List of Prisoner characters – inmates
This is a list of all inmates of the fictitious Wentworth Detention Centre in the television series Prisoner, known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in the United States and Britain and Caged Women in Canada. Note that episode numbers cited are for first and last appearances; many characters had spells where they were absent for long periods of time and subsequently returned. Also, characters' appearances in recaps are not included if they died in the previous episode, unless their corpse is seen at the beginning of the next episode (e.g. Paddy Lawson):
Characters list
| Character | Actor | Brief |
|---|---|---|
| Sally Lee | Lisa Aldenhoven – episode 1 | The first ever prisoner seen in the series, being chased through the corridors by officers Meg Jackson and Vera Bennett, after freaking out on drugs, supplied by cold officer Ann Yates. Later in the episode Sally is found to have hanged herself in her cell. The show's first halfway house (a boarding house for recently released prisoners) is later named in her honour. |
| Frieda Joan "Franky" Doyle | Carol Burns – episode 1–20 | An agitating lesbian bikie who suffers ferocious outbursts when she becomes angry. Her violent attitude stems in part from the fact that she is illiterate. She falls in love with fellow inmate Karen Travers, who does not appreciate her advances; however, the pair eventually strike up a friendship when Karen begins teaching Franky how to read. Despite her immense popularity with viewers, Franky appears in only the first 20 episodes (due to actress Carol Burns choosing to leave as the series was extended from a sixteen-part serial to an ongoing soap opera); after her brother Gary (Greg Stroud) is killed in a tractor accident, and feeling jaded by Karen after Franky takes her friendship to mean something more, Franky escapes the prison with Doreen and Lizzie. Although Lizzie is forced to turn back due to her weak heart, Franky and Doreen go on the run, even posing as nuns before Franky is shot dead by a policeman. Despite Franky's short run on the show, the character is mentioned numerous times over the next couple of hundreds of episodes. |
| Karen Mary Travers (née Healy) | Peita Toppano – episode 1–80 | Karen Travers is a middle-class school-teacher who had stabbed her abusive, adulterous husband to death. Initially Karen offers up little defence for her actions (which had led to her being given a life sentence), only later does it emerge that, as well as the physical and mental abuse she refused to report, she had returned from having the abortion that her husband had forced her to have, only to find him in bed with another woman, which ultimately sees her sentence reduced to two years. Arriving at the prison, as well as being intimidated by the sexual harassment of Franky Doyle (whom she later manages to befriend), she is reunited with Dr. Greg Miller, who is now working as the prison doctor at Wentworth, whom she previously had a close relationship with before getting married. The pair have a close friendship within Wentworth at times, but also grow apart during the course of the 1979 season. With her sentence reduced, Karen is permitted to have day release to study at University; during this time she has a brief relationship with lawyer Steve Wilson, who defends her in court. Although given a two-year sentence, Karen is given parole from Wentworth by the end of the 1979 season. After several false starts, she is befriended by prisoner rights campaigner Angela Jeffries (Jeanie Drynan), who ultimately puts Karen in charge of the show's first halfway house. Karen runs the house for a short time towards the end of the 1979 season, with the newly released Doreen Anderson as the first tenant, but during this time, Greg confesses his love for her and the two resume their relationship. In the 1979 season finale, Karen is shot by Pat O'Connell (see separate entry)'s son David, who believes that Greg was responsible for his mother's re-arrest and mistakenly shoots Karen instead of Greg. With Karen narrowly escaping death and badly scared, Greg makes plans for them to start afresh in Queensland; Karen is last seen in episode 80, recovering from her wounds; Greg (and, off-screen, Karen) leaving the series a few episodes later. When Greg makes a brief return appearance in episode 107, we hear that Karen is recovering well and the pair have now married. She's lastly mentioned in episode 201 by a psychiatrist who tries to jog back Bea's memory who ended up with a serious case of amnesia from a car accident from her transfer back to Wentworth after her temporary stay at Barnhurst. |
