Prisoner: The Early Years

For the women of Wentworth Detention Centre, life is tough on The Inside. Battling the system and often each other, the women must learn to adjust to life behind bars as best they can. "Prisoner" remains one of Australia's most successful drama series, and ran for 692 episodes from 1979-1987. Presented here are four episodes from the first few years of the series. Episode 166: An early example of "Prisoner" at it's best, this episode begins as an escape attempt by several inmates has gone horribly wrong; the underground tunnel through which they planned their escape has collapsed and they are trapped, buried alive... Episode 287: The arrival of Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick), the officer we loved to hate, occurs in this episode from 1982. Episode 327: A firm fan favourite, this episode centres around 'The Great Fire', a storyline from 1982 that sees Wentworth ravaged by fire with inmates trapped inside. Episode 400: Top Dog Bea Smith (Val Lehman) departs the series in dramatic fashion in this memorable episode from 1983.