EPISODE 356Broadcast on Channel 5 Friday 11 September 1998 04:40 A TV news team arrives at Wentworth. Nola defies Joan and sets about trading in drugs. Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance Erica ~ Patsy King Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Bea ~ Val Lehman Colleen ~ Judith McGrath Maxine ~ Lisa Crittenden Nola ~ Carole Skinner Helen ~ Caroline Gillmer Mr. Douglas ~ Ian Smith Lainie ~ Marina Finlay Dianne ~ Rhonda Cressey Mark Hayes ~ Barry McQueen Jim Payne ~ Warwick Comber Brad Henson ~ Frankie J Holden  Bill ~ Nik Forster  John Maxwell ~ Lachlan McDonald Bea does not appear in this episode When Nola's contact says "Look, most of the Taxation Department gets that" I guess he was really supposed to say "Look, the Taxation Department gets most of that". Unless Nola's old chum is very rich indeed, of course. | Helen tells the other women that Alan has been released to cover up the Department's original mistake in accepting him as a woman in the first place. Erica arrives as Alan leaves and criticises Colleen for letting the women see him go: Colleen replies that she thought the point was to get him off the premises as quickly as possible. Erica decrees that "Ellen Farmer" did not exist and that if any visitor mentions him/her, the interview is to be terminated and they should be thrown out. Helen suggests that Lainie may have originally got her tattoos because she wanted to "stand out from the crowd". Lainie says that she and Alan took to shoplifting to raise money to have her tattoos removed. Colleen attributes the Department's change of heart in liberalising the prison regime to Jill Clark's report. Lizzie refuses to buy tobaccco from Nola and cadges a freebie from Maxine instead. Nola sarcastically announces she's going to open a book on how long the new priveleges will last - but it seems that they are already cutting into her trading and the women aren't interested in buying. Helen is asked to go to the Governor's office as spokeswoman, but tries to get someone else to stand in for her as she'll be out soon. Nola is the only one to volunteer, so Helen decides she'd better go after all. Ted Douglas tells Helen the women will get a teacher, doctor and social worker: she is impressed but sceptical and points out that the women are sure to figure out that there must be some ulterior motive. John Maxwell arrives the same day as teacher for Dianne. Joan complains to Erica officially that with the new regulations, the women are starting to enjoy their stay in prison: Erica sends her back to work. Lizzie advises Lainie not to worry when she says she fears she may not see Alan for months if her court appearance doesn't go well. Nola points out to Joan that business is suffering under the new reforms and wants to bring in booze and drugs: Joan vetoes the drugs. Helen is released and tries to hitch a lift with Ted Douglas  . Erica tells Colleen that a TV documentary is to be made about Wentworth and tells her to adjust the rosters so that sufficient officers are available. Nola tells the women the TV programme is a setup to make the Department look good and wonders how long all their new benefits will last after the TV crew leave. Lainie is sentenced to four weeks, and asks if she can see Alan. Meg advises her to wait for a while, as it might be possible for him to visit later on. The TV crew arrive. Nola asks one of the presenters to get a message to her old friend Brad Henson about a "few things he might like to forget". Ted Douglas tells Joan off for causing trouble by confiscating the cigarettes that Maxine gets from one of the TV crew. Maxine and Lizzie are interviewed, but can't understand the interviewer's use of words with more than three syllables. Mark Hayes passes on Nola's message to Brad Henson, but he pretends he doesn't know who Nola is. Joan rips down Maxine's posters  to pay her back for making her look stupid in front of Ted Douglas. A friend of Brad's visits Nola, she demands to be supplied with drugs in return for her silence. |
EPISODE 357Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 12 September 1998 04:40 Bea is forced to take drastic action when her employer discovers her identity. Nola's parcel containing drugs arrives.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance Erica ~ Patsy King Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Bea ~ Val Lehman Colleen ~ Judith McGrath Maxine ~ Lisa Crittenden Nola ~ Carole Skinner Lainie ~ Marina Finlay Dianne ~ Rhonda Cressey Mrs Hanlon ~ Margot Lee Det Sgt Brent ~ Robin Bowering John Maxwell ~ Lachlan McDonald Louise Belmont ~ Louise Cullen Bill ~ Nik Forster Doctor ~ Charles Scott Alice ~ Gery Scott Suzanne ~ Roberta Hilliers Julia ~ Denise Otto Hotel Clerk ~ Iain Murton  Judy admits she can't find a job for Tina Murry - though why she bothered beats me, as Tina is never ever going to be released... Name checks for Greg Miller (who is supposed to have left three years ago) and Paul Reid. | Meg anticipates Lizzie when she reports sick as a way of seeing the new doctor. Lizzie suggests that Lainie should talk to Judy about getting fixed up with a job when she complains that she always has trouble when people see her