EPISODE 656Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 08 October 2000 04:40. Merle's magic show relieves some of the tension between Kath and Rita. Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Marty ~ Michael Winchester Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Delia ~ Desiree Smith Wendy ~ Julieanne Newbould Lisa ~ Nicki Paull Spider ~ Taya Stratton Pamela Madigan ~ Justine Saunders Ivan Hosking ~ Cliff Wood June Hosking ~ Brenda Addie Zoe ~ Asby Redward Uncle Ed ~ Robin Dene Aunty Valerie ~ Patty Perkins Peter Johnson ~ Paul Flaherty Harry Wright ~ Eddie Baker Ted Jones ~ Roger Nolan  Jenny Moore ~ Kathy Juckes  Terry Jansen ~ David Legge George Arnold ~ Bruce Knappett Teddy Penn ~ Conor McDermottroe  Newsreader ~ Gary Mac Len Muller ~ James Shaw I suspect Gerda Nicolson added a word not in the script when she tells the ex-prisoner she is interrupting "a private dinner party". | Joan tells Rodney she won't report him for hitting Kath if she can make use of his friendship with her. Merle inadertently lets Rita know that Kath realises she was set up and will be out for revenge. The mass blind date goes badly, with three boring men and an assault on Ann by an ex-prisoner who recognises her (she claims she "did six months in 84"). This is a blessing in disguise, as it reveals Ann and Meg's profession and after a few polite enquiries from one of the men  , they make their excuses and leave. Kath is not impressed when Alice visits her (with Rita as backup) and claims she is now top dog. Joan is doubtful when Lorelei suddenly seems to have both a job and a flat to move into. Rodney gets an apology from Kath for what she said to him when he lets her out to see the visiting justice. Spider gives Lisa a message from Peter Hargreaves apologising for not visiting after he was arrested for speeding: Wendy becomes suspicious. Lorelei gives Mrs Hoskings a present for Zoe to distract her and then dashes off with Zoe to Uncle Ed's waiting car. Joan is phoned by the police at Wentworth to see if she knows where Lorelei might have gone. Lorelei hands Zoe over to the care of Ed's wife Valerie  before going ahead with the job on the bookies. Kath is given an extra 12 months as her story about being forcibly abducted was not believed by the visiting justice and Joan fills Ann in on her dealing. Wendy offers to help Spider with her contacts outside, but Spider makes it clear she doesn't trust her. Kath is forced to agree to work with Joan (or rather "for" her) to find out everything she can about Wendy. Delia impresses Ann with her ideas for running a fitness program for the women (probably followed by classes in cleaning all the black pots and kettles in the kitchen and catching the pigs flying over the grounds). Rita calls Kath's bluff over her threat to use Merle to bash the people who set her up, but Merle has made friends with Rita in the meantime. Kath asks Spider to get her something to defend herself with. Lorelei makes eyes at one of the bookies at a race meeting and gives him a flash of her garter where she apparently keeps vast quantities of banknotes. Marty takes Merle to see the Governor to put forward her suggestion of a party to help Kath and Rita make friends. Spider lends Kath a gun. Lorelei poses under a crashed car to make the bookies stop to help. Unfortunately when Uncle Ed makes the driver open the boot, he pulls out a gun  and shoots Ed. Lorelei has to be taken away by Ed's accomplice, leaving Ed bleeding in the road. Kath threatens Rita in the gym: Rita chases her to her cell where Kath pulls the gun on her  . Rita agrees to keep out of Kath's dealings, and let Alice continue as top dog. Lorelei phones Val to tell her Ed has been hurt and to ask her to get Zoe ready to be picked up. Kath gives the gun back to Spider, who makes her pay to keep quiet that the gun is a fake. Merle's party goes ahead: she makes Kath and Rita shake hands. Delia meets Pamela in a bar: Rodney sees them and ignores them. Merle moves back to share a cell with Kath. Joan wants to know what Kath has found out about Wendy: Kath says she will know if Wendy is an informer if certain information gets back to the Governor. Rodney makes racist comments about Pamela and refuses to drink with her. The women see Lorelei on the news. Lorelei seeks refuge with an old friend Len Muller  but he turns her away. |
EPISODE 657Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 14 October 2000 04:40. Lorelei is back in Wentworth after voluntarily giving up Zoe to the Hoskings. A hitwoman arrives to kill Liza. [alias Lisa]Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Delia ~ Desiree Smith Wendy ~ Julieanne Newbould Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spider ~ Taya Stratton Pamela Madigan ~ Justine Saunders Zoe Wilkinson ~ Asby Redward June Hosking ~ Brenda Addie Ivan Hosking ~ Cliff Wood Frieda Lewin ~ Johannah Sonerberg  Thomas Gilmore ~ Graham Duckett  Mal Winner ~ Brendan O'Brien  Constable Williams ~ Matthew Barker  The newspaper front page shows Lorelei's mugshots Joan puts "Fisher, Murray, Young" on a charge for having concealed contraband in their cells. | Kath quizzes Merle about Wendy and the reactions of women and staff to her. Lisa dyes her hair (and becomes another actress  ). Lisa tries to get a message to Lester through Spider: Wendy urges her to be careful and suggests that Kath is working for the police and was taken out to be briefed. Rita asks Joan whether Lorelei has contacted her, but Joan