Thanks to years and years of campaigning, fans' efforts have finally paid off - with the recent announcement that the whole series is to be released onto DVD in Australia, available to fans worldwide.
Volumes are released two at a time on a monthly basis to subscribers, with retail following afterwards. We are currently more than half way through the release schedule. A full 692 episode box set is also available.
The release has been arranged by Shock DVD as a result of fans' requests - and a familiar face from the series, Val Lehman (Bea).
News and updates will feature on this page so please keep visiting regularly for the latest info.
The quality of the series has been digitally restored, which means that the viewing quality is as clear as it can be - considering how old the original tapes are.
Fans will also be pleased to know that the Wentworth 'Gate Slams' (where the advert breaks were originally) are still included.
The original closing titles are still used and will be uncut, so the theme tune can always be listened to in full.
Unfortunately due to the age of the original master tapes, some small cuts have been necessary to ensure that the quality is maintained while viewing.
This sometimes means that a few seconds of a scene is replaced with a static image (eg the outside of the prison), or in cases of audio dropout the scene has to be trimmed.
All cuts have been kept to a minimum and are on the whole un-noticable.
Episode 83 originally arrived heavily cut at the beginning (due to tape damage), during one of the most cruicial scenes at the time. It was originally believed that there were no other master discs to replace the cut scenes with however this has since changed.
The disc containing the full version of episode 83 will be sent free of charge to everyone who has purchased it. Subscribers will automatically receive their replacement when volumes 23 and 24 are sent out. Anyone who has purchased the stock via retail should email Brad Croom at Fulfillment Australia and their replacement will be despatched.
Fans should note that due to "legal issues", the 'Edna Pearson' episodes (circa 464 to 470) will be edited. Unfortunately there is no way around this and the release has to stay within Australian laws.
Originally we were led to believe that this release would be a budget one with very limited extras, but we're glad to confirm that this is no longer the case!
We're being treated to a whole host of extra features throughout the volumes. Although extras won't appear on every single volume, there'll be enough of them to keep us happy! Confirmed so far are:
Episode commentaries from cast and crew members - including Val Lehman, Amanda Muggleton, Tina Bursill, Glenda Linscott plus more!
Character profiles
Galleries of previously unseen photographs
Episode introductions from cast members - including Fiona Spence and Val Lehman
Reminisce With... - Cast members talk about their memories of Prisoner
Ask Chrissie - Amanda Muggleton answers questions from fans posted via this website
Interactive features - 'Meet the Press' and 'Morphing Gallery'
Prisoner in Concert, Prisoner - The Musical and the unseen Prisoner Documentary WILL NOT be featured due to clearance and copyright problems. It is possible that the documentary may be released separately some time in the future but there are no confirmed plans at present.
We can exclusively bring you previews of the DVD covers before they hit the shelves or are delivered. Plus there's a preview of the content on each release, just click on the images for more information.
Volume 1 001-016
Volume 2 017-032
Volume 3 033-048
Volume 4 049-064
Volume 5 065-080
Volume 6 081-096
Volume 7 097-112
Volume 8 113-128
Volume 9 129-144
Volume 10 145-160
Volume 11 161-176
Volume 12 177-192
Volume 13 193-208
Volume 14 209-224
Volume 15 225-240
Volume 16 241-256
Volume 17 257-272
Volume 18 273-288
Volume 19 289-304
Volume 20 305-320
Volume 21 321-336
Volume 22 337-352
Volume 23 353-368
Volume 24 369-384
Volume 25 385-400
Volume 26 401-416
Volume 27 417-432
Volume 28 433-448
Volume 29 449-464
Volume 30 465-480
Volume 31 481-496
Volume 32 497-512
Volume 33 513-528
Volume 34 529-552
Volume 35 553-576
Volume 36 577-600
Volume 37 601-624
Volume 38 625-648
Volume 39 649-672
Volume 40 673-692
As you can see, the artwork is excellent and the sleeves on the whole feature an image which relates to one of the particular scenes in an episode on the discs inside, or a promotional image featuring characters/actors involved in the volume's storylines.
Plus, if you're not very good at remembering what happens on each episode, the inside covers feature a quick episode by episode synopsis so you know which episode is which. These have been written by us here at OTI and we are also working with Shock throughout the release.
Volumes 1- 33 have 4 discs with 16 Episodes, Volumes 34 - 39 have six discs with 24 episodes, Volume 40 has 5 discs up to 692. NB: For the box set, Volume 40 will also contain a 6th disc being the bonus disc.
"Prisoner Cell Block H - The Complete Collection" is being billed as one of the largest DVD box sets ever released - rightly so, it's huge!
It features 174 DVDs across 40 volumes, all housed in an exclusive and limited edition embossed metal collectors case.
As well as all of the individual volumes (which are identical in terms of content and appearance), included in the box set is a special commemorative pictorial book written by TV journalists Andrew Mercado and Michael Idato - plus a bonus disc of unseen Prisoner related footage.
The extras contained in the box set are exclusive to the box set only, so only fans buying the set will be able to have them. Subscribers to the monthly volumes will not receive the box set extras and there are no plans to make them available to purchase separately.
Please don't email us - everything we know about the box set is listed above.
The Bonus Disc contains:
Unseen version of closing credits of Prisoner featuring Lynne Hamilton appearing and singing the theme tune - On The Inside
A gallery of over 300 Prisoner stills, many unseen from the FremantleMedia archives
"Lizzie-isms" - a collection of famous Lizzie sayings from throughout the series with visuals
"Classic Wentworth" - a random selection of classic Wentworth moments that each time the viewer selects, a random scene will show.
DVD Credits
To order a your own box set, we recommend to check out Sanity via this link!
Please bear in mind that all orders will be subject to a special delivery charge due to the size of the product.
