EPISODE 611Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 30 April 2000 04:45. Jessie is taken to hospital in a serious condition. Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Jessie ~ Pat Evison Nancy ~ Julia Blake Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Julie ~ Jackie Woodburne Lou ~ Louise Siversen Lexie ~ Pepe Trevor Bob ~ Peter Adams Alice ~ Lois Collinder Flora Jenkins ~ Moira Claux Sean Jenkins ~ Steve Millichamp Pat Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Sister Hall ~ Gael Andrews Vicki McPherson ~ Rebecca Dines Mervin ~ Ernie Bourne Dan ~ Sean Scully Grub ~ Ingle Knight Doctor Standish ~ Merfyn Owen  Nurse ~ Nicki Woolmington  Ambulance Man 1 ~ Ray Hutchinson  Young Woman ~ Sally-Anne Read Young Man ~ John Succo Fight Co-Ordinator ~ Glenn Ruehland Announcer ~ Kirk Alexander Newscaster ~ Cliff Wood Pocco the Dog ~ Pocco | Sister Hall is called to help a shrieking Jessie, but Lexie callously ignores Jessie's suffering. Julie worries that something in the can might have reacted with the brew. Lexie refuses to take any notice of Julie's strong disapproval of her attitude to Jessie. Rita tells Meg it must have been Lou who spiked the grog, but refuses to confirm Meg's theory about how the knife went missing from the kitchen. Alice pretends to have stubbed her toe to distract the officers and prevent them finding Pocco. Jessie is taken to hospital by ambulance, still in agony (with a blinding hangover, to judge from the way she is clutching her head). Rita orders Lexie to go in the ambulance with Jessie or she'll make sure all the women send her to Coventry. Lou overhears the Jenkins planning to dump her because she is ill with blood poisoning, so she gets the rifle from under her bed and loads it. In the ambulance Jessie croaks and overacts so much that Lexie is forced to promise to keep the baby. The women see news of Kath's arrest on TV. Most of them are disgusted but Nancy and Alice argue that they can't judge until they know all the facts. Sean tells his mother that it was Lou who was responsible for Alice serving extra time, so she marches off to confront Lou, who lets off one of the barrels into a wardrobe (incidentally revealing that it is made of much cheaper wood than appears at first sight). When she has got them back into the kitchen, Lou holds the Jenkins at gunpoint and forces Flora to tie Sean up. While they are waiting at the hospital, Joyce tells Joan that she will always regret it if she goes ahead and has an abortion. While Julie has her back turned, Pocco wanders off and disgraces himself: Pat finds a very small yellow puddle on the corridor floor. Julie enlists the other women to help look for Pocco, who we see has made her way to the staff room just after the officers have left. Bob reacts when Alice makes negative comments about Kath when another news report comes on the TV while he is in the rec room. Dan is amazed to get an invitation for dinner with Ann from Pippa. At home alone, Joan is so desperate she resorts to watching an episode of "Are You Being Served?" but she is obviously moved by a reference in the dialogue to "Captain Wagstaff" (perhaps it reminds her of her father?) and she leaves the house to walk the streets. Nancy gathers the women in the corridor before lockup to say a prayer for Jessie and inadvertently gives Pocco time to find his way back to Julie's cell. Joyce and Lexie are still at the hospital: Joyce successfully appeals to Lexie's better nature and she agrees to see Jessie when she comes round. Joan wanders the streets and is nearly tempted by a bar advertising old time dancing  ("SINGLES WELCOME"), but recovers herself in time. Dan is woken up to go and break up a gang fight started by Bongo. Jessie has a haemorrhage. Sean gets free while Lou takes Flora to feed the animals. When she returns to Wentworth, Lexie is reminded by Julie not to take her mother for granted. Dan returns to Ann's early in the morning with torn shirt, having had a fight with Bongo then gone drinking with him to make up. Sean creeps up behind Lou and he and Lou wrestle for the gun, which goes off.
