EPISODE 671Broadcast on Westcountry Thursday 14th August 1997 23:45; Channel 5 Sunday 03 December 2000 04:40. Merle enjoys freedom and her new playmate Tommy. Rita lures Craven to a fight to the death. 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 Marty ~ Michael Winchester Spider ~ Taya Stratton Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spike ~ Victoria Rowland Brumby ~ Sheryl Munks Vicki ~ Rebecca Dines Ernest Craven ~ Ray Meagher Sister Hall ~ Gael Andrews Tommy Kipman ~ Bradley Kilpatrick Ross Kipman ~ Kim Stephens Edith Kipman ~ Bethany Lee Plumber ~ Brad Bennett Blackmoor Off. no 1 ~ Rowan Brindamour Blackmoor Off. no 2 ~ Les Sumner According to Spike's sketch plan Rodney mentions an officer called Fay Gorman. | Craven tells the women to face the Governor, and they are appalled to realise that he means Joan. Joan arranges for a uniform for Craven and tells Kath the shop must sell only legitimate goods from now on. All Joan is prepared to offer Kath in return is the restoration of the after dinner rec period. Joan sets Rodney to spy on dissenters in the staff room. Spike offers to teach the women how to communicate by tapping on the pipes. Kath gets majority support in going along with Joan's demands and is confirmed as top dog. Joan visits Rita in solitary, but she vows to kill Craven and Joan too if she suspects she knew about Lorelei's rape. Meg and Joyce visits Ann at at home, but they are persuaded not to resign. She tells them she is preparing to fight back against Craven. Joan refuses to implement Craven's suggestions for harsher security. Craven sets two of his officers  to bash Rita in solitary. The plumber arrives and Spike copies his plans. Marty finds Rita bashed and takes her to the infirmary. Spider goes one better than Spike by getting hold of the original plans. Alice and the others demand to know what Kath is going to do about the attack on Rita, but Kath practically tells them Rita deserved what she got for attacking Craven. In the infirmary, Rita finds out that Lorelei has withdrawn the rape charge. Joan shows her report of the attack on Rita to Craven: he just tears the page out of the book. Lorelei tells Rita that she lied about the rape because Craven threatened to harm Zoe. Rita replies that she got herself into the infirmary as it's the best place to get Craven. Tommy tells his parents  about Merle, even pointing out her photo on the front of the newspaper  , but they think he's making it up. Joan advises Marty not to put in a report and gives Craven and one of his officers an alibi. After Marty leaves, Joan warns she will not do it again. Rodney answers the phone in reception and talks to Tommy ringing on Merle's behalf. He hangs up, thinking it's a crank call but Marty points out that a crank wouldn't have asked for Kath by name. Joan phones the police and gives Rodney a dressing down. Spike proposes to Alice that the women form a guerilla group to carry out acts of sabotage. Rodney smarms up to Marty to influence him to keep quiet about him hanging up on Tommy. Rita holds Sister Hall hostage and makes her phone reception to bring Craven to the infirmary, just as he is leaving. Spike fixes the press. Rita pulls a knife on Craven and he arms himself with a letter opener  . Lorelei goes for Craven and he grabs her to use as a shield. Rita is taken to solitary, but Craven asks for her to be put in an ordinary cell to give him the opportunity to fix her. As she is taken out of solitary, Rita shouts to the women that she is being taken to a punishment cell. Craven visits Rita without anyone hearing him to promise that he will kill her. |
EPISODE 672Broadcast on Westcountry Monday 18th August 1997 23:45 p.m; Channel 5 Saturday 09 December 2000 04:40. Craven continues his reign of terror. Merle turns a game she is playing with Tommy into a police siege.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 Marty ~ Michael Winchester Delia ~ Desiree Smith Spider ~ Taya Stratton Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spike ~ Victoria Rowland Brumby ~ Sheryl Munks Ernest Craven ~ Ray Meagher Tommy Kipman ~ Bradley Kilpatrick Kate Carter ~ Adair Stagg Policeman Hogan ~ Peter Stewart Uniformed Policeman ~ Adrian Jenkins Policeman Briggs ~ Justin Gaffney Newsreader ~ Jennifer Hansen Harold Carter ~ Robert Kemp Sharpshooter ~ Ed Ryan  I can't be sure about the identification of the police officers credited in this episode. Presumably the two named ones are these two | Spike tells Rita of her plan to rig up an alarm in her cell so she can attract attention if anyone tries to harm her. Tommy takes Merle some food and hears about her on the radio. Lorelei has a quick word with Rita and apologises for messing up her attempt to get Craven. Tommy plays truant from school to spend the day with Merle. Spider fails to persuade Kath to sell booze and drugs and tells her if she won't agree she'll do it on her own. Alice asks Spider to try out the press, but it has been fixed and she can't get the lid up again. Spike fixes the alarm