OTI is the only place where you can see previews of the DVDs before they're released. Here are some exclusives:
We asked you all to submit questions a while back to feature in the forthcoming 'Dear Chrissie' segment which involves the actress who played Chrissie Latham (Amanda Muggleton) answering them on video.
Here's a sneak preview of one of the questions! There's another 12-15 of these which will appear on Volumes 23 and 24!
Video clip uploaded with permission from Shock DVD
Exclusive to OTI and direct from Shock DVD, here's a look at Fiona Spence talking about her time on Prisoner and her friendship with Sheila Florance. This interview is featured in full on volume 14.
Video clip uploaded with permission from Shock DVD
Here's a preview containing snippets of Val Lehman talking about her time on the series and some of her favourite episodes - the full versions will be included on future releases.
Video clip uploaded with permission from Shock DVD
There are a number of ways that the DVDs can be purchased. We recommend you choose one of the following:
Via Retail Stores online
Most of the large Australian retailers have their own websites where you can purchase direct. The majority of them ship internationally and the discs WILL work on UK DVD players (see FAQ).
When purchasing via an online store, your contract to purchase is with them - not us, Shock or Val Lehman. Any queries regarding delivery, price, availability, delays etc should be sent directly to the retailer.
Please explore the links below to find the best offer - prices are constantly changing so do check regularly.
Please note that you may be charged Customs Fees when your DVDs have been delivered to your country. This is not a charge which can be avoided.
Via Retail Stores in Australia
High street retail stores such as Sanity are stocking the releases in-store, however they may only have limited copies so it may be worth pre-ordering your choices before they are released to retail.
Subscription based purchase
A subscription based service is also available, via the official Val Lehman website. Fans can pay an amount every month and have the DVDs delivered automatically as and when they are released. Customers using this service have the added advantage that DVDs are made available to subscribers before retail, sometimes by a number of months.
For further details on pricing and offers, please go to The Fulfillment Australia Website. We are unable to provide an up-to-date list of subscription dates for this service, please refer to the Fulfillment website for all relevant information on this.
Before contacting us or your online retailer, please read through our Frequently Asked Questions as it's likely that your answer is listed below:
What format are the DVDs in and will they work in my country?
The DVDs are in PAL format, Region 0. This means that they will work on UK and European DVD players. Please note that some online retailers have the DVDs listed as Region 4 - this is incorrect. If you live in the US, please ensure that your DVD player is compatible with PAL format otherwise the discs will not work.
Will the DVDs be released in the UK or anywhere else outside of Australia?
It is possible that at some time in the future, some or all of the DVDs may be made available in the UK. At present there is no release schedule in place for a release outside of Australia. This may change so please keep checking our website for updates. This information is correct as of today's date so please do not contact us on this.
I have noticed that some fans have their DVD sleeves autographed. How?
This is a special extra available to members of the subscription based service. Please visit The Fulfillment Australia Website for further details.
Are there subtitles on the DVDs?
No.
How much do the DVDs cost?
Please refer to the links above in the How to Buy section. Due to retailers changing their offers and prices regularly, we are unable to give you an accurate price. You may need to convert the price in Australian dollars to your own currency. There are various websites which will do this for you free of charge.
I don't have a credit or debit card - how can I order the DVDs?
Outside of Australia, the only way of purchasing the DVDs is via the internet. Most retailers will only accept credit or debit card - you may like to email them to check if they are able to receive payment in the form of a cheque via the post. We are unfortunately unable to assist you with purchasing of the DVDs.
Why have some of the DVDs been edited and why is 'the Edna Pearson' storyline to be cut?
See our 'Cut Scenes' section above. Due to the age of the original masters, some of the tapes have become damaged which has caused breaks in the audio or video. Rather than include these drops in quality, sometimes a scene will be edited or trimmed slightly. Most of the time you won't even notice that an edit has been made, and it does not spoil the overall viewing quality nor have any effect on the plot. The Edna Pearson episodes have needed to be edited for legal reasons - this is out of Shock's control.
My DVDs have not arrived, can you help?
Simply put - no. You will need to refer to the contact details of whoever you purchased the DVDs from. We at OTI merely advertise the DVDs, we have no input or connection with the physical production or despatch of the discs.
I have emailed my DVD supplier and not heard back from them. What can I do?
We can not help you with this.
Will 'Prisoner in Concert' or the Prisoner documentary ever be released?
We have absolutely no idea. Very unlikely that the Concert will be released due to the amount of copyright clearances necessary. It is more likely that the documentary will see some kind of DVD release or TV screening at some point - we don't know when this may be though.
If there's any question not answered above, please get in touch.
ALL of the information that we currently know about the DVD release is listed here. Please do not email us if your question has been answered already on this page. We NEVER hold back information and will always publish it as soon as we are allowed to - please keep checking this page as it is regularly updated.
If you are a subscriber of the DVD volumes and have an order query of any nature, please email brad_croom@fulfillment.com.au who is your point of contact for this release. Bear in mind that Fulfillment deal with a large number of DVD releases - not just Prisoner, so it may be some time before you receive a response. Please do not contact us if you do not receive a reply, we are unable to assist.
If you have purchased your DVDs via an online retailer, please contact them direct.
If you have a general question or comment about the DVD release, you may like to discuss this with other fans in our forum. Please visit The Recroom to chat to other like minded fans.
This page will continue to be updated regularly, as and when the new releases are announced - so store it in your favourites and keep checking back!
Prisoner™ produced by FremantleMedia Australia Pty Limited, a FremantleMedia Company. www.fremantlemedia.com
, FremantleMedia Ltd (Rest of the World).
Website design and all other content (unless otherwise stated).
"Prisoner Cell Block H - The Complete Collection" is being billed as one of the largest DVD box sets ever released - rightly so, it's huge!