| Lynnette Jane "Lynn" Warner – "Wonk" | Kerry Armstrong – episode 1–44, | Lynn is a young, rather naïve country girl who had come to the city to work as a nanny and arrived at Wentworth protesting her innocence at having kidnapped the baby in her care and buried him alive. She was brutally initiated into prison life, when Bea Smith, upon hearing about her crime, burned her hand "accidentally" with the press, giving rise to one of Prisoner's most iconic scenes. Lynn gains the nickname "Wonky Warner" (or just "Wonk") from some of the other women, especially Doreen, due to her being perceived as mentally unbalanced due to her supposed crimes. It is eventually discovered that the child's own mother had buried the child alive; clearing Lynn of her accused crime. However, upon her release, Lynn runs away from her parents' farm with Doug Parker, also an ex-convict, whom she marries, and reluctantly becomes involved with an armed hold-up, which leaves Doug dead and Lynn back inside (as well as losing the unborn baby she was carrying after being raped as a nanny). During her second spell in Wentworth, she became part of the new work release program, working during the day at a local garden centre for Syd Butterfield (Alan Rowe), and getting close with Syd's son Geoffrey (David Cameron) in the process, much to the chagrin of Syd. Both Lynn's work program and parole are jeopardised when she is caught trying to smuggle letters out of the prison, which she insists she has never seen before. It eventually emerges that they were planted by Doreen, who has developed a crush on Lynn, and is scared of her leaving her. After serving her time Lynn is finally released again, though on her release day, she is kidnapped by thugs who confused her with Monica Ferguson (who is released on the same day and who knew the whereabouts of some stolen loot). After being rescued by the police, Lynn presumably returns to her parents' farm, and this is the last we see of the character (we hear of her sending a Christmas present to Doreen in episode 75). She is lastly mentioned in episode 203 by return prisoner Jeanette "Mum" Brooks (see below) who mentions Bea burning her hand on the steam press. |
| Gladys Anne "Marilyn" Mason | Margaret Laurence – episode 1–16 | The prison nymphomaniac, inside for soliciting and chiefly memorable for her erotic assignations with electrician Eddie Cook (Richard Moir) in the prison roof. Upon release she moves in with Eddie, determined to get a decent job and go straight, but, hard up for money, reluctantly turns back to prostitution, leading to a bust up with Eddie and being sent to Wentworth once again. As Marilyn is released a second time, Bea eventually sets the pair straight, convincing Monica Ferguson to let them run her milk bar. We hear in episodes 42–44 of Monica selling the shop to Marilyn and Eddie, and they presumably happily continue running it. During a storyline in which Bea becomes attracted to prison visitor Ken Pearce (Tom Oliver) between episodes 105 and 116, there are several references to Marilyn and Eddie's romantic liaisons in the prison. |
| Doreen May Anderson (later Burns) | Colette Mann – episodes 1–446 | A childish, easily led but generally well-meaning prisoner who was briefly involved in a sexual relationship with Franky Doyle. Thumb-sucking, teddy-bear-clutching Doreen was a petty criminal, in and out of juvenile institutions before ending up at Wentworth, with a particular talent for forgery. After Franky's death she firstly became tough and butch like Franky was and tried to bully people around, later she became close friends with Lizzie and Bea; their friendship was one of the driving forces behind the first 300 episodes' success. She was released twice in the series; after her first release she is arrested for stealing and on her second, she steals Chrissie's baby from the hospital. In 1980 during the time she was out of the prison, she fell in love with Kevin Burns whom she married, but they were divorced not long after she was raped during her second stint in the prison during a work release scheme. The end of her marriage nearly caused her to commit suicide. She was the first victim of the Freak's 'black glove' treatment in 1982, just prior to her release. She made a few appearances in 1983 when, during Bea's escape, Doreen put her up in Sydney. Although the first to initially leave the series of the main three, she was also the last to be seen – when in 1984, she got herself put back in prison to try to avoid a marriage she had somehow agreed to. Doreen’s return was more as comic relief and to bring back an old favourite following the departures of Lizzie and Bea. |
| Elizabeth Josephine "Lizzie" Birdsworth (née Cameron) | Sheila Florance – episodes 1–418, featured in flashback in episode 420), | An elderly, chain-smoking, alcoholic recidivist prisoner, who provided much of the series comic relief. At the series start, Lizzie had already served twenty years in prison. Working as a bush cook, she had in a drunken rage allegedly poisoned a group of six sheep shearers who'd had the audacity to complain about her cooking, with four of them dying. It was later learned someone else had added the fatal dose of poison to the food (she put in enough to make them sick) and Lizzie was released and awarded compensation. Unfortunately she was ill-equipped to fend for herself outside, quickly committed a series of crimes and was returned to prison. A fraud and her daughter looking for money pretended to be Lizzie's family which Paul Reid and Kevin Burns discover. We later find out Lizzie knew all along that they weren't her real family and she wanted to spend time with them. Marcia (Lizzie's fake daughter) tells Lizzie that she was her daughter's best friend at the orphanage and that Lizzie's real daughter died in a car crash. The fake family: Marcia and Josie later left to go to the United States where Josie was to undergo an operation. Lizzie was recognisable for her always present red cardigan sweater given to her early on in the show's run by the prison's governor, Erica Davidson. Lizzie suffered from several heart attacks and during her final time in hospital she was released to be with her real family: The Charltons. |