tattoos. There is a long queue for the new doctor after Lizzie's enthusiastic report, but he turns out to be far too old for most of the women. Lizzie is disappointed to find out that the doctor is only temporary. Bea's new identity on the run is as Mrs Hanlon's housemaid Connor: she is shown working in an expensive harbourside property in Sydney. She solves a crossword clue that stumps Mrs Hanlon "Agitates in prison", telling her the answer is "stir"  . Judy has great difficulty persuading Lainie that she's employable: she claims that employers take one look at her tattoos and make up their mind what sort of person she is. Joan answers the phone when Alan rings the prison and refuses to let him visit Lainie. Nola gets a food parcel, which is searched thoroughly by Joan after Meg has convinced her that Nola is allowed to have it. Dianne tells the women that the teacher is also temporary. Judy arranges a job interview for Lainie. Mrs Hanlon recognizes Bea from a photo in the newspaper, but only after drawing an artist's impression of a tight curly perm on it which makes the photo look more like Cleo Laine  . Bea realises she has been identified and stops Mrs Hanlon alerting the police by tying her up in a garage  before making her getaway. Nola sells the contents of her food parcel to the women and Lizzie gets the tea-bags, but when Nola phones Bill, she finds there was dope inside some of them. Nola tries to buy the teabags back from Lizzie but is told she wouldn't even get the lend of one. Lizzie has hidden the teabags and Nola's search of her cell turns up nothing. Dianne suggests they write a letter of complaint about losing the teacher and doctor: Judy suggests it would be even more effective if Dianne tried to write the letter herself and makes her read part of it out aloud when Erica comes to explain about the teacher. Erica is visibly moved  . Mrs Hanlon is found when a friend drops by to visit and she is interviewed by the police about Bea. Lizzie demands her money back from Nola when her tea tastes funny. Nola takes the wind out of her sails by instantly returning the money. Maxine sniffs Lizzie's tea and looks thoughtful. Bea books into a hotel room, and changes into a blond wig. Maxine goes to Nola to let her know she's found out what was really in the teabags, asking if she's going to drink them or smoke them. Nola replies that she's back in business and will soon be able to get any drugs inside that the women are willing to pay for. |
EPISODE 358Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 13 September 1998 04:40 Doreen becomes involved in Bea's attempts to hide from the police. Joan hears about Nola's dangerous scheme.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance Erica ~ Patsy King Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Bea ~ Val Lehman Colleen ~ Judith McGrath Maxine ~ Lisa Crittenden Nola ~ Carole Skinner Doreen ~ Colette Mann Lainie ~ Marina Finlay Dianne ~ Rhonda Cressey Det Sgt Brent ~ Robin Bowering  Babs Martin ~ Marianne Brooke Officer Barry ~ Joy Westmore Plain-clothes Policeman ~ Bill Summers Debbie Phillips ~ Deborah Masters Sue Crowley ~ Suzanne Dudley Mr Couttes ~ Alex Porteous  Mrs Dennis ~ Eve Godley  Dierdre Makin ~ Kristine Karman UNCREDITEDNewsreader ~ Nick Kislinski | Maxine passes the word around that Nola has got grass for sale. Lainie seems interested but Lizzie is appalled to find out the dope had been in her possession. The police visit Doreen to check whether Bea has contacted her: her flatmate Debbie  isn't pleased to find out that she has been renting a room to an ex-criminal. Bea turns up to see Doreen  as the police talk outside, so she slips away without them seeing her. Lainie tries to buy two joints from Nola, but Nola will only sell her one and tells her she has to save it until lockup. Debbie insists on being paid for rent and food before she goes away for the weekend, making the unnecessarily cruel calculation that Doreen's share of the food bill is two-thirds... Lizzie refuses to lend Maxine money when she admits she wants it to buy a joint, so she gets it from Dianne instead. Colleen detects a tinge of resentment in Joan's attitude towards Bea. Lainie practises trying to cover up the tattoos on her arms with makeup. Doreen makes friends with the policewoman tailing her and says that since they're obviously going the same way, she ought to give her a lift to work in her car in future. Maxine smokes a joint in the laundry and tries to hide the smell by blowing the smoke into the air conditioning ducts but it only spreads the smell to some far distant parts of the prison: Colleen sniffs it in the staff room and asks if Joan has changed her brand of cigarettes, but Joan has a cold and says she can't smell anything. Erica has smelt it too in her office but decides to hold off a search until Joan is off duty in case there is evidence she is involved. Colleen looks in the register and finds that Nola's parcel was checked in by Joan. Lainie ruins her chances at an interview when she accidentally reveals her tattoos: Judy takes her for lunch to cheer her up. Joan goes to the doctor at lunchtime: as soon as she leaves, the cell search starts. Lainie explains to Judy how