Prisoner: Cell Block H
| Prisoner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Also known as | Prisoner: Cell Block H (UK & United States) Caged Women, Prisoner: Cell Block H (Canada) Kvinnofängelset (Women's Prison) (Sweden) Więźniarki (Prisoners) (Poland) Celblok H (Cellblock H) (Netherlands) Prisoners (working title) Women in Prison (working title) Women Behind Bars (working title) |
| Genre | Soap opera serial (crime, drama) |
| Created by | Reg Watson |
| Directed by |
Chris Adshead Steve Mann Sean Nash Kendal Flanagan. |
| Starring | (see List of Prisoner cast members) |
| Theme music composer |
Allan Caswell Conductor - William Motzing |
| Ending theme | "On the Inside" written by Allan Caswell conducted by William Motzing performed by Lynne Hamilton |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 692 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ian Bradley (from season 2) |
| Producer(s) | Ian Bradley (season 1) |
| Camera setup | Video |
| Running time | 41–49 minutes 53 minutes (final episode) |
| Production company(s) | Reg Grundy Organisation |
| Distributor | FremantleMedia |
| Release | |
| Original network | Network Ten |
| Picture format | PAL (4:3 576i) |
| Original release | 27 February 1979 – 11 December 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Wentworth (reimagined) |
Prisoner was an Australian soap opera set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. In the United States and United Kingdom it was known as Prisoner: Cell Block H, with the same title and Caged Women in Canada. The series, produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, aired on Network Ten for 692 episodes between 27 February 1979 and 11 December 1986. Originally, it was planned as a 16-part series.
The show was inspired by the British television drama Within These Walls, which was moderately successful in Australia. The Prisoner producers approached Googie Withers of Within These Walls to play the prison governor, but she declined. Due to an injunction requested by UK-based ATV, which considered the title too similar to their The Prisoner, overseas broadcasters had to change the series' name. In March 2012 it was announced that Prisoner would be "reimagined" on Foxtel in a new version, Wentworth.
Prisoner was created by Reg Watson, who had produced the British soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1973 and would create Australian soaps The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours. Initially conceived as a 16-episode series, the working title of the pilot episode was "Women Behind Bars". Its storylines focused on the lives of the prisoners and, to a lesser extent, the officers and other prison staff. When the initial episodes met an enthusiastic reception, it was felt that Prisoner could be developed into an ongoing soap opera. The early storylines were developed and expanded, with assistance from the Corrective Services Department.
The show's themes, often radical, included feminism, homosexuality and social reform. Prisoner began in early 1979 with the advertising slogan, "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it's like for a woman". The series examined how women dealt with incarceration and separation from their families, and the common phenomenon of released inmates re-offending. Within the prison, major themes were interpersonal relationships, power struggles, friendships and rivalries. The prisoners became a surrogate family, with Bea Smith and Jeanette Brookes (Mum) central mother figures. Several lesbian characters, including prisoners Franky Doyle and Judy Bryant and officer Joan Ferguson, appeared on the show.
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