| Beatrice Alice "Bea" Smith | Val Lehman – episodes 1–400),[1] | The first ever top dog – the name given to the uncaring and sadistic leader of the prisoner population – who rules Wentworth's H Block with an iron fist. Bea was initially imprisoned for strangling her husband's mistress and then shot dead her cheating husband upon her release. Her teenage daughter Debbie (played by Val Lehman's real-life daughter Cassandra) had died from a heroin overdose in 1977 while Bea was in prison, after Bea's husband had evicted her from his home. Because of her daughters' death, Bea was renowned for her hatred of drug pushers and her hatred of prisoners who commit crimes against children and everyone followed her lead. This characteristic, which is common in all prisons, was evident when Bea slammed the hot steam press on Lynn Warner's hand. Her hatred towards both drug pushers and users softens later in the series where she attempts to help a fellow inmate to beat her drug addiction. She and Chrissie Latham were enemies at first (as Chrissie was originally on Franky Doyle's side in the first riot) but later they became allies, especially against Margo Gaffney. Bea was Joan Ferguson's first of three major enemies. Any chance of Bea's parole was foiled after shooting and killing Nola Mckenzie in a hospital bed. Bea escaped a total of three times throughout the series, although the second escape was unplanned. Bea's last rival for top dog was Sonia Stevens. Bea was transferred to Barnhurst, and her reign of terror at Wentworth's H Block was finally over. There are many references after Bea's transfer especially when Lizzie compares Bea's top dog qualities to Minnie Donovan's top dog qualities including the code of lagging when Minnie lagged on Sonia Stevens in a plan to soil Joan Ferguson. Bea writes a letter saying "Vinegar Tits is worse than ever" when Cass is transferred from Barnhurst Lizzie says "Our best mate Bea Smith was transferred" Cass said that she heard Bea arrived. In episodes 536–537 we hear there was a Barnhurst riot and there were eight transfers - Myra asks Nora Flynn if they brought Bea. Nora tells Myra that she was killed in the riot trying to stop it, but Ann tells Meg that she "burnt" to death. Bea's death was probably the biggest killed-off screen event of the show, and many viewers assumed that there was hope that Val Lehman would return to the show though the actress claimed she refused several offers. |
| Jeanette Mary "Mum" Brooks | Mary Ward – episode 1–204 | An elderly, dignified long-term inmate who worked in the prison garden, well loved and respected by both prisoners and officers. "Mum" had committed euthanasia on her terminally ill husband and had served fifteen years at the start of the series. She helped with making newcomers to Wentworth get used to the prison routine. In Episode 2, she is released but has nowhere to live, and after spending a brief spell living with her daughter, Lorraine Watkins (Anne Charleston), who cannot accept that Mum killed her father and does not like an ex-criminal being around her family, Mum shoplifts to deliberately get sent back to Wentworth. However, by episode 16, she is again released, this time under the care of new parole officer Jean Vernon, who sets Mum up in a little flat with her pregnant granddaughter Judith-Ann (Kim Deacon) (whom Mum grew close to during her awkward stint living with her daughter), at which point Mum is written out of the series (as with Carol Burns, Mary Ward did not wish to commit to an ongoing serial). However, Mum and Judith-Ann appear again in episodes 30–33, when they unwittingly become involved with the escaped Bea (this storyline was conceived in part after requests from viewers to see what had happened to Mum). Mum and Judith-Ann are visited again in a storyline running from episode 61–67. Mum is in poor health, but overworking in order to support Judith-Ann’s imminent birth. Meg (who is still visiting Mum) convinces Greg to tend to her who, in turn, convinces Karen (now released) to stay with Mum and Judith-Ann after Mum's short spell in hospital until the child is born. Mum's estranged daughter Lorraine (now played by Gabrielle Hartley) eventually re-appears on the scene, and after seeing Judith-Ann’s baby, offers to make amends, and asks Judith-Ann and Mum to come back home and live with her. Mum is seen one more time later in the series for yet another storyline in episodes 199–204, reappearing in episode 199 when Bea – who has lost her memory in a crash while being transported back from Barnhurst – finds her once more. After another brief stint at Wentworth for aiding Bea, we are told a couple of years later in episode 388 that she has died of a heart attack, but left $20,000 to the prisoners. In episode 539, Governor Ann Reynolds persuades new prisoner Daphne Graham to tend to Mum's old rose garden to make new again that wore out after six years. |