she got into tattoos with the gang of girls she was involved with in an institution. She says she has considered plastic surgery but the scars are worse than the tattoos. Nola heavies Maxine for lying to her that the second joint she bought was for Lizzie. Erica nostalgically looks back to the good old days when Bea could be relied on to keep the drugs problem under control. A new employee at the dress shop where Doreen works makes her suspicious, especially when she hears her make a phone call where she mentions the name "Smith". Judy tries to convince Erica that the Department ought to fund a tattoo removal programme, and she agrees to raise the matter with Ted Douglas. Joyce lets Joan know about the cell search carried out in her absence, so she goes straight to Nola and demands fifty dollars in compensation. Lainie asks Babs to get her some caustic soda from the kitchen, and dips her arms in it to try to remove the tattoos but collapses on the floor from the pain  . Doreen serves a heavyset blond woman in a headscarf: she turns round to reveal herself as Bea. |
EPISODE 359Broadcast on Channel 5 Tuesday 15 September 1998 04:40 1998 Nola uses drastic measures to ensure the drug trading will continue.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance Erica ~ Patsy King Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Bea ~ Val Lehman Colleen ~ Judith McGrath Maxine ~ Lisa Crittenden Nola ~ Carole Skinner Doreen ~ Colette Mann Lainie ~ Marina Finlay Dianne ~ Rhonda Cressey Bill ~ Nik Forster Mrs Dennis ~ Eve Godley Dierdre ~ Kristine Karman Mark Hayes ~ Barry McQueen Phyllis ~ Reylene Pearce Driver ~ Robert O'Neil  Although the script obviously called for a teddybear, as referred to by both Colleen and Maxine, the stuffed toy supplied by the props department is a dog | Doreen warns Bea that one of her colleagues is an undercover cop. Meg and Colleen find Lainie writhing on the floor in agony and try to wash off the caustic soda in the sink. Nola asks the women to bring in as many suspicious looking parcels as possible to confuse the officers and make them waste their time searching everything with no hope of finding contraband. Doreen talks to Bea in a changing cubicle: Bea refuses Doreen's offer to let her stay at her flat but does accept the offer of money, so Doreen goes to see how much she has in her handbag. She distracts the undercover cop and gives Bea some money, arranging to meet her in a cinema the next day to give her more. She puts a dress in a bag and leaves it near the theft detection system and puts the tag off it into another customer's bag, allowing Bea to slip away with the dress in the commotion caused when the alarm is set off. Nola teases the officers supervising the laundry pickup by writing a note and handing it to the driver: when Colleen confiscates it, she sees it reads "YOU'RE A REAL SPUNK"  . Erica phones Judy to tell her about Lainie and ask her to come and visit, but she has bad news on the tattoo removal programme: the Department have refused to pay for it. Lainie's tattoos survive their dousing in caustic soda and she only has some raw skin to show for it. Erica asks Colleen to tell the women their mail will no longer be censored, but that all officers will be searched on entry to the prison. Judy tells Erica there is a new way to remove tattoos (by overtattooing with bleach! aargh!) which is much cheaper. Joan is annoyed by being searched and tells Nola the mail is still being read, despite Erica's assurances, in an attempt to pick up clues about the drugs supply. She makes Nola pay thirty dollars for this information. At the next exercise period, Nola picks up an empty Coke can in the grounds to bait the officers to make them think it's been thrown over the fence. Bill visits Nola and she tells him to send in another food parcel but this time without the "tea". Colleen and Joan rip apart a yellow stuffed toy left for Maxine. Judy gets the women to sign up for a tattoo removal programme, even Maxine, though she has no intention of having her tattoos removed. Judy asks Lizzie about Alan: she say she was a nice young man with "really nice manners", and Judy decides she'll get him inside somehow to visit Lainie. Doreen tries to sneak away from Dierdre but ends up taking her along to the cinema with her. Nola exchanges jars from her buyup with other women to get Colleen to collect it all up again and have it searched. Doreen gets money to Bea right under Diedre's nose by sitting next to her and exchanging carrier bags. The women watch the TV documentary, which as Nola predicted is purely a PR job for the Department. Nola gives Maxine a dope order to be passed out through Lizzie: Maxine says Lizzie won't do it, but Nola tells her she will just have to think of a way to con her  . |
The vast Moorish style cinema is mentioned by name in dialogue when Doreen says "I've already thought of a place for us to meet ... the State Theatre tomorrow afternoon". The Insight pocket guide to Sydney describes it as "an astonishingly ornate picture palace built in 1929 ... the statues, chandeliers 
and marble staircase 
inside this flamboyant gilded structure ensure that any visit will leave an indelible impression".