It seems likely that Joan is in fact watching "Are you being served in Australia?" - a spinoff featuring only John Inman from the UK cast. At least two other Prisoner supporting actors appeared in the series, as Robert reported in PCBH Digest 1191- "Actress Tracey Kelly ... appeared in "Are You Being Served In Australia" in the Miss Brahms part... Comedian Shane Bourne who had played several small roles in Prisoner played the cocky "Mr Lucas" part in the Aussie version of the sitcom. The "comic" bassoon music is a steal from Mahler's Symphony 10 (3rd movement). |
EPISODE 612Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 06 May 2000 04:45. A prisoner is charged with the murder on the farm; Kath comes to Wentworth; and Lou gets a death threat.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Jessie ~ Pat Evison Nancy ~ Julia Blake Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Julie ~ Jackie Woodburne Lou ~ Louise Siversen Lexie ~ Pepe Trevor Alice ~ Lois Collinder Bob ~ Peter Adams Dan ~ Sean Scully Mervin ~ Ernie Bourne Mabel ~ Val Jellay Aunty Ida ~ Paddy Burnet Steve ~ Peter Hayes Judge O’Grady ~ George Dixon Hughie Thompson ~ Colwyn Roberts  Alan Maxwell ~ Peter Flett Officer Radcliffe ~ Marion Dimmick Officer Hagen ~ Christine Andrew Constable Smith ~ Brian Worth Constable Cooper ~ Kim Beissel  Policeman ~ Justin Gaffney  Pocco the Dog ~ Pocco Fight Co-Ordinator ~ Glenn Ruehland
Dan does not appear in this episode. Thanks to Kim Beissel who contacted me to point out the credits misspelled his surname as "Beissell" Murray, "Corbett" and Balzano all get name checks, but the last of them isn't seen at all. Pat Evison deserves a special mention for atrocious acting for her "croaky" voice. | A farmer hears a second shot and sees Lou run from the barn holding a rifle. Steve finds the hole Pocco has dug under the fence and is attempting to fix it. The farmer gives the police a description of Lou and tells them which direction she was heading. Alice has an amusing wedding story about two dogs having sex at inappropriate moments during the ceremony and reception. Steve finds Pocco in Lexie's cell, but Joan catches him before he can smuggle her out. He makes up a story to cover, pretending that he has found the dog outside and brought her in to cheer Lexie up, which mollifies Joan by appealing to the dog lover in her. Alice annoys Mervin by getting in everyone's way in the kitchen while trying to make and ice the wedding cake. Steve pretends to have found Pocco in the grounds and takes her to Ann's office, presumably by pre-arrangement with Joan, who is there and casually "offers" to take care of Pocco. Ann orders a cell search when she hears that due to overcrowding at Blackmoor two women are being transferred back from there, and that Lou will not be sent to Blackmoor when she is found, but brought back to Wentworth. Lou collapses at the side of the road and wakes up to find herself being arrested. The whole block loses buyup when the grog is found. Ann gets a phone call with the news about Alice's family. Lexie is furious when she finds out from Steve that Joan intends to take Pocco. Meg warns Mervin that the wedding breakfast may have to be cancelled after the news about Alice's family. Alice is told that her mother and brother are dead, and she quietly and determinedly vows to kill Lou when she is caught and returned to Wentworth. Lexie rescues Pocco from the staff room, but Joan reclaims him, only to give him up again when she realises how much Lexie really cares for the dog. The wedding breakfast is postponed, but Alice is still insisting on making the cake - even though she only has two bride decorations to put on top  (some would argue that this is very apt). After sorting through a pile of memorabilia (including the tiny doll, now mended ), Alice is shown reminiscing about her family to Nancy, and we find out that her father was a derro and she has five brothers and sisters. Lou is brought back to Wentworth and Meg warns her not to expect much sympathy from the women or much protection from the officers. Steve tells Joan she's heading for a breakdown if she carries on repressing her emotions. Ida visits Rita to collect the radio controlled car: Joan recognises her and insists she is searched after last time - little realising that Ida is in fact smuggling something out not in. Julie offers Alice her condolences, but Lexie is more practical and offers to help Alice kill Lou. Judge O'Grady visits Jessie in hospital: she convinces him of the truth of her allegations against