EPISODE 497Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 27 March 1999 04:40 Len tries to get Joan sacked. Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicholson Myra ~ Anne Phelan Reb ~ Janet Andrewartha Len ~ Maurie Fields Pixie ~ Judy McBurney Bobbie ~ Maxine Klibingaitis Marlene ~ Genevieve Lemon Sam ~ Robyn Gibbes Sarah ~ Nell Johnson Phillip ~ Steve Kuhn Brian Lowe ~ Mathew King  Det. Insp Rouse ~ Paul Karo William Coleby ~ Hu Pryce Sgt Jenny Duncan ~ Sarah Craig  Officer Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Alice ~ Lois Collinder Gate Guard Greg ~ Rod Allen Detective No. 1 ~ Glenn Robbins  Detective No. 2 ~ Ian Mumby  Constable No. 1 ~ Bill Binks  [L]Constable No. 2 ~ Justin Gaffney [R]Police Driver ~ Fred Galliver Phillip is miscredited as "Phillips": Judy's rather nice nickname for him is "Crystal" Cleary (or possibly that's "Krystal") | Marlene has her head stuck down the loo by Lou, but Myra interrupts and rescues her. Ann shows Meg the letter and its reference to her dying "like this rat". Myra finds Judy bashed but they just end up arguing, with Judy accusing Myra of not doing her proper job as top dog. Joan takes her revenge on Marlene by spreading shampoo and powder on the floor and making her clean it up. Inspector Rouse tells Ann of the suspects and leads they were following up when Nev's confession side-tracked them: they include the Parker family, the Baker's and an ex boyfriend of Phyllis called Brian Lowe: he had just come out of prison two months ago but had now disappeared. Meg offers to have Ann stay with her so she is not alone with the police surveillance. Myra heavies Lou  to leave Marlene alone. Phil also stays with Meg and Ann so they have a "man" in the house. The women are upset to find out about Lyle's death, especially Pixie. Myra puts her foot down and insists that Lou and the others must not bash Sarah Higgins. Lou threatens to put Diedre back inside by reporting the shooting: Reb offers her half the take on drugs deals, but Lou demands $10,000 in a bank account. Meg says she doesn't want to have dinner with Phil's parents, but he persuades her and she kisses him. Marlene hears Len approaching and hides behind the cell door: Bobbie lies that she hasn't seen Marlene, but Len the door back suddenly and smashes Marlene in the nose. Next morning, Marlene claims she was sleep waling and hit her facer on the wall - Bobbie supports her. Joan rather implausibly claims she thinks Phil is doing a good job and says she will support him if he wants to make a complaint against Len. Len is questioned about Marlene and tries to cast suspicion on Joan. Myra thinks Len has made a mistake by bashing a prisoner when there was a witness and Ann would have to take action if Bobbie supported Marlene's story. However, Marlene and Bobbie both refuse point blank, and Myra is very miffed and tells them not to come running to her in future. Lou is told the murder charge against her will be dropped. Len has another go at Phil for being a come it all. Joan is furious with Len for trying to incriminate her: he points out it's fair exchange after her attempt to frame him. Bobbie and Marlene wonder if Reb might be better as top dog than Myra. Ann and Meg are incredulous at the Department's latest directive: some new prisoners are to be put in isolation. Myra tells Ann that Marlene was bashed and that "one of two officers" was responsible. Reb tells Lout to leave Marlene alone in front of the women in the laundry to impress people. Ann tells the officers of their new arrivals and warns that bullying prisoners and involvement in contraband will not be tolerated. Sarah Higgins stirs it with Myra by warning her that Reb is taking over. An early curfew makes the women suspicious, but Meg refuses to explain the reason: Sarah Higgins explains that they must be bringing a prisoner in the Department doesn't want them to see. Ann is followed from work by a man in a car. Judy warns Myra not to act God and hints that Reb might be able to help her. Bobbie proves her talents by fixing a hair drier at Len's class. Myra suggests the women should hold a trial for Sarah Higgins: Reb offers to prosecute and Pixie has to defend her. Meg comes home early because she and Phillip ended up arguing. Sam tries to write a letter to her mother. William Coleby personally supervises the arrival of the new prisoners. Brian Lowe shoots the police guard in their car, then Lowe tricks his way into the house, shooting a policewoman and taking Ann and Meg hostage. |