so that Rita can set it off from her cell. Craven produces a crossbow confiscated at Blackmoor: Joan lets him know she is unhappy with his plan to kill Rita with it even when he says he intends to frame someone (anyone) else for it. Marty catches Spike in the boiler room, so she has to explain the purpose of the alarm. Alice tells Rita she can set the alarm by putting something metallic across the taps in her cell. Meg disturbs Craven outside Rita's cell as he is about to use the crossbow. Joan questions Kath about the sabotage campaign and won't settle for her insistence that it is nothing to do with her. Lorelei is ordered by Craven to find out who's behind the sabotage, and Alice tells her about the alarm and other sabotage plans. When forced by Craven she tells him about the stink bombs planned for the workshop but keeps the information about the alarm to herself. Spider brags to Kath that she's getting some booze and pills in through the delivery truck. Tommy brings Merle into the house while his parents are away at work. Craven tells Joan she has decided to use the stink bombs as cover for his attack on Rita. Spike tells Marty her story: she was framed for the murder of her partner in manufacturing amphetamines. The neighbours  recognize Merle from a photo in the paper and call the police. Merle complains of feeling funny as she isn't taking her pills, so Tommy gets his mother's contraceptives, as his father says they keep his mother "out of trouble". When the police arrive, Tommy persuades Merle to play hostage and kidnapper, and she brandishes his toy gun through the window: the police call in special operations. Merle makes a demand for a million dollars, prompted by Tommy. Meg phones Ann to tell her that Joan has refused to go and help: Ann goes to the house, claims she is the Governor of Wentworth and talks Merle into giving herself up. Craven sees the women going to the workshop and puts his plan to kill Rita into action  : he fires the crossbow through the security grille and Rita throws a knife at him, but they both miss. Rita sets the alarm off: Lorelei arrives on the scene first and Rita gives her the knife to hide. Rita hands the crossbow bolt to Meg as evidence, and Meg reports her allegation to Joan in Craven's presence, flourishing the evidence. Joan goes to talk to the women standing guard outside Rita's cell to defuse the protest. Meg is forced to admit she didn't see Craven outside Rita's cell, only Lorelei, and sends Rita to solitary. Craven comes to plant the crossbow on Lorelei and make her confess to attempting to kill Rita, but she stabs him in the stomach  with the knife  . Joyce finds Lisa trying to take the knife from Lorelei, who is in a state of severe shock and is unable to move or speak coherently. Craven staggers through the corridors and falls dead at Rita's feet  . |
EPISODE 673Broadcast on Westcountry Thursday 21st August 1997 23:45; Channel 5 Sunday 10 December 2000 04:40. Joan consolidates her hold on Wentworth but is forced to sacrifice Lorelei to protect her job. Meg and Joyce are in big trouble for disobeying orders.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Marty ~ Michael Winchester Delia ~ Desiree Smith Spider ~ Taya Stratton Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spike ~ Victoria Rowland Brumby ~ Sheryl Munks James Dwyer ~ James Condon Dept. Officer 1 ~ Peter Heath  Dept. Officer 2 ~ Bob Halsall Ivan Hosking ~ Cliff Wood Margie Anson ~ Samantha Carter  UNCREDITEDGate guard, Female reporter and Male reporterThe "comic" music used for the scene where Merle notices Muscles is missing is from "Carnaval of the animals" by Saint-Saens, but the animals represented are donkeys, not mice. | Kath pours cold water on the women's celebrations after Craven's death and points out that Lorelei will spend the rest of her life in prison. Lorelei is in a state of shock: Meg tells Joan it is not an act and the doctor says if she is not handled carefully it may be permanent. Merle is brought back to Wentworth and smuggles the pet mouse past Delia and Joyce. Kath and Joyce try to reassure Merle over her fears that she will be sent to an institution. Kath demands to see the Governor, but Joyce warns her that now is not a good time to be asking for concessions. The Minister talks to the press about Craven's death and makes sympathetic noises about Lorelei, but when he sees Lorelei, he demands that she is sent to a mental institution as it's the only way that he and Joan will keep their jobs. Brumby tells Rita she's escaping (revealing that her nickname comes from escaping from youth custody on a horse) and asks if she wants to go with her. Joan tells Meg she won't recommend her as deputy and Meg retorts that she doesn't want the job while she is Governor. Kath demands that Merle is let out of solitary and has to lag on Spider's contraband and how the goods are coming in to get Joan to agree. Meanwhile, Spider is trying to rustle up some customers. Joan calls a staff meeting to announce new rules, and tells the officers