replies she doesn't help criminals, so Rita turns her attention to the problem of what to do about Kath and plots with Alice to have her caught with the gun. The police phone Joan at work to find Lorelei's whereabouts, so she goes to talk to Ann at home to find out if Ann has any more information. Lorelei and Zoe find an empty beach house to sleep in for the night. Pamela challenges Joan's racist assumptions about crime levels among "her own people", but after she leaves she admits to Ann she thinks honesty is preferable to polite skirting around the issues. Joan lets Rodney know she overheard his phone call to Kath to force him to give her information. Lorelei wakes up to find Zoe has wandered off, but finds her again and decides to return her to the Hoskings. Lisa tries to find out about Kath's "escape" from Merle, and gets confirmation that Kath was taken by force from the prison as Wendy implied. Lorelei asks the Hoskings to let her have a few minutes alone with Zoe before she gives herself up. Rodney orders Kath to increase her profit margin by 50% and Kath immediately suspects he is paying Joan a cut. Spider takes Lisa's message for Lester, but reads it herself first. Lorelei phones Joan while she is on the reception desk to ask her to go with her to the police station. Mr Gilmour gets hold of Lisa's message which Spider's junkie contact sold and orders an associate to pick up Pete to find where Lester is. The police arrive without Joan and arrest Lorelei for armed robbery. Gilmour hires Frieda Lewin, a hit woman, to get inside Wentworth and silence Lisa. Kath takes bets and Spider takes orders for contraband: Rita and Alice follow her to see where her stash is hidden. Merle follows Rita and Alice. Meg catches Rita and Alice out of their work area and takes them back to the laundry, but Merle follows Spider to the boiler room. The hit woman fails to arouse the gate guard's suspicions when taking her bull mastiff for walkies just outside the perimeter fence to give her a chance to see the layout of the grounds. Merle sees where Spider hides the key and unlocks the cupboard to help herself to sweets and the gun. Rodney catches her counting her sweets and has the gun pointed at him. Merle pulls the gun on the women in the laundry  and Rita chases her out. Merle runs into a blockade of armed officers  and Kath has to reveal that the gun is a fake. Merle is unable to substantiate her story about where she found the gun, as the locker in the boiler room has been cleared. Lorelei is returned to Wentworth and is put in to share a cell with Rita and Alice. Frieda goes over the fence at Wentworth at night. |
EPISODE 658Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 15 October 2000 04:40. The hired assassin breaks into Wentworth. Ann, Meg and Pamela join Joyce and Mervin in celebrating Mervin's birthday.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Vicki ~ Rebecca Dines Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Delia ~ Desiree Smith Marty ~ Michael Winchester Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Wendy ~ Julieanne Newbould Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spider ~ Taya Stratton Pamela ~ Justine Saunders Sarah West ~ Kylie Belling Frieda ~ Johannah Sonerberg Detective Riley ~ Peter Sinclair  Uniformed Policewoman ~ Patricia Anthony Gate Guard V/O ~ David Bickerstaff UNCREDITEDMervin ~ Ernie BourneI have corrected the misspelling Kylie "Bellings" The cell listing | The hired assassin gets inside Wentworth, waits until Marty leaves Delia picking up a pile of papers in reception, knocks her out and and hides her in the shower room. Ann and Meg are getting ready to go out to celebrate Mervin's birthday. Lisa celebrates making her deal with the police with some drink that Merle found and tells Wendy she regards her as a real friend, someone she can trust. The assassin solves an obvious problem for the scriptwriters when she miraculously finds a listing of the occupants of the cells in "H Block" (in thick Letraset) without much effort in one of the filing cabinets: sure enough, Lisa's name immediately springs to her eyes (though in fact, she puts her finger under Wendy's name, not Lisa's). She then returns the file to a different filing cabinet than the one she found it in. After doing his rounds, Marty walks into the barrel of Frieda's gun on his rounds. Pamela arrives back at Ann's and says she cannot go to Mervin's birthday party, as she is preparing for the court appearance of one of her "girls" called Sarah who is facing charges of arson and assaulting a police officer. A phone call from Joyce embarasses her into changing her mind. Frieda takes Marty back to reception and ties him up beside Delia. The assassin gets the information she wants from Lisa at gunpoint, but Wendy overpowers her and Lisa runs for help. Lisa unlocks the cell door so Rita can get out and hold Frieda at gunpoint, but she recognises Wendy and tells the women that Wendy is a police officer. The women concentrate on Wendy which gives the opportunity for Frieda to get away. Alice follows her but she escapes through reception. Delia and Marty's moaning attracts Alice's attention to the shower block but she does not release them immediately, despite Lorelei's protests. Rita takes Wendy to Ann's office and gets her to phone the police with Lester's address to forestall Gilmour's plan to kill him. Wendy is then tied up in the gym while the women work out what to do next. Joan happens to go to the restaurant