"Prisoner" (1979) TV series 1979-1986

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

8 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The cult phenomenon from down under.

Plot:

This Australian series has, after 692 episodes, received cult status all over the world. The series takes place in Wentworth...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Drug Smuggling | Isolation | Psychopath | Mugshot

Awards:

10 wins

Cast

Elspeth Ballantyne	...	Meg Morris / ... (669 episodes, 1979-1986)
Betty Bobbit	...	Judy Bryant (429 episodes, 1980-1985)
Sheila Florance	...	Lizzie Birdsworth (403 episodes, 1979-1984)
Maggie Kirkpatrick	...	Joan "The Freak" Ferguson / ... (389 episodes, 1982-1986)
Val Lehman	...	Bea Smith (376 episodes, 1979-1983)
Patsy King	...	Erica Davidson (352 episodes, 1979-1984)
Gerda Nicolson	...	Ann Reynolds / ... (319 episodes, 1981-1986)
Colette Mann	...	Doreen Burns / ... (293 episodes, 1979-1984)

Also Known As:

Caged Women (Canada: English title)
Prisoner: Cell Block H (UK)
Women Behind Bars (Australia) (working title)
Women in Prison (Australia) (working title)

Runtime:

50 min (692 episodes)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

27 Howard Street, Box Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Grundy Television Productions

Trivia:

Val Lehman owns "Prisoner" (1979) Box Set #1 - the very first of the limited edition DVD run. She has mentioned in an interview that she hasn't watched them as yet, but may auction them.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Franky Doyle: She bumped into me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Swamp Diamonds (#6.3)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

On the Inside

So dramatic, so intense

If you live in Sweden and were to say "I watch 'Prisoner'" to one of your friends, you would get a big laugh. You would probably be mocked for eternity. I too was one of the mockers, one of the bullies. My brother once told me he watched Prisoner, I laughed hard and long but then realised that he didn't have much choice since he didn't have cable and hence nothing to watch late at night. The summer of 2003 things changed. I shared an apartment with him during this summer and he forced me to watch it. O boy, it didn't take long to understand what I had missed during these long years.

The show is really dramatic and even though some of the actors/actresses aren't the best (and damn right ugly!) or the visual dramatic effects are pretty poor. The storyline and the plot are really well thought of and every episode is really packed with action and drama. If you were to compare it to another long running show like Days of Our Lives, DoOL wouldn't stand a chance. If you miss a week of episodes of Prisoner you miss A LOT, and when you come back to watch you wouldn't know what's going on. However if you miss a month of DoOL and come back to watch, you're still in the game and know exactly what's going on since one single small event can last for a week of episodes. They story advances really fast in Prisoner and that's what makes it so different from all the modern soap operas which are advancing DoOL style; slow as hell.

The only thing I fear now is whether I'll be able to find the time to watch all the upcoming episodes of Prisoner - I really don't want to miss one single episode!

My name is stekflott and I am a Prisoner addict.