| Rosie Hudson | Anne-Maree McDonald) – episodes 2–73) (seen in recap of 74) | A young prisoner who is heavily pregnant at the start of the series and gives birth during the riot of episodes 3–4. After giving birth, the character disappears from the series (being moved to the maternity block), but reappears in episodes 70–73. With her baby coming up to his first birthday (once again, not tallying with real time), she is in denial that he will be taken away from her by foster parents once he turns one. As a result, she suffers a breakdown, part of which, during a security alert, she punches the pregnant Chrissie in the stomach, endangering Chrissie's baby. Rosie is not seen again after these events, being taken into psychiatric care, this causes a lot of tension between the prisoners. |
| Lorna Young | Barbara Jungwirth – episodes 2-692 | One of the longest serving background characters: she appears regularly throughout the whole run of the series. Her first speaking contribution (and in a surprisingly posh voice) is in episode 120, which is the first time the name Lorna is used for her. Later credits include episode 215 for an argument with Doreen over TV in the recreation room;
episodes 219 and 250 where her only line appears to be bleating like a sheep; episode 253 where she criticises Bea for framing Marie Winter; and episode 293 when she contributes a present to use for the frame up on Joan. She gets the springs for the "bomb" to embarrass Joan. In episode 549 she replies "Yes, Miss Ferguson" whilst delivering food to solitary. |
| Tina Murray | Hazel Henley)– episodes 2-692 | Prisoner in Wentworth. The actress is one of the background characters throughout the whole series, though not always with this name. She is first called Murray in episode 206. She usually isn't given lines, and so is only credited for episodes 593 and 607. |
| Christine Angela "Chrissie" Latham | Amanda Muggleton – episodes 3-338 | A lascivious prostitute who spent much of her time behind bars lamenting the fact that there were no men around. She murdered Bill Jackson, Meg's husband, with a pair of scissors during the show's first riot. She returned in episode 065 after being in Barnhurst where it is discovered she became pregnant in custody. Chrissie keeps the baby to avoid a bashing from Bea, and her daughter Elizabeth (named after Lizzie Birdsworth) becomes Chrissie's main focus causing her to turn over a new leaf. Whilst trying to protect or keep Elizabeth from being put into homes, Chrissie tried many stunts including running away interstate with the baby. Upon her return to Wentworth, new officer Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson begins work. It is here where Joan is often dangling the idea of visits with her daughter that causes Chrissie to reveal Bea's plans to set up the Freak. When Joan admits to Chrissie she will stand up in court and give bad character references at a custody hearing, Chrissie lashes out. During this fight we see the full extent of what the Freak is capable of and Chrissie becomes hospitalised at the hands of the Freak’s first real bashing. At first an enemy of Bea Smith, she later on became one of Bea's allies. She was eventually transferred to Barnhurst, as Bea herself later would be. |
| Helen Masters | Louise Pajo – episodes 8–10 | An international businesswoman who was well known in the media due to her cosmetics enterprise remanded to Wentworth for running down and killing a child in a hit and run. She had denied all involvement and was found innocent although it was revealed that she was secretly guilty and had been driving the car when heavily intoxicated. Her haughty attitude alienates both staff and prisoners. She subsequently won over many of the prisoners, including Bea, as she demanded better conditions and promised to campaign for such when she was released. However, on a television interview after she was released she turned on the prisoners, saying they deserved all they got, humiliating Bea. |
| Monica "Monnie" Ferguson | Lesley Baker – episodes 15–60 | A brutish, hulking inmate inside for bashing her weaselly husband Fred (Gary Files). A friend of Bea Smith (though the pair often argued) after the pair had previously been cellmates in another prison, she initially acts as a sidekick to her (at which point the character was a semi-regular), but upon Bea's escape, takes over as Top Dog herself, using very heavy-handed tactics and upsetting many of the women. After Bea's recapture, Monica attempts to remain Top Dog, leading to a brief power struggle. After one scuffle with Smith in which Meg Jackson is injured, and with her parole coming up, Monica backs down rather than risk not getting paroled. However, with her release, she agrees to recover Joyce Martain's hidden loot from a payroll heist in return for a cut, in order to pay of husband Fred's gambling debts; but Fred has exaggerated his debts in order to get money out of her and run off with his fancy girl Denise "Blossom" Crabtree (see separate entry). When Monica finds out, distraught after she had done so much to make a fresh go with him, she bashes him, and is sent to Wentworth once again (and the loot is recovered soon after). During her second stint in Wentworth, Monica becomes involved in a couple of minor escapades (such as exploiting Deputy Governor Jim Fletcher's haemophobia with Bea), but for the most part tries to keep out of trouble in order to get her parole. Towards the end of her sentence, with Bea in solitary, Monica finds herself at odds with criminal mastermind Toni McNally (see separate entry), whom she refuses to bow down to, while Toni and henchman Martha suspect Monnie of tipping off Vera with information about Toni's smuggling booze and drugs into the prison (although just how much Monica has told Vera, if anything, is never made overtly clear). Monica's parole seems doomed when she finally flips over Martha's taunts and lashes out, until Officer Jackson speaks up for her in front of Governor Davidson, saying that she believes the incident was a setup to ruin Monica's parole. Erica decides to release Monnie, who is planning to start afresh in a new state, and it is the last time the character is seen in the series. |
| Barbara Davidson | Sally Cahill – episodes 17–24 | The niece of governor Erica Davidson. Admitted to Wentworth on drug charges, a seemingly girly, innocent persona covers the fact that she is calculating and sly. She strikes up a partnership with Vera, which includes framing Monica Ferguson for possession of drugs. She is eventually transferred to Barnhurst after Doreen's bullying pushes her to dousing her cell in petrol and threatening to set herself alight, leading Erica to realise that it is unrealistic to have a close relation in Wentworth without risk of either special treatment or bullying. She is mentioned last in episode 215. |
| Catherine Roberts | Margo McLennan – episodes 18–24 | A middle-class housewife who runs down and kills the man who raped her teenage daughter. After she is sentenced, striking up a friendship with Bea in the process, the character just disappears, and it is later revealed she has been moved to another block in episode 28. It is assumed her husband Ken sends their daughter away to stay with her aunt, though this is never revealed one way or the other a once Catherine's character disappears, so does the story. |
| Phyllis Hunt | Reylene Pearce – episodes 21–460 | Background prisoner who eventually takes on a larger role around the time of Bea Smith's departure from the series, turning nasty in the process. After messing up Reb's drugs scheme at the Wentworth Fete, Reb takes revenge and horribly bashes her with a wooden statue, leading her to have permanent brain damage. Her boyfriend takes revenge on Ann Reynolds. |
| Susan Rice | Briony Behets – episodes 25–29 | An emotionally fragile woman sent to Wentworth after being caught shoplifting. As Officer Jackson becomes concerned about Susan's mental state, it becomes apparent that Susan is angry at a (fictional) pop star Jason Richards for taking her husband Fredrick away from her, destroying their marriage. It ultimately transpires that Richards is actually the stage name of Fredrick, and they are one and the same. Upon release, Susan invades a TV interview with "Richards", throwing acid in his face, before being taken away to a secure psychiatric unit. |
| Martha Eaves | Kate Jason – episodes 29–64 | A dimwitted, burly prisoner ridiculed by the other women, but who often acts as hired muscle for wannabe top dogs or those needing physical back-up. She is involved in two notable storylines: the first comes in episodes 50–52 when, after constantly being bullied and belittled by the other woman for being stupid, she tries to befriend child murderer Bella Albrecht (see separate entry), who is hated by the other women for her crime. However, after Martha overhears Bella saying that she too thinks Martha is stupid, Martha attacks her in the shower blocks and drowns her. When Martha returns from solitary in episode 58, she starts working for criminal mastermind Antonia McNally, who uses Martha's muscle to take over Bea's position while Bea is in solitary. Eventually, as the other women begin to become disillusioned with McNally and start to side with Bea to go up against Vera Bennett and Jim Fletcher, Martha wants her and Toni to join in on the act - but Toni wants no part of it due to her trial. She tells Martha that she could join them in the act if she wants to which she does. Although not written out of the series in any real manner, Martha is not seen after the conclusion of the McNally storyline in episode 64. In episode 128, Noeline Burke is scaring another woman accused of "baby bashing", Gail Summers, by telling her that Martha killed the previous such inmate and was sent to the loony bin as a result, which seemingly conflicts with Martha's involvement in the McNally storyline. (It might be presumed that Noeline was just trying to cause trouble). |