where Mervin's party is being held, which is a little embarassing as she hadn't been invited. Mervin bonds with Pamela by recalling his Aboriginal friends when he was working as a jackaroo. This gives Meg the idea to take a trip into the "centre" to "get to know the country I was born in" - to cue her absence from the series for two weeks. Kath and Spider (who have apparently been let out of their cells by Rita) come to an agreement that Spider will not try to take it out on Merle if Kath will make up for the loss of her trading. The women queue up to use the phone in Ann's office. Pamela gets a message that Sarah has been charged with assaulting a policeman. The women pin Wendy down while Rita carves COP on her forehead  with a penknife. Pamela goes to see Sarah  in the police station, but only gets a mouthful of abuse for her trouble. Kath tries to console Lorelei, who is missing Zoe: she tells her Zoe won't forget her. Joan wants to know why she wasn't told about Wendy's real identity, as Meg did and she isn't the Deputy Governor. Wendy takes Rita's hint and refuses to say who attacked her. Ann cancels recreation period until those responsible for the attack on Wendy own up. Sarah is brought to Wentworth on remand struggling furiously. Joan maliciously decides that Sarah should be taken straight to the rec room to meet the other women. After racist abuse from Spider and a sugary welcome from Lorelei, Sarah responds "rec room, eh? Let's wreck it!" and immediately sets about destroying everything in sight  , cheered on by the women from the other side of the security gate. |
EPISODE 659Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 21 October 2000 04:40. The women are shocked by the attempted suicide of one of the most popular inmates.Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Delia ~ Desiree Smith Wendy ~ Julieanne Newbould Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spider ~ Taya Stratton Pamela ~ Justine Saunders Sarah West ~ Kylie Belling Sister Fawcett ~ Mary Rose Casey  New background officer "Russell" Joyce's embarassed greeting to Wendy on her return reveals that her real name is Tricia Haynes. | Joan has to get Rodney and Joyce to help her subdue Sarah. Ann meets Pamela as she is coming away from Wentworth to report to the Minister on the evenets of the previous night: Pamela tells her that Sarah is now her "problem" as she's been sent to Wentworth. Merle sees Sarah being manhandled to solitary and worries that she might be a "witch doctor". The other women tut-tut as Spider voices racist sentiments about Sarah and "blacks" in general. Sarah is locked in solitary shouting and kicking the furniture: Ann and Pamela come to see her later, but Sarah is still defiant and they decide to leave her to it. Kath tries to give money for bets to Rodney, but he refuses to take it, saying he won't sacrifice his career, even for her. Pamela accuses Ann of "inverted racism" for being too lenient with Sarah: Joan turns up on cue for Pamela to appeal to for a contrary opinion, but Joan backs Ann's decision. Wendy returns unexpectedly to Wentworth in civilian clothes asking to see Lisa: Rodney sneers that she's lucky to be alive, but she counters that he's lucky to have a job. Spider delivers the meal to Sarah in solitary and "accidentally" drops it on the floor: Joan puts her on a charge for disobeying an officer and when Spider has gone passes Sarah a photo of her adoptive parents. Wendy's return makes Rodney even more nervous in case she is telling the Governor about his relationship with Kath. Wendy asks to tell Lisa in person that her boyfriend is dead: the hitwoman got to him before the police. Lorelei reports that she has seen Wemdy and Rita whispers to Alice that she had better declare a strike in protest. Kath appeals to Joan directly over Rodney's refusal to take bets for her, but she denies any involvement in the scheme. Wendy tells Lisa about Lester. Ann fails to convince the women to drop their strike: Alice tells her they believe Wendy has only returmed to lag on them all. Lisa spurns Wendy's offer of friendship. When Wendy hears about the strike, she offers to talk to the women and she tells them Lisa has nothing more to worry about after Gilmour has been captured. After Rodney's half hearted attempt to commiserate with her, Lisa slashes her wrists with a broken bottle. Delia's apologetic attitude convinces Sarah she will be able to manipulate her through guilt. Joan orders Rodney to place the bets for Kath and gives him ten minutes to do it. Merle and Delia find Lisa bleeding in her cell. The women get round Delia's ineffectual attempts to keep them from seeing Lisa in her cell. Joan tries to blame Wendy's suicide on Ann for allowing Wendy into Wentworth, but Ann tells her to see the Minister as he approved the scheme. Lorelei tries to talk to Lisa in the infirmary, but finds she has lost her voice. Rodney threatens to put Sarah on a charge for having a photo of her parents in solitary, but Joan tells him she gave permission for her to have it. Delia tells Ann she wants to leave the prison service, but Ann tells her to come back to her when she's has time to think about it. Sarah is taken from solitary and insults the women in the dining room. Spider is infuriated when Sarah is put in the same cell  : Sarah punches her in the face and Spider vows she will pay for it. |
Channel 5 postponed the episode originally scheduled for Sunday 22nd October due to an overrun on the baseball World Series.