that Lorelei is being transferred to Ingleside. As part of the new regime, the women are woken up at 6 a.m. to be read the new rule book. Joan tells them they will have to be issued with a pass to move around the prison and there will be absolute silence after lights out and 90 second showers. Joan tells Joyce she's recommended her as Deputy Governor, but she refuses to accept the post and tells her she thinks she's only done it because she thinks she's a soft touch. Rita explains to Alice that she is keeping a low profile so she can escape with Brumby and pay her respects to Bongo and perhaps see Lorelei. Rita and Alice are refused permission to see Lorelei, but Joyce and Meg decide to go against Joan's orders and let Rita talk to her. Unfortunately the car is already on its way to pick Lorelei up. Joan takes personal charge of the transfer, and so catches Rita talking to Lorelei. When Joan attempts to discipline Meg and Joyce, Meg tells Joan about Craven's threats against Zoe. Rodney overhears Meg telling Joyce of her intention to contact Zoe's foster parents so that Lorelei could see Zoe. Rodney passes the information on to Joan as part of his (absurdly ambitious) bid to be considered for the position of Deputy. Joan immediately phones Mr Hosking, and when Meg calls on him later, he refuses to take Zoe to see Lorelei. Rodney confiscates Merle's mouse and hides it for Delia to find. Joan gives Rodney the task of searching the delivery truck. Rita is not impressed when she hears the details of Brumby's escape plan, as it involves Rita replacing Kath as trusty in the shop and digging out under the floor. Joyce and Meg meet outside work: they agree that the other officers are too frightened of Joan to support them. Joan tells Rodney he has less local competition for Deputy as Meg, Joyce and Marty are to be replaced with Blackmoor officers and transferred out of Wentworth. |
EPISODE 674Broadcast on Westcountry Thursday 28th August 1997 23:45; Channel 5 Saturday 16 December 2000 04:40. Joan attempts to transfer Meg, Joyce and Marty away from Wentworth, but a strike is threatened. Kath is set up and she loses her trusteeship.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Marty ~ Michael Winchester Spider ~ Taya Straton Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spike ~ Victoria Rowland Brumby ~ Sheryl Munks Vicki ~ Rebecca Dines Mervin ~ Ernie Bourne Doctor Luther ~ Douglas Bennett  Doctor Klein ~ Roger Boyce Officer Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Cabbie ~ John Geros  UNCREDITEDGate guard Marty's absurd "gate duty" is a strange allocation of resources: surely there are more useful jobs for officers than standing by a locked security gate? | The women look for a replacement for Merle's mouse, armed with brooms and pillowcases. Spider and Vicki confront Kath for lagging on her for bringing goods in, but she brazens it out and denies it was anything to do with her. Alice tells Rita and Brumby that if they are escaping, she's going with them. Joan tells Meg and Joyce they will be transferred to Barnhurst, and Marty will go to Smithton: they will be replaced by Blackmoor officers. Spider plots to get undermine Kath by having Merle transferred: she plans to convince Merle that Craven's ghost has come back to get her. Joyce goes to the kitchen in tears to tell Mervin they won't be working together any more, allowing Spike and Lisa to overhear and report back to the women. Rita and Brumby frame Kath by stealing goods from the staff room and planting it in her cell, using Spike to get the goods past Marty. Vicki gets Mervin to leave the kitchen while Spider frightens Merle by showing her a kitchen tray with CRAVEN written on it in flour  and tells her he's come back from the dead to avenge his own death. Rodney overhears Meg and the others discussing a stop work meeting. Lisa suggests the women tape a message for Lorelei from all the women, who has been transferred to a high security ward (populated by rejects from an amateur production of "Marat-Sade"). Merle is locked in the cold store by Vicki and Spider, and Spider uses a homemade bull roarer to spook Merle out. Pat finds the missing goods in Kath's cell during an unexplained sudden cell search. Meg asks the meeting to agree with strike action until the transfers are rescinded and Joan is replaced as Governor. Rodney goes to alert Joan and she turns up just before the vote to sway the other officers so that no-one votes for strike action. The women find out that Lorelei will be given ECT. Rita asks Spike and Brumby to get a book of passes to plant on Kath, so they lift one from Rodney's pocket. Joan warns Kath to be more careful, or she won't be able to support her. Kath retorts that the women are too upset about Lorelei's transfer, and catches a fleeting expression on Joan's face that shows that she does too. Spike puts the passes in Kath's pocket and gives Merle her mouse back. Joan finds Rodney searching her office, and when she finds out that passes are missing, she orders all the women to be body searched immediately. Meg agrees to take out the tape for Lorelei. Spike tells Marty she will agree to let him help to arrange her appeal. Rodney finds the passes in Kath's pocket. Spike warns Brumby not to con the other women with her stories about escape attempts, pointing out she only has four failed escapes to her credit. Spider and Vicki get rid of Mervin again and have another go at Merle by speaking to her as Craven through the extractor fan while she is outside by the rubbish skips. Joan takes the shop trusteeship away from Kath and confiscates the tape for Lorelei from Meg. Meg and Joyce leave Wentworth. Joan listens to the tape, and delivers it herself to Lorelei  . |