EPISODE 498Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 28 March 1999 04:40. Ann and Meg are taken to a deserted building by Brian Lowe, who intends to kill them as soon as he receives the ransom money. Len and Joan are furious when Joyce is appointed Acting Governor.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicholson Myra ~ Anne Phelan Reb ~ Janet Andrewartha Len ~ Maurie Fields Pixie ~ Judy McBurney Bobbie ~ Maxine Klibingaitis Marlene ~ Genevieve Lemon Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Sam ~ Robyn Gibbes Phillip ~ Steve Kuhn Chris ~ Gregory Ross Sarah ~ Nell Johnson Off. Bailey ~ Maureen Edwards Det. Insp Rouse ~ Paul Karo William Coleby ~ Hu Pryce Brian ~ Mathew King Mrs Lowe ~ Patsy Martin  Mrs Cleary ~ Babs Wheelton Plain Clothes Cop Reg ~ Bill Fozz  Plain Clothes Cop 1 ~ Helmut Jensen Media Man No. 1 ~ Peter Elliot Media Man No. 2 ~ Graeme Bowman Media Man No. 3 ~ Peter Tandy Pre-Teen Boy No. 1 ~ Tibor Kaman  Pre-Teen Boy No. 2 ~ Tamlyn Lord "Phillips" again - still, too late to correct it now (snigger). There are allusions to Helen Smart and Erica in connection with the prisoners in isolation. | Lowe forces Meg at gunpoint to drive them all to a hiding place  : he is furious that he only found out Phyllis was in hospital when got out of prison and says that after he killed the policeman he can do anything else "free". Phil rings Joyce at the prison saying he's worried that he can't get any reply to a phone call to Meg's. Phil and Greg drive round there and the police have already been called: Inspector Rouse tells Phil he believes Ann and Meg are being held hostage. Lowe ties up Meg and Ann in a derelict warehouse: as he leaves, he tells them he has rigged up the warehouse with trip wires and explosives. William Coleby tells the officers that the Department has received a ransom demand for $250,000 dollars. He announces that Joyce is to take over as Acting Governor, in spite of both Len and Joan offering to help. Lowe returns the next morning and tells Meg he's dumped her car miles away. Meg isn't cowed and tells him he won't get away with it, as even an intelligent criminal wouldn't get his plan to work. Myra tells Pixie to try to get up to solitary to see who the mystery prisoners are. Len and Joan bicker about why neither of them were promoted to Acting Governor. Ann is tied up again after being fed, and tries to distract Lowe by falling over moaning so Meg can attack him, but Lowe gains the upper hand and ties them both up again muttering "you bitches are going to pay". Phil loses his temper with Mr Coleby about his attitude to his staff. Meg pulls her gag off with a doorknob and starts calling for help but falls flat on her face (fortunately the floor is made of sponge rubber!). Joan catches Pixie "cleaning" the security gate to isolation. Ann notices two boys on bikes outside and yells to attract their attention, but they are having a crafty illicit fag and she scares them away. Joyce gets tough with Joan when she complains about short staffing. Meg tries to cut through her bonds in time honoured fashion by scraping t something behind her back, but feels faint suddenly and falls forward. Lowe phones the prison to reiterate his ransom demand, but Mr Coleby demands proof that the women are still alive. Len reports the press are gathered outside the gates, and suggests stopping all visits and phone calls for the women. Pixie finds the old radio and Bobbie tries to get it to work: she has just got it going when Len walks in and confiscates it. Inspector Rouse announces that they traced the call to a phone box and have identified the caller from fingerprints as Lowe. Phil overhears and realises he used to visit the family and knows the mother, Hazel Lowe. Phil asks Chris to give him a lift and has to punch a reporter to get away from the press outside. Inspector Rouse gets rid of the press by saying he will make an announcement later that evening. The police surveillance team spot Phil arriving at Mrs Lowe's house. Lowe hears on the radio that the police have released news of Ann and Meg's kidnapping: he makes a detour and drives to his mother's home. The women are eventually let outside for an exercise period and Marlene and Bobbie catch a frog  to race it, but Joan makes her get rid of it. Lowe climbs over the back fence and finds Phillip trying to get Mrs Lowe to tell him where he is  . Lowe pushes Phillip away but accidentally knocks his mother over: he turns his back on Phillip to see if she is all right, but a sudden movement from Phillip makes him fire his gun, and he shoots Phillip in the chest. |
Channel 5 decided that their Spring 1999 schedules should include more extended through-the-night sports coverage and dropped the weekday morning showings of Prisoner from the last week in March.
