fremantle : FremantleMedia Australia Foxtel , 2013-2021 Z1846530 2013 series - publisher film/TV crime

A re-boot of Prisoner, Wentworth takes place in an earlier time for Bea Smith: top dog in Prisoner, she is here a new inmate, trying to consolidate her position in prison.

For a full list of episodes and authors, see Film Details.
VIEW ALL RELATED WORKS (2)

Works about this Work

From Boys to Men Via Cell Block H : Prisoner, Queer Identities and Productive Fan Nostalgia Craig Haslop , Craig Batty , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: TV Transformations and Transgressive Women : From Prisoner : Cell Block H to Wentworth 2022;
Gothic Themes in Australian TV's Women's Prison Dramas Kate Warner , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: TV Transformations and Transgressive Women : From Prisoner : Cell Block H to Wentworth 2022;
'I Want to See Rit 'Connors'. I Want to See Her Now!' The TV Series Guest Performer as Intertextual Messenger Helen Milte , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: TV Transformations and Transgressive Women : From Prisoner : Cell Block H to Wentworth 2022;
Scriptwriting on the inside : The Streamlined System of Prisoner and the Collaborative Community of Wentworth Radha O'Meara , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: TV Transformations and Transgressive Women : From Prisoner : Cell Block H to Wentworth 2022;
Repeat Offender : TV Remakes, Reboots and Revival from Prisoner to Wentworth and Beyond Tessa Dwyer , Philippa Burne , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: TV Transformations and Transgressive Women : From Prisoner : Cell Block H to Wentworth 2022;
y separately published work icon Super Aussie Soaps : Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows Andrew Mercado , North Melbourne : Pluto Press , 2004 Z1511282 2004 single work criticism

The definitive history of Australian TV soaps, Super Aussie Soaps examines Australian television serials, in chronological order from 1958 to the early 2000s. Among the series presented are Bellbird, Number 96, The Sullivans, Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, Neighbours and Home and Away.
y separately published work icon Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series Albert Moran , Peter Pinne , North Ryde : Australian Film Television and Radio School , 1993 Z1511317 1993 single work criticism An in-depth history of Australian television series from 1956-1993.
y separately published work icon Australian Television : A Geneology of Great Moments Alan McKee , South Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 2001 Z1632922 2001 single work criticism (taught in 1 units)

Alan McKee examines some key moments in Australian television history, drawing on extensive contemporary evidence as well as presenting detailed analysis of the programs themselves.


Bad Girls Broke the Shackles Michael Idato , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 16 February 2009;
Top-Dog Bea's Back in the Clink Greg Hassall , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 4 March 2012; (p. 3)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (22)

Awards

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Last amended 4 Apr 2014 09:37:12
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