EPISODE 675Broadcast on Westcountry Monday 1st September 1997 23:45; Channel 5 Sunday 17 December 2000 04:40. Joan hides her part in Lorelei's recovery. The planned escape looks in jeopardy.Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Joyce ~ Joy Westmore Rita ~ Glenda Linscott Alice ~ Lois Collinder Kath ~ Kate Hood Lorelei ~ Paula Duncan Merle ~ Rosanne Hull-Brown Rodney ~ Philip Hyde Marty ~ Michael Winchester Delia ~ Desiree Smith Spider ~ Taya Straton Lisa ~ Terrie Waddell Spike ~ Victoria Rowland Brumby ~ Sheryl Munks James Dwyer ~ James Condon Vicki ~ Rebecca Dines David Carter ~ Peter Tabor  Pat Slattery ~ Dorothy Cutts Ida Brown ~ Paddy Burnet Guard No 1 ~ Mal Billings Guard No 2 ~ Matthew Carr Det Braggs ~ Paul Buckley UNCREDITEDGate guardJoan tells Rodney to get backup from A block in the shape of "Bradley and Swann", presumably these two guys | Joan goes to tell the Minister that Lorelei is recovering, but tries to pretend that she was only following his instructions to make sure she doesn't talk.Meg, Joyce and Marty are just discussing their next move when Meg receives a call from Dr Carter that Lorelei has come round and is asking for her. Rodney calls Joan to deal with the situation of the women are playing up over the transfer of Meg and the other officers. Lorelei tells Meg what really happened, but Meg is shocked to find that Joan was responsible for delivering the tape. Joan announces that buyup has been reinstated to replace the shop, and they can blame Kath for that. Spider frightens Merle more at dinner by telling her the increased security is because the officers know about Craven's ghost. Ann is prevented from meeting Meg and the others by a car crash: Meg reports back that the Minister wants to use Lorelei changing her story as further evidence of her instability. Kath demands a concession from Joan to boost her popularity: Joan tells her she can take credit for persuading her to take the tape to Lorelei if she can find out who planted the goods on her. Spider and Vicki hold an exorcism to frighten Merle: a message comes through on the Ouija board  that Merle must kill Joan. Kath announces Lorelei's recovery to the women: when Rita is sceptical, Kath says she can check with Joan herself. Spider "finds" a knife inside one of Merle's Doctor Doom comics which she tells Merle is for her to use to kill Joan. The escape attempt begins with Brumby faking sickness then putting a dummy in her bed and using Spider's key to get into the grounds. Rita and Spike convince Rodney and Joan that the dummy is Brumby. Merle makes a frightened attempt to stab Joan, but ducks back into her cell when Joan turns round to look at her. Lorelei talks to Dr Carter, but makes him promise not to talk to Joan or the police, but instead to pass the information to Meg. Joan works the overnight shift to check that the women are silent after lights out. Merle is agitated and Kath has to calm her down. Brumby comes back inside, knocks out Rodney, takes his keys and puts him in Rita's bed. Rodney starts groaning and Rita has to hide under the sheets with him with her hand over his mouth as Officer Slattery looks through the spyhole of their cell. Dr Carter visits Meg and tells her he intends to contact an old friend on the TV programme "City Probe". Rita, Brumby and Alice make their way outside. Kath finds that Merle has a knife and when Kath yells for "Simpson" the noise alerts Joan and Pat: Joan sees the knife and orders a cell search. Spike is caught deflating the dummy. Rita gets away, but Brumby and Alice are trapped on the wire. Rita seeks out Ida, who gives her a change of clothes and lends her a motorbike to ride to the cemetery to talk to Bongo's grave. Joan sends Rodney home after his knock on the head and won't let him finish his shift. As he leaves the office, he rounds on her and tells her she has no friends in Wentworth so she can't afford to be so rude to everyone. Merle tells Kath how much she hates being "dumb" and asks if she knows how to fix it for her. Rita is recaptured by the police outside the graveyard, but Ida avoids getting caught as she's gone for a leak in the bushes. |
Story Editor: Bevan Lee
Script Editor: Neil Luxmoore (671)-(672); Quincey McQuade (673); Neil Luxmoore (674)-(675)
Storyliners: Tony McDonald, John Coulter, Bob Greenberg
| (666) to (670) |