The Pot Noodle sponsorship also ended with episode (498), which may or may not be connected. However, the sponsorship may have been for a year only, as it started with episode (235), which was broadcast on Channel 5 on Tuesday 24th March 1998.
EPISODE 499Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 03 April 1999 04:40 Tragedy strikes when Brian Lowe comes to set Ann and Meg free from the booby-trapped building.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicholson Myra ~ Anne Phelan Reb ~ Janet Andrewartha Len ~ Maurie Fields Pixie ~ Judy McBurney Bobbie ~ Maxine Klibingaitis Marlene ~ Genevieve Lemon Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Sam ~ Robyn Gibbes Sarah ~ Nell Johnson Lou ~ Louise Siversen Frances ~ Wanda Davidson Alice ~ Lois Collinder Brian Lowe ~ Mathew King Det. Insp Rouse ~ Paul Karo Chris Sutton ~ Gregory Ross William Coleby ~ Hu Pryce Matt Delany ~ Peter Bensley Ray Proctor ~ Alex Menglet Officer Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Tammy ~ Gloria Ajenstat Insp. Grace ~ Terry Gill Matt is credited as "Delaney", but it has become "Delany" for the next episode. There are references to Dot and Lizzie at Sarah Higgins' "trial". Joan Crawford gets put behind bars | As Phillip's body is taken away, Inspector Rouse asks Chris what they were doing at Mrs Lowe's: Lowe has apparently disappeared into thin air. Pixie suggests Marlene should try racing cockroaches instead of frogs. Myra announces that Sarah Higgins' "trial" is to begin and sends Pixie to get her "client". Lowe tapes a message from Ann and Meg after telling them that he'd just killed a friend of their's. Pixie invites Sarah to the rec room to watch television and when she refuses, she says Myra wants her and she'd better come. When Sarah tries to leave, Myra indicates for the others to stop her  . Meg takes off Ann's gag  and Ann says they will have to find out where the bomb mechanism is: from listening to Lowe's footsteps as he left, she thinks it must be on the first floor. Pixie gets Bobbie to admit Sarah Higgins had helped her at her last hearing, but Reb points out how rare it was. Joan accuses Len of hypocrisy for his expression of regret at Phil's death. Meg and Ann hear noises, but it is only rats moving over bottles in the basement. Inspector Rouse and Mr Coleby listen to the tape which has been delivered to the prison by a young boy. Mr Coleby is told in no uncertain terms that he has no option but to ask the Department for the ransom money. Sarah Higgins says she only did what the Department expected - if she'd know the women, she would have sentenced them differently. Reb points out she should have made more time and asks if any of the women haven't suffered at her hands. The jury make an instant and unanimous decision of "guilty". Myra's sentence is that Sarah does cleaning and punishment for anyone else who suffers in the next six months. Most of the women think this is far too lenient. Meg  and Ann are horrified when the rats run over their legs: Ann realises that is what the noise was earlier. Bobbie points out Lou only bet against Marlene on the cockroach races because she knows she hates bugs. Myra tells Judy she believes now that Fran may have been set up as she claims. Sarah Higgins is locked in for the night, but she seems unnaturally still  . Next morning, Sarah is found by Pixie with her throat cut. Lowe returns to the warehouse and is angry that Ann and Meg have removed their gags again, and deliberately pours their water on the floor when they ask for a drink. He then tells them he's leaving and won't be coming back. Reb is sure she'll be the chief suspect after speaking against Sarah at the trial. Pat Slattery's failure to notice Sarah was dead allows Len to hint that any officer on duty that night could have killed Sarah. Ann realises she could cut through the ropes with the bottle dropped by Lowe and reaches with her feet for it. Inspector Grace investigates Sarah Higgins' murder. The women start to accuse each other of the murder: Myra points out that is why she didn't want any violence. Ray lets slip to Marlene that something has happened to Meg and Ann. Meg is badly cut when Ann cuts through her bonds. Joyce answers the call from Lowe and hands him over to Inspector Rouse: Lowe tells him to take the money to a lockup at a railway station. Rouse tells him he will charge his mother if anything happens to Ann and Meg. Marlene gets burnt in the kitchen and is taken to the infirmary. She is hastily hustled out again when she sees a man waiting for treatment: Joan tells her he is a workman. Lowe returns to the warehouse in a towering rage, but falls to his death when the treads in the staircase give way. |