Bassinger. Nancy gets suspicious when Rita claims to have given the toy car to Ida to give to her nephew, pointing out that Bongo is Rita's only sibling and he has no children of his own. Mabel collects Pocco and takes the opportunity to advise Lexie not to be too hard on Jessie. Nancy and Mervin refuse to help Alice put a threatening message in Lou's food. Lou taunts Lexie about Jessie while she is mopping the floor in sick-bay. Joan tells her to shut up or she'll leave Lexie unsupervised to do whatver she wants with Lou, Alan Maxwell gives Bob a lift to work and parks his car outside the gates as the van carrying Kath arrives. Lou finds a threatening and scarily misspelt note ("KELLY YOUR DEAD!!") in her food  . |
EPISODE 613Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 07 May 2000 04:45. Drugs enter the prison in a most unusual way.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Nancy ~ Julia Blake Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Julie ~ Jackie Woodburne Lou ~ Louise Siversen Lexie ~ Pepe Trevor Bob ~ Peter Adams Alice ~ Lois Collinder Vicki McPherson ~ Rebecca Dines Janet Williams ~ Christine Earle Dan ~ Sean Scully Steve ~ Peter Hayes Kath Maxwell ~ Kate Hood Aunty Ida ~ Paddy Burnet Bongo ~ Shane Connors Andrew Hinton ~ Fredric Abbott  Don Masters ~ Stewart Lowe  [R]Bluey Wilson ~ Rob Constable  Gate Guard No. 2 ~ David Bickerstaff Dan does not appear in this episode | Kath comes to Wentworth on remand. Janet Williams is transferred from Blackmoor at the same time (no sign of the second transferee though). Bob comes in on his day off to talk to the women about Kath. Ann admits to Kath she can't be watched round the clock, but Kath tells her she is prepared for the worst after what she has done. Kath is taken to solitary and Janet Williams tries to talk to her through the wall. She seems to have a good deal of inside information that she has mysteriously acquired between reception and solitary about prisoners like Nancy and Rita who certainly could have not been in Wentworth the last time she was there. She even seems to know what they are inside for, which it seems unlikely she would have known in another prison. Bob explains to the women about defoliants like Agent Orange and the effects it had on children of Vietnam veterans like Kath Maxwell's husband. Looking not in the slightest bit suspicious hanging around by the perimeter fence next to a gaping hole cut through the wire mesh fence, Bongo and Ida send the toy car full of coke through the fence, but it is jammed by the gate guard's walkie-talkie. Lexie goes to talk to the guard to distract him and stop him using his walkie-talkie until Rita is able to collect the cocaine. Janet tries to scare Kath into palling up with her by telling her about the treatment she can expect from the other women. During exercise period, Rita and Alice collect some stones from the garden and shower Lou with glass by breaking the sick room window. Ann punishes them both even as she acknowledges how Alice must be feeling. Joan snaps at Lou as she taunts her for not having had a girlfriend in a long time. Lexie, Rita and Alice get high on the cocaine as Julie keeps watch. Nancy however fails to spot anything very unusual about the way they are behaving. Obviously spurred on by Lou's comment (but possibly not making a very shrewd choice of venue) Joan goes to a bar showing a golf match on TV. She objects to one of the patron' s sexist comments about women golfers and challenges him to an arm wrestling contest to prove her point. One of the man's friends introduces himself to Joan and buys her a drink to apologise for his mate. Nancy gets a hint from Julie (who is drunk, not that Nancy seems to notice this either) that the other women have been buying drugs. Joan and her new friend Andrew swap golfing stories. Nancy tells the other women off for taking drugs, especially Lexie, but it becomes obvious that she is more upset about being excluded and lied to. After she goes off in a huff, the other women decide to follow her and apologise,  which gives Steve the opportunity to sneak into the cell. He finds the cocaine and it just swilling it down the sink when Rita returns and in fury at the waste of money, she knocks him out with one punch. |