| Noeline Burke | Jude Kuring – episodes 30–132, | The head of a family of petty criminals usually inside for burglary and theft. An antagonist of both Bea Smith and Monica Ferguson, Noeline was famous for her refusal to take anything she considered charity. In Noeline's words, "The Burkes don't take charity, we just take." When she comes back to Wentworth she is very upset over Leanne Burke (see separate entry)'s death; she blames the officers for it and she doesn't understand that it was a tragic accident. She is later transferred to Barnhurst for her own safety. Note that Noeline's surname varies between Burke and Bourke in different sources; it is pronounced on-screen as "Burke". |
| Clara Goddard | Betty Lucas – episodes 30–39 | A genteel, flighty socialite who initially planned to start a Halfway House for ex-prisoners, but ended up being remanded to Wentworth for embezzlement, where she gains considerable influence amongst the women, especially in the escaped Bea's absence. Sarcastically nicknamed "Madame Clara" and "Tinkerbell" by Bea when she returns, jealous of the way Clara manages to usurp her authority as Top Dog of the prisoners. During an examination of the running of the prison, the V.J. orders that Clara be moved to a dedicated remand section at Fairlea due to lack of remand facilities at Wentworth. |
| Kathleen Leach | Penny Stewart – episodes 30–149 | Beginning as a background prisoner (often uncredited), Kathleen went on to be involved with two notable plot lines. She is put in to share a cell with Ros Coulson in episode 80, in the middle of Ros planning to escape with terrorist Janet Dominguez. Kathleen tries to convince her not to, fearing that the terrorists will kill the officers, but Ros escapes anyway during the botched break-out. Kath is last seen during this storyline in episode 89, being questioned by the police, and presumably goes on to be released. The character returns in episode 143, seemingly arrested on a short sentence for prostitution, but has in fact been put inside as a plant by Tracey Morris' "boyfriend" Joe to make sure that Tracey will not testify against him. When Tracey realises that Joe has been using her, Kathleen is given orders to kill Tracey; unable to carry out the instructions, she goes to Bea for help. Bea purposely scalds Kathleen's hand in the laundry steam press (episode 147), putting Kathleen out of action and sending her off to hospital, with a valid "excuse" to her employers for being unable to carry out her orders. The last time she is seen, she is telling Doreen that she can give her a fat lip if she sees her on the outside, due to a previous argument the two had in the recreation room earlier on. |
| Leanne Burke | Tracey-Jo Riley– episodes 33–121), | Noeline Burke's daughter, who has inherited her mother's criminal tendencies. She first is seen visiting Noeline with her rather slow brother Col (Brian Granrott) in episode 33, telling her about the problems they are facing without her. Leanne returns in episode 50, where her mother and she are caught trying to rob a building. Although Leanne escapes charge, Noeline is once again sent to Wentworth, and Leanne meets Welfare Officer Jean Vernon while visiting. Jean gives her the address of the apartment she shares with Meg if she needs guidance – only for Leanne to rob the place with a young man she has met, Denny (Tony Mahood). However, Jean is determined to try to set Leanne on the straight and narrow, and convinces Meg to let Leanne move in with them while they find Leanne a steady job. Leanne constantly abuses this trust, infuriating Meg; Jean continually convinces Meg to give Leanne "one more chance", until eventually, in episode 55/6, Leanne and Denny are caught trying to hold up a service station. Leanne disappears from the series at this point, and it is not clear what she is charged with (she is not sent to Wentworth). The character finally arrives at Wentworth in episode 120 charged with petty larceny. Although some of the other women are sceptical of Leanne as she is Noeline's daughter, she quickly becomes good friends with Judy, and is very active with helping arrange the riot to demand that murderous officer Jock Stewart be brought to justice. However, in episode 121, when the riot takes to the prison roof, Leanne falls to her death while trying to wave a banner for the gathering media to see. Note that, like mother Noeline, Leanne's surname varies between Burke and Bourke in different sources; it is pronounced on-screen as "Burke". |
| Irene Zervos | Maria Mercedes – episodes 38–40 | A young Greek woman admitted to Wentworth after being blackmailed into prostitution by a relative who is aware of her status as an illegal immigrant. Her brother and his wife were also illegal immigrants. Matters are complicated further by the fact that Irene does not speak English, leaving Karen, with only a smattering of basic Greek, trying to translate for her. Upon her release she was arrested by federal authorities at the gate of the prison due to her illegal status. |
