BEHIND PRISON WALLS
15 AMAZING SECRETS FROM THE SET!
1 The steam from the show’s iconic steam press was fake and produced by an out-of-shot crew member. Actress Kerry Armstrong played Lynn Warner (above) and was the very first inmate to feel its wrath!
2 Food served during dining room scenes was always cold! Needless to say, the cast was almost as unsatisfied with the prison meals as the characters!
3 While they made names for themselves starring in their famous roles as Bea Smith and Joan ‘The Freak’ Ferguson respectively, Val Lehman and Maggie Kirkpatrick auditioned for the role of Vera Bennett.
4 The late Carol Burns (left) took up smoking to play Franky Doyle and smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day during filming! Carol also gorged herself on steaks and sundaes to gain weight for the part.
5 Franky’s death was such a pinnacle moment in Prisoner, devastating fans across the world. In the United States, bikers even held a wake for the beloved character!
6 Both of Val’s daughters appeared on the show! Cassandra played Bea’s daughter Debbie, while Joanne played a schoolgirl named Yvonne (see bottom left).
7 The theme song sung by Lynne Hamilton, ‘On the Inside’, was a Top 10 hit in Australia, reaching number four on the charts.
8 Wentworth prison itself was built in the Channel 10 building in Melbourne. Barred shadowboxes were attached to the outside wall of the building to give it an authentic look. Most of them are still attached there to this day!
9 Following the monster success of the show, a “male version” was created in 1980 called Punishment, starring a young Mel Gibson (right). It did not do well in the ratings and was quickly cancelled.
10 Elspeth Ballantyne (below) stayed on the show its entire eight-year run, appearing in a staggering 669 out of 692 episodes.
11 The prison uniform change in 1981 occurred as the original uniforms were falling apart! Nobody expected the show’s huge success, so they weren’t designed to be used for so long.
12 Due to global fanfare, there were two stage productions of Prisoner in Britain. The first was a play based on the original TV scripts. Elspeth Ballantyne (Meg) and Patsy King (Erica) reprised their roles. There was also a West End musical, and later national tour, of Prisoner Cell Block H: The Musical. Maggie Kirkpatrick reprised her role as Joan Ferguson.
13 One inmate went on to become a Bond Girl! Virginia Hey (right), who played Leigh Templar, was cast as Rubavitch in The Living Daylights.
14 Both Sammy Davis Jr (above) and Whoopi Goldberg visited the Prisoner set while visiting Australia. There was almost a competition between Sammy Davis Jr and Maggie Kirkpatrick to see who was the bigger fan of whom. Both were extra excited to meet the other!
15 The church where Meg and Joyce had their respective weddings on the series was also the same church used for Scott and Charlene’s wedding in Neighbours (below).