EPISODE 500Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 04 April 1999 04:40 The building explodes - have Ann and Meg managed to escape in time?Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicholson Myra ~ Anne Phelan Reb ~ Janet Andrewartha Len ~ Maurie Fields Pixie ~ Judy McBurney Bobbie ~ Maxine Klibingaitis Marlene ~ Genevieve Lemon Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Sam ~ Robyn Gibbes Lou ~ Louise Siversen Frances ~ Wanda Davidson Brian Lowe ~ Mathew King Chris Sutton ~ Gregory Ross Pat Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Geoff Macrae ~ Les Dayman  Frank Burke ~ Trevor Kent  Matt Delany ~ Peter Bensley Ray Proctor ~ Alex Menglet Sister Hall ~ Gael Andrews Officer Bailey ~ Maureen Edwards Officer Radcliffe ~ Marion Dimmick Det. Insp Rouse ~ Paul Karo Det. Murray Crabb ~ James Patrick Eddie ~ Tamlyn Lord Keith ~ Tibor Kaman Desk Sergeant ~ Ian Sprake  Drunk ~ Keith Kay  Car Thief ~ Murray Fahey Constable No. 1 ~ Stephen Hutchinson Constable No. 2 ~ Simon West Detective No. 2 ~ Gus Cornlesson  Patrolman No. 1 ~ John Penman  [L]Patrolman No. 2 ~ Glen Ruehland [R]Stunt Double (Ann) ~ Anthea Rudrink Stunt Double (Meg) ~ Sui Mae Chong Brian Lowe makes a posthumous appearance in the credits. Eddie is spelt "Edie". Nancy Banks-Smith's Guardian review of this episode suggests a broadcast date on Carlton of Tuesday 20th Feb 1996 and mentions that there had been an eight week break since the previous episode was shown. The last shot of Ann and Meg is followed by this shot | Ann and Meg notice the silence, but Ann thinks Lowe probably didn't have time to disable the trip wires. They decide to sit tight for a while and wait. Joan reports that Marlene has seen one of the male prisoners, and Joyce decides to tell the women, despite Joan's scorn. Marlene races back to the laundry and reports seeing a man in Woodridge uniform, but no-one really believes it until Joyce makes the official announcement about the male prisoners from Woodridge. Len returns Matt to isolation and comments about his "poofter" whinging: the other two male prisoners are Geoff Macrae and Frank Burke. Ann attempts to leave the upstairs room, but is stopped by a trip wire just outside the door: she falls forward over it, but without setting it off. Reb hints that she thinks Lou killed Sarah Higgins, but Lou assumed it was Reb. Bobbie puts a note in the men's food. Ray is in a bad mood and eventually tells Bobbie and Pixie that Phil is dead. Myra plays detective: Marlene gives Bobbie an alibi. Bobbie smashes dishes and threatens suicide with a kitchen knife in the dining room, but is disarmed by Len after being talked down by Officer Slattery. The men from Woodridge seem to have been transferred to Wentworth to protect them from the other men after preventing a mass breakout. Joyce decides to call in Phil's friend Chris to talk to Bobbie. The women find out everything Len has refused to tell them from Pixie: Myra demands to see the Governor immediately to get a full explanation. Frank finds Bobbie's note in his meal. Ann makes another attempt to get out and go for help, but nearly falls through the rotten stairs and dangles in mid-air screaming for help. Inspector Rouse is puzzled by Lowe's  failure to pick up the money. Meg somehow manages to pull Ann to safety. Pixie tries to talk to Bobbie in the infirmary. Myra tells Joyce she is angry not to be trusted with the information about Ann, Meg and Phil. The two boys on bikes return to the warehouse and find Lowe. Chris talks to Bobbie, but she is angry when she finds he is a "shrink", and yells at him to go away. Marlene attacks Lou for suggesting she should run a book on who killed Phil Cleary. Myra sounds out Reb about Higgins' murder and tells her she has found the murder weapon. Reb decides she will tip off the press (specifically Camilla Wells) about the male prisoners and shows Lou that she has already got drugs inside. Bobbie breaks into the medicine cabinet (using a handy Sellotape dispenser on the desk) and takes an overdose: Sister Hall comes in just as she is swallowing a handful. The police follow up a call from the boys and decide to investigate the body in the warehouse. Myra tricks Frances  into revealing she was Sarah Higgins' murderer. Policemen find the warehouse and Lowe's body. One of them goes up the stairs, stumbles over a trip wire and the dynamite  goes up, taking the building with it  in a spectacular explosion ... |
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