EPISODE 360Broadcast on Channel 5 Wednesday 16 September 1998 04:40 Lizzie plays into Nola's hands when she unwittingly organises a drugs delivery, and Doreen tries to save Bea from arrest.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance Erica ~ Patsy King Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Bea ~ Val Lehman Colleen ~ Judith McGrath Maxine ~ Lisa Crittenden Nola ~ Carole Skinner Doreen ~ Colette Mann Lainie ~ Marina Finlay Dianne ~ Rhonda Cressey Debbie ~ Deborah Masters Ellen ~ Michael Cormick John Barker ~ Chris Gregory  Mr Douglas ~ Ian Smith Plain-clothes Policeman ~ Robert Hensley Plain-clothes Policeman ~ Bob Baines  Doreen mentions Barbara Fields When censoring the letters, Colleen comments that Kennedy's sex life is pretty "hot" (... and who would she be having it with...?) | Maxine pretends to be writing to her cousin, but tells Lizzie she's decided not to post it: Lizzie takes it and asks Meg to get it out. Doreen gets the man tailing her to give her a lift to work: Bea slips into the flat after they have gone, using the keys Doreen gave her. Meg puts Maxine's letter into the already censored pile: Colleen decides from a glance at the envelope that she can't cope with Lizzie's spelling anyway and lets it through. Lizzie tells Maxine she's posted the letter for her. Maxine pretends to be annoyed then pretends to forgive Lizzie, and nods to Nola to indicate that the plan has worked. Doreen arrives home after dark to find Bea still hiding there so she lets her stay the night. Dianne changes her mind and buys joints from Nola. Maxine gets a single joint as payment for acting as postman. Bea and Doreen have a home cooked meal and Bea wonders how Doreen can afford this appartment: Dorren admits she is using her savings as well as her wages to pay the rent. John Barker offers his services as prison chaplain and Erica sees the advantages, thinking that he might be able to make up in part for the prison not having a social worker. Judy visits Alan to find out if he is sill waiting for Lainie and tells him to visit her when she finds out no-one has told him about Lainie's injuries. Lizzie talks to Mr Barker and they agree to try to make Nola their special project, and Lizzie goes over to Nola to persuade her to see the new chaplain. Mr Barker asks Colleen for permission to see Nola privately to get her on his side, Colleen agrees and asks him to pass on anything he finds out about Nola's role in the drugs trade. He agrees to help but left alone with Nola he shows her a Bible which has a bag of drugs inside in a hollowed out compartment  . Nola returns to the laundry announcing she's back in business again. Lainie buys some speed from her and snorts it straight away  . Joan finds Lainie under the influence of drugs  , and checking the register, finds that John Barker has been the only visitor that day. She goes to Nola's cell to order her to take over as top dog, or she'll expose Mr Barker. Nola starts a protest in the dining room and demands to see someone from the Department. Joan locks the women in and Lizzie gloomily realises Nola is making a bid to take over as top dog  . Doreen's flat-mate Debbie arrives back unexpectedly, so Bea pulls a knife on Doreen  to make it look as though she has forced her way in and ties them both up. Mr Douglas arrives at Wentworth, and Judy embarrasses him by introducing him to Alan who she has brought along with her to see Lainie. She gets him to agree to pay for the tattoo removal programme, though he tries to pretend that was the purpose of his visit in any case. Bea is recaptured leaving Doreen's flat  after Debbie manages to get to the window and signal to the police outside. Nola repeats the demands to Ted Douglas  , and he says that a decision on the tattoo removal programme has already been made. Plainly enraged, he summons Erica  to follow him to her office. Doreen tells Debbie she's moving out. Bea glances back up at the flat as she is being put into the police car  and sees Doreen giving her a tiny wave goodbye. |
Script Editor: Fay Rousseaux (356); Ian Smith (357); Fay Rousseaux (358); Ian Smith (359); Fay Rousseaux (360)
Storyliners: Dave Worthington, Andrew Kennedy, Patrea Smallacombe, Billie Morton (357 onwards)
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