| Joyce Martin | Judy Nunn – episodes 40–48 | The wife of an armed robber inside for being an accessory, and the only person who knows the location of the loot. After her husband forcibly tries to have her abducted from the prison grounds to force her into revealing the loot's location to him, Joyce makes a deal with Monica, who is due for release, for Monica to retrieve the stash in return for giving Monica a cut. Heavies hired by Joyce's husband try to snatch Monica, but mistakenly grab Lynn, who is released on the same day. The loot is eventually recovered when Jim Fletcher double-crosses Denise Crabtree (see below entry) to find the stashed key to unlock the loot. With the storyline having run its course, Joyce is moved to D Block in episode 48, the last time the character is seen. Her husband was in the army with Jim Fletcher. |
| Denise "Blossom" Crabtree | Lynda Keane – episodes 43–48 | A tarty young woman who is the girlfriend of Monica Ferguson's husband Fred, but who turns out to be using him to get her hands on the stolen loot from the robbery committed by Joyce Martin's husband. When she winds up in Wentworth, Monica is angry to find that she has been having an affair with Fred; while Denise, when released, tries to seduce Jim Fletcher into helping her after the key to the loot was stashed in the prison. However, Jim double-crosses her, and hands the loot into the police. |
| Edith "Edie" Wharton | Colleen Clifford – episodes 44–49 | An elderly, kindly woman who is made homeless with her partner Horrie. Horrie dies after the pair spend the night sleeping rough, and Edith ends up charged with a minor vandalism crime (against the shelter who refused to take them in) and ends up in Wentworth charged with vagrancy. Edie's stay in the prison brings out the softer side of deputy governor Jim Fletcher, who goes out of his way to see that she is comfortable and cared for. Lizzie quickly strikes up a close friendship with her, and they enjoy talking about the old days. With a roof over her head, regular meals and with the new friends she has made, Edith does not want to leave Wentworth to go to the shabby bedsit that Jean Vernon has arranged, but dies in her sleep the night before she is due to be released, leaving Lizzie contemplating the prospect of dying in prison herself. With no relations or estate to pay for Edie's funeral, Jim Fletcher quietly steps in to pay for the funeral himself, out of the reward for recovering Joyce Martin's stolen loot. |
| Melinda Cross | Lulu Pinkus – episodes 47–58 | A devious young woman who is a student at the same university as Karen. She tries to blackmail Tom (Hu Pryce), her lecturer with whom she has been having an affair, with intimate pictures of them, demanding money else she will show the pictures to Tom's wife. When Tom's wife does find out she informs the police, and after being caught in the act of receiving a pay-off, Melinda is arrested and sent to Wentworth awaiting trial. She is pregnant with Tom's child, and after a brief spell in Wentworth, escapes conviction by convincing the Judge that she was only acting out of desperation of wanting the father of her baby. However, once released, she tells Greg (who has just opened up his own practice after leaving his job at the prison) that the story was just a convenient excuse, and that she plans to have an abortion, putting Greg in an awkward position as it means that Melinda committed perjury. The newly released Karen very briefly moves in with Melinda, but after Melinda goes elsewhere to have an abortion after Greg refuses to help, and does it under Karen's name, Karen leaves to live elsewhere; this is the last time Melinda is seen in the series. |
| Bella Swan Albrecht | Liddy Clark – episodes 51–52 | A remorseless child killer who had murdered her toddler daughter – which she saw as getting in the way of her securing a relationship – and arrives at Wentworth on remand. The officers attempt to keep her crime under wraps, knowing it will anger the other women who despise those who harm children, but word soon leaks out after Bea dupes visiting psychologist Peter Clements into revealing why she is really in Wentworth. Although Bella tries to strike up a friendship with Karen, her only real 'friend' comes in Martha Eaves, feeling lonely after bullying by the other woman. Bella winds up attacked in the shower block and drowned in a wash basin; Martha is later found out to be the culprit. She's later mentioned in episode 277 by Lizzie when the women feel that a new prisoner who have arrived and placed in solitary that they aren't being told about or allowed to see due to possibly being dangerous. Lizzie then refers to the prisoner possibly doing something similar to Bella's crime of killing children due to her possibly doing something big they're not being let on about. |
| Antonia "Toni" McNally | Pat Bishop – episodes 57–64 | A cool, classy woman on remand for the murder of the woman who was having an affair with her husband, and who tries to buy the women's favour and take over as Top Dog while Bea Smith is away in solitary confinement. Antonia is the wife of the head of the local underworld with friends in high places – amongst other things, she pulls strings to have Jim Fletcher given leave to get him off her back – and pressure is brought to bear on governor Erica Davidson to give her special privileges that further cements Toni's high status amongst the prisoners. Toni also starts smuggling in contraband, including booze and drugs, and hires Martha Eaves as her muscle and lackey. When Bea is released from solitary, the two briefly strike up an uneasy alliance, until Bea learns that Toni has been smuggling in drugs, at which point the two become involved in a power struggle. By this point, though, Governor Davidson takes temporary leave and the other women begin to side with Bea to go up against Vera Bennett and Jim Fletcher who are now in charge of the prison. Toni however refuses to take part in this. Shortly after, Antonia is sent for trial, but is let off after thugs hired by her intimidate the only witness into giving a false statement. Walking free from court, she is shot by Ros Coulson, the daughter of the woman Toni killed, and dies soon after. |
