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CLIFFHANGERS LIST

In the original Australian run of Prisoner, there was usually a break of 11 weeks at the end of each year. The final episode for each year usually involved some highly dramatic event, but since there were many other episodes which had dramatic cliffhanger endings, it's easy to get confused about which episodes were the real end-of-year cliffhangers.

This list is based on information from Robert Lindsay.

The previous version of this page identified the 1979 cliffhanger as (82) but from research into TV listings in the Melbourne newspaper "The Age" it looks more likely that the real cliffhanger was (79).

There have certainly been suggestions that the original cliffhanger planned for 1979 was replaced by another at short notice and specifically that the original was Karen's shooting and the replacement was Erica's shooting. In this forum discussion the reason is given as the extension of the 1979 run by two weeks. Even if this is true, the evidence from the listings information is that this isn't how it actually happened in the end.

  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1979 - Karen is shot by Pat O'Connell's son David.
  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1980 - the tunnel escape attempt during the performance of a pantomime in the grounds. Bea, Lizzie and others are trapped underground.
  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1981 - Marie Winter starts a riot in Wentworth and Steve Fawkner and Janet Conway are taken hostage.
  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1982 - the big fire (November 1982).
  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1983 - David Bridges is revealed as the killer of three women, and holds Lizzie at knifepoint in the garden.

    • Episode (500) was shown in October 1984 - 6 weeks prior to the final episode of the year, so the exploding warehouse is not (as you might think) the end of season episode
     

  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1984 - Myra announces that Reb is the new top-dog but then plays the tape of Reb's selfish statements where she says 'bugger the women'.
  • CLIFFHANGER end of 1985 - Eve Wilder's solicitor shoots himself during a visit with her at Wentworth.

    • Updated ~ 23 October 2009
    Previously updated ~ 05 July 2000