EPISODE 614Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 13 May 2000 04:40. Maxwell tries to make new friends inside Wentworth; there's wedding fever in the air; and Kath is worried that she won't be able to cope.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Nancy ~ Julia Blake Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Julie ~ Jackie Woodburne Lou ~ Louise Siversen Lexie ~ Pepe Trevor Alice ~ Lois Collinder Bob ~ Peter Adams Dan ~ Sean Scully Mervin ~ Ernie Bourne Aunty Ida ~ Paddy Burnet Steve ~ Peter Hayes Kath Maxwell ~ Kate Hood Janet Williams ~ Christine Earle Andrew Hinton ~ Fredric Abbott Sister Hall ~ Gael Andrews Fight Co-Ordinator ~ Glenn Ruehland Rita claims that her sentence is "2 years 329 days" (2 years 47 weeks). If this is supposed to be the time she has left to serve, it is approximately right for a 3 year sentence handed down in episode (598), which would be 8 weeks ago in PCBH time. In practice the time served since Rita first came to Wentworth 6 weeks earlier than that in (585) would count as time already served. Or maybe she's just not good at maths, as Lou didn't kill "half" of Alice's family as Rita claims, but more like a quarter given all the siblings the writers have been so keen to remind us of recently...? | Rita revives Steve by throwing a jug of water in his face: he wakes up and starts moralising almost with his first breath, telling Julie that her getting drunk was about as bad as taking cocaine. Lexie is equally annoyed at Steve's interference. Andrew invites Joan for a game of golf at some unspecified time in the future. Julie tries to defend Steve's action to Lexie, but Lexie deflects her by inviting her to be the godmother to her unborn child. Rita gets a lecture from Nancy about her responsibilities to the other women. Bob visits Kath in solitary, but she rejects his advice about how to handle the other women, saying she can't pretend to be sorry when she isn't. Lou refuses a meal served by Lexie and instead sweeps the tray onto the floor. Joan is cheerful and amenable at work. Kath and Jane are to come out of solitary. Ann brings Janet down to earth by reminding her that Rita and Alice will be out for revenge over her setting them up for attacking Lou. Rita wheels Alice in the laundry skip to make a surprise attack on Lou in sickbay, but she's not there. Their punishment of 24 hours in solitary is deferred, as Lou herself has been sent to solitary already for her own protection. Ann decides to ask the Minister for permission to have Lou transferred to Blackmoor. Bob takes Kath to the kitchen to introduce her to the women, but she makes a very bad impression on them by honestly replying "no" to Julie's remark that it must have been a hard decision to kill her own child. When Rita confronts Janet, she tries to blame Lou for forcing her to do it. Kath is put in Jessie's cell, but when she goes in search of the toilet block she meets Alice who shows her where it is  and forces her head down the pan and flushes her. Joan's sunny disposition fades to black when she takes Lou to solitary and taunts her with the prospect of meeting her friend Cynthia Leach in Blackmoor. Meg catches Joan giving Lou a Chinese burn, and is forced to report her for misconduct. Ann therefore has to ask Joan to take a few days leave. Janet pals up to Kath when she finds her in the shower block still dripping but she changes her tune as soon as Rita and the others arrive, and she claims that it was her who flushed Kath. Rita confronts Kath but she refuses to justify herself. Lexie finds a broken jar in the skip when she puts out the garbage and uses it to prepare a handful of ground glass to add to Lou's meal, but Mervin catches her in the act. Rita demands that Steve pays for the coke, and he agrees if she will read some anti-drugs leaflets he's brought into the prison. Kath tries to talk to the women preparing the rec room for the wedding celebration but she is rebuffed. Joan catches Kath trying the storeroom door and sarcastically regrets she hasn't got the time to give her a guided tour of the prison. Steve gives the women a lecture on drugs and Rita bans cocaine (to the women's surprise). Janet overhears Bob talking to Kath and promising to help look after her. Julie is dismayed when Rita tells her how rich Steve and his family really are. Rita refuses to do any deals with Janet for the important information she claims to have. Ida asks Dan to dump Ann, as the Conquerors don't like her. Rita salts Kath's food and Kath lags on her. Janet sweeps her own plate onto the floor to get into solitary to tell Lou that Bob has a secret they can use against him to force him to help them escape. |
