|
|
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.
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, Pixie Mason, Bev Baker, Nora Flynn, Rita Connors
|
|