EPISODE 660Broadcast on Channel 5 Saturday 28 October 2000 04:45. Sarah plants chemicals in the air-conditioning system and causes illness and mass evacuation of H Block.Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Marty ~ Michael Winchester Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Delia ~ Desiree Smith Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spider ~ Taya Stratton Pamela ~ Justine Saunders Sarah ~ Kylie Belling Vicki ~ Rebecca Dines Alan Lockely ~ Tom Travers  Officer Radcliffe ~ Marion Dimmick OTHER CHARACTERSFire officer Officer Radcliffe is credited in error. Rita suddenly starts to use the racist term "boong" which she had previously disapproved of. | Marty takes Sarah to the workshop where Spider and Vicki decide to incite the other women to attack her. Dr Lockely tells Ann that Lisa is suffering from hysterical aphasia and he suggests she is put back with the women as there is nothing physically wrong with her. Joan springs a sudden search on the women and finds grog in an ammonia bottle in the laundry. She suggests to Ann that an officially approved shop would help stamp out the contraband problem. Spider and Vicki kidnap Sarah and paint her white  . Joan tells Rodney to volunteer to help with the shop for the sake of his work record: he will go out to buy goods with Kath, but they will collect other goods at the same time. Rodney tells Kath about the shop plan: she seems a lot more enthusiastic about it than he is when she finds she is to be recommended as trustee. Sarah frees herself and dashes to the rec room and makes a lunge at Spider and Vicki. She lags on them, but the women vote not to punish her. Spider achieves her object when Ann tells her she and Sarah will no longer be sharing a cell. Alice has a chat to Sarah to tell her she's been let off for lagging. Joan gives the women their buyup forms and tells them they will be their last as she has proposed a shop. Sarah cons Delia into letting her into the workshop to find the photo of her parents, where she steals a bottle of hydrochloric acid. Kath haggles up her percentage to 30% at the expense of Rodney's 10%. Sarah rigs up a tripod in Spider's cell to make the acid give off poisonous fumes. Joan listens in to Wendy Glover's phone call to Ann. Merle comes to the laundry to complain of feeling sick and says that Spider and Vicki are ill too. The prison is evacuated, but Merle goes back inside to look for Kath. Rita follows her to make her put on a gas mask  . Rita finds Sarah hiding under a running shower and demands to know what's going on. Lisa has been forgotten in the rush evacuation and collapses behind a door. Merle takes her mask off. Rita makes Sarah dismantle the equipment and covers for her by pretending to have saved her. Merle rescues Lisa by dargging her out through reception. Marty finds the cup and a candle in a corridor. Ann threatens to cancel all the women's privileges, but Sarah confesses and is taken to isolation. Spider demands revenge for Sarah's action, but Alice says that she's top dog and doesn't approve of it. Rita asks Spider for the hire of her key and a knife: Spider offers it for free, assuming she is going to be using it on Sarah. With Meg away, Joan feels able to compliment Marty of his handling of the incident that afternoon. Joan warns Spider she knows that she leaked information on Lisa's boyfriend so she'd better keep quiet about her opposition to the shop. After lights out, Rita breaks into isolation to urge Sarah to be more responsible  . She cuts her finger with the knife and shows Sarah the blood, pointing out that "it's the same colour". |
Story Editor: Gwenda Marsh
Script Editor: Neil Luxmoore & Pauline Clayton (656); Pauline Clayton (657); Neil Luxmoore (658); Pauline Clayton (659); Neil Luxmoore (660)
Storyliners: Tony McDonald, John Coulter, Bob Greenberg
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