EPISODE 615Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 14 May 200 04:45. The prisoners and officers treat Mervin and Joyce to a slap-up wedding dinner, but the night turns sour when a prisoner is found dead in her cell.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Nancy ~ Julia Blake Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Julie ~ Jackie Woodburne Lou ~ Louise Siversen Lexie ~ Pepe Trevor Bob ~ Peter Adams Alice ~ Lois Collinder Vicki ~ Rebecca Dines Mervin ~ Ernie Bourne Pat Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Debbie ~ Ellie Nielsen Officer Radcliffe ~ Marion Dimmick Janet ~ Christine Earle Dan ~ Sean Scully Steve ~ Peter Hayes Kath Maxwell ~ Kate Hood The actor who previously played Officer Green is seen at the door of the rec room in a gate guard's uniform | The women prepare the dining room for the wedding breakfast for Mervin and Joyce  . Nancy argues Kath's case to Rita, pointing out that she couldn't have known the no-lagging rule and Rita agrees to lay off until Nancy can explain to Kath how things work. Janet warns Lou not to try to escape without her - but Lou obviously has other plans. As Mervin gets Lou's meal tray ready, Bob carelessly hints to Lexie and Alice that Lou will be gone by the following day. Nancy gives Kath some hints on how to behave in prison, including not asking why anyone else is inside. Nancy also realises that Kath is repressing her feelings about the death of her daughter and urges her to talk to her about it: Kath ends up sobbing in Nancy's arms. Bob takes Lou her lunch: she lets him know her terms for keeping quiet about his friendship with Kath  . She demands enough money to leave the country and in return she will give him the name of her informant in Wentworth. Bob tells Kath what has happened and warns her to prepare herself for him leaving Wentworth soon. Nancy lets Rita know she believes what Kath has told her about her reasons for killing her child. Joan finds Kath just after she has been bashed by vigilante backgrounders Lorna and Ronnie. When Kath refers to Bob by his Christian name, Joan becomes suspicious. Joan finds Bob in the staff room and deliberately lets him know that Kath has been bashed to gauge his reaction. The women's costumes arrive and are distributed in the rec room. Joyce is surprised to get best wishes for her wedding in person from Joan. Ann tells Joan to let Janet out of solitary. Lexie inadvertently ruins the wedding cake when she pushes the kitchen door open just as Alice is carrying the cake. Bob collects Lou's tray from solitary, but tells her he'll be back later. Alice tries on her waitress's uniform, and shows the guests to their tables. Rita wears top hat and tails with a glittery blue waistcoat for her role as Master of Ceremonies. Bob tells Kath it is Lou Kelly who knows about them but she needn't worry, as Lou will be leaving Wentworth the following day. Kath decides not to go to the dining room. Rita makes an announcement to signal the start of festivities in the dining room. Bob returns to Lou in her solitary cell and tells her everything is "worked out", though she isn't going anywhere. In fact, he could kill her right now and no one would know who did it. He demands to know the name of the other person who knows about him and Kath and advances on Lou menacingly. Bob arrives late at the wedding meal as Rita, Alice, Lexie and Julie all leave the dining room or kitchen. Lexie separates from Julie, but Rita and Alice meet in a corridor as if they have pre-arranged it. Kath is in her cell writing a letter to her husband when she hears a noise and goes to investigate, but she doesn't see that someone has knocked out Officer Radcliffe. Rita and Alice return to the dining room and Julie and Lexie are late for their cue as the after dinner entertainment as impersonators of Laurel and Hardy  . Joan refuses the chocolate mousse Lexie has saved for her; so Alice eats it, not realising that Lexie has dosed it with a laxative. Pat Slattery finds Officer Radcliffe unconscious in a corridor, and calls Ann and Meg out of the dining room. Bob follows them: even though Officer Radcliffe's keys are still on her, Ann decides there should be an immediate search and she, Bob and Meg set off in different directions. Meg reports back to Ann that she has found something wrong that she needs to see immediately. Ann calls an end to the wedding celebrations with an announcement that Lou Kelly has been found dead in her cell. Alice looks delighted by the news  . |
Story Editor: Bevan Lee
Script Editor: Alister Webb (611); Fay Rousseaux (612); Alister Webb (613); Fay Rousseaux (614); Alister Webb (615)
Storyliners: Bevan Lee, Tony McDonald, John Coulter
| (606) to (610) |
