Prisoner

This is the moment tens of thousands of us have been waiting for – Wentworth has finally hit our screens. After much anticipation here we go!

Simulcast on 3 channels (111 Hits, Arena and Soho) – I choose my favourite and the home of Wenworth – Soho. We start off with Bea being transported through the streets of Melbourne in handcuffs in a prison van. Bea already seems vulnerable as the vehicle pulls up at .. you guessed it WENTWORTH. OMG we have oral favours in the first few minutes – so this is what we are in for! Australian TV needs a bit of spice. Continue reading »

Fans of the iconic Prisoner series which pushed boundaries over three decades ago and still today boasts a loyal following worldwide, will remember Bea Smith as gutsy and fearless, ruling Wentworth Correctional Centre with an iron fist. The new show Wentworth, showing you where it all began will premiere on Wednesday May 1st at 8.30pm.

But who was Bea Smith before prison? How did a wife and mother from the suburbs become a top dog without rival? Continue reading »

Here is the Third and final part of where the actors are now. Prisoner, an Australian TV cult classic that was set in Wentworth Detention Centre, aired from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986, with a total of 692 episodes on Channel Ten. Needless to say the cast is extensive. So where did your favourite actors end up? Did they go on to great film success? Did they end up on the TV circuit or end up corporate, or like most make their way through Ramsay St at some stage? Here is where they are and an asterix denotes that they did indeed make their way to Neighbours. Continue reading »

Here is the second part in a three part series of where the actors are now. Prisoner, an Australian TV cult classic that was set in Wentworth Detention Centre, aired from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986, with a total of 692 episodes on Channel Ten. Needless to say the cast is extensive. So where did your favourite actors end up? Did they go on to great film success? Did they end up on the TV circuit or end up corporate, or like most make their way through Ramsay St at some stage? Here is where they are and an asterix denotes that they did indeed make their way to Neighbours. Continue reading »

Starting weeknights from this Monday at 9.30pm 111 Hits goes back to the beginning of Prisoner. This was not listed in the April Foxtel magazine and it looks like a special showcasing of the original Prisoner characters who in one fortnight’s time we will re meet in their reimagined way on SoHo’s Wentworth. Which Franky do you prefer??

Prisoner, an Australian TV cult classic that was set in Wentworth Detention Centre, aired from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986, with a total of 692 episodes on Channel Ten. Needless to say the cast is extensive. So where did your favourite actors end up? Did they go on to great film success? Did they end up on the TV circuit or end up corporate, or like most make their way through Ramsay St at some stage? Here is where they are and an asterix denotes that they did indeed make their way to Neighbours, in the first of a three part series. Continue reading »

As of this week 2 of Debra Lawrance’s most well known roles are currently repeating with Home and Away The Early Years on 7TWO and Prisoner on 111 Hits. Debra has had 3 parts on Prisoner. Her first was in Prisoner’s 2nd year where she had a small part as a nurse. The 2nd character was in Prisoner’s 3rd year. Sally Dean was an officer in training who was quickly scared away from Wentworth. She saw an advertisment for a job and applied to become a prison officer. The women saw her as an easy target and intimated her out of the job in less than 2 days. Continue reading »

The bricks are alive with the sound of Wentworth. The highly anticipated series is debuting on Foxtel’s Soho channel on Wednesday May 1st at 8.30pm.

The idea for “a new Prisoner” was briefly generating interest for Channel Ten with an idea for a new series called “Inside Out”. This idea fell through but anticipation for a new series grew from that and it started to be asked “Can’t Foxtel continue on with this idea and produce it? The answer came.

Yes they can and the reimagining began starting with the name Wentworth. Many fans of Prisoner have been saying this will not work and to not mess with an iconic show or its characters. Wentworth is certainly a risk but taking risks can make great drama. It could be difficult for viewers to not see this as a Prisoner remake. Continue reading »

The much anticipated Foxtel drama Wentworth – a contemporary re-imagining of the iconic Australian series Prisoner – starts production in Melbourne next week.

An impressive ensemble of Australian and New Zealand actors will bring new life to some of the memorable characters from the original series as well as introducing new personalities to the cell block when Wentworth premieres in 2013 only on Foxtel’s SoHo channel. Continue reading »

FOXTEL today announced a landmark new drama series – Wentworth – a contemporary re-imagining of the iconic Australian drama series Prisoner.

Wentworth will be produced by FremantleMedia Australia under the helm of Director of Drama Jo Porter and will start shooting in Melbourne in the coming months.

This contemporary adaptation, produced exclusively for FOXTEL, is set in the present and will begin with central character Bea Smith’s early days in prison. The storylines will include some of the original inmates and staff of the Wentworth Detention Centre as well as characters, especially developed for the new series.

FOXTEL Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh, said: “Wentworth will be a dynamic and very confronting drama series, developed and stylised specifically for subscription television audiences. We have told producers to push all boundaries and honestly depict life on the inside as it is in 2012.

“Wentworth is not a Prisoner remake, but a contemporary drama which brings new life to some of the great female characters so many viewers came to love and loved to hate. There will be surprises, twists and turns all along the way. This is a major drama initiative for FOXTEL which will engage existing Prisoner fans and entice entirely new audiences with its bold storytelling.

“We are especially delighted to work with FremantleMedia and their revitalised drama division under Jo Porter. I know that, after many successful years at Seven, Jo will bring a particular energy to this important drama project for FOXTEL,” he said.

FremantleMedia Australia Director of Drama, Jo Porter, said: “Wentworth is a compelling character drama series about women which will take the audience inside a unique environment governed by its own rules.

“The series explores the politics of women in a world with few men, and how the experience both challenges and changes them, sometimes for the better. It’s a drama series built on the great Australian tradition of overcoming the odds to find mateship and belonging in the most unlikely circumstances.  We’re very excited to be casting for so many strong female characters.”

FremantleMedia Chief Executive Asia Pacific, Ian Hogg, said: “An entire generation of Australians grew up watching Prisoner and another is about to do the same with Wentworth. It will be bold, relevant and adventurous. Most importantly, its foundations will be built on amazing stories and wonderful characters.”

*Prisoner is an Australian drama series, produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, which premiered on Network Ten for 692 episodes from February 27, 1979 to December 11, 1986. The series, also known as Cell Block H, aired in 14 countries including the United Kingdom, America, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Italy, South Africa and Sweden.

FOXTEL’s 111 Hits currently screens Prisoner weeknights at 6.30pm EDT.