Prisoner (TV series)

Not to be confused with The Prisoner or The Prisoner (2009 miniseries).

Prisoner
Also known as
  • Prisoners (working title)[1]
  • Prisoner: Cell Block H (UK and United States)
  • Caged Women (Canada)
  • Kvinnofängelset (The Women's Prison; Sweden)
  • Więźniarki (Prisoners; Poland)
  • Celblok H (Cellblock H; Netherlands)
  • As Prisioneiras (Prisoners; Brazil)
GenreSoap opera serial
Crime drama
Created byReg Watson
Written byIan Smith, Anne Lucas, Coral Drouyn
Directed by
Starring(see List of Prisoner cast members)
Theme music composerAllan Caswell
Conductor – William Motzing
Ending theme"On the Inside" (written by Allan Caswell, conducted by William Motzing performed by Lynne Hamilton)
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes692 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerIan Bradley (from season 2)
ProducersIan Bradley (season 1), Ian Smith
Production locationsMelbourne, Victoria
Camera setupVideo
Running time41–53 minutes
Production companyReg Grundy Organisation
Original release
NetworkNetwork Ten
Release27 February 1979 (1979-02-27) –
11 December 1986 (1986-12-11)
Related
Wentworth
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Prisoner (known in the UK and the US as Prisoner: Cell Block H and in Canada as Caged Women) is an Australian television soap opera, which was broadcast on Network Ten (formerly the 0-10 Network) from February 27 (Melbourne) and February 26 (Sydney) 1979 to December 1986 (Melbourne),[nb 2] running eight seasons and 692 episodes.

Prisoner was the first Australian series to feature a primarily female-dominated cast[2] and carried the slogan "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it would be like for a woman!"[3]

The series, produced by the Grundy Organisation, was conceived by Reg Watson and filmed at the then Network Ten Melbourne Studios at Nunawading and on location.

The series garnered an international cult following, and it was one of Australia's most successful media exports, exported to 80 countries, performing particularly well in the United States and Canada (billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H and Caged Women, respectively). It also built a large audience in the United Kingdom and other European countries, especially Sweden.

Sammy Davis Jr. was a major fan and visited the set, and wanted to appear in a role, but had other engagements at the time.[4]

The cult status of the series has seen many adaptations, including the modern 21st century re-imaging series Wentworth on Foxtel.

  1. ^ "A tough role for Lovely Peita". wwwentworth.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  2. ^ Woodcock, Zara (6 November 2023). "Legendary 80s TV series set for reunion to celebrate 45th anniversary since first episode". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference publication was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference book was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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