| Roslyn Louise "Ros" Coulson | Sigrid Thornton – episodes 63–92 | An idealistic young woman in her last year at convent school, who first appears in episode 63 claiming to be a relation of Antonia McNally. However, Ros is actually the daughter of the woman McNally murdered. When McNally escapes conviction, Ros fatally shoots her, seeing it as justified. Once sentenced, the gentle Ros's attitude quickly changes, as she believes she has done nothing wrong. She orchestrates an escape, arranging a distraction, allowing her to stow away in a visiting van. She seeks refuge at the newly opened halfway house, but – despite Doreen's pleas – Karen turns her away, telling her that if they were found harbouring a fugitive, it would destroy the whole project. Ros tries the brothel where her late mother worked, but when an associate of McNally's tries to force her into prostitution, she flees, and is captured soon after. Back in Wentworth, she is won over by terrorist Janet Dominguez, who plans to escape and offers to take Ros with her in return for Ros's help. The terrorist break-out doesn't go as planned; Ros saves Governor Davidson from being fatally shot, and escapes on her own; following a tip-off from Chrissie, she is re-captured a while later. After this, Ros, with encouragement from Erica, begins to see that her attitude will not get her anywhere, and under the guidance of welfare officer Paul Reid, begins studying. To aid her in this, Erica has her moved to a quieter block with some other studying prisoners, in episode 92 – the last time the character is seen. When Doreen gets married at the prison in episode 116, she mentions asking permission for Ros to be a guest, but the character does not appear. In episode 158, while giving a pep talk to Doreen, Erica mentions that Ros got her qualification. She is lastly mentioned in episode 176 when prisoner Evelyn Randall offers Lizzie some of her homemade tea that helps a person sleep easily; to which Lizzie tells her how she wishes that can put the prison staff to sleep for a while like how Roslyn did in episode 81 with some drugs in an attempt to escape from Wentworth with terrorist Janet Dominguez (see below) that was unfortunately unsuccessful. |
| Patricia Mary Theresa "Pat" O'Connell | Monica Maughan – episodes 65–110 | A level headed, kind hearted middle-aged mother who is transferred from Barnhurst along with Chrissie Latham in episode 65. She is inside for aiding and abetting her criminal husband in an armed robbery (although, confusingly, on the character's first mention before her transfer, in episode 60, we hear that she is charged for driving a car through a shop window that had repossessed her furniture, something that is never mentioned again). Pat is being forced to go through with a divorce from her husband in order to give her a better chance of keeping her children, and is determined to keep out of trouble so that she might get her parole by Christmas and be reunited with her son and daughter. Despite jeopardising her parole by meeting with her eldest son David, who is also in prison and visiting Wentworth on a work party, Pat is paroled and reunited with her youngest children in time for Christmas. However, around this time David escapes from prison, which leads to a police shoot-out when he tries to visit her, resulting in Pat being returned to Wentworth because the police are convinced she was in cahoots with David. This leaves David jaded at Dr. Greg Miller, whom he is certain tipped the police off, prompting him to try to shoot Greg but wounding Karen in error. Unable to cope in prison, David kills himself soon after. Pat's kind nature comes through when she insists that Bea not attack the pregnant Chrissie, and with both Doreen and Lizzie on release, she becomes Bea's main sidekick for a spell. Pat is eventually released when her sentence is reduced on appeal and she is given parole; she is last seen when Paul Reid drives her home with her kids. |
| Janet Rose Dominguez | Deidre Rubenstein – episodes 79–83 | A terrorist brought to Wentworth awaiting extradition to the US to face charges in connection with the bombing of a South American official outside the UN building. She is held in solitary away from the other women, as the officers do not want her interacting with or influencing the other women, but she wins over Ros Coulson, who is being held in the adjoining solitary cell. Ros helps aid an escape and is given an instant sleep powder to drug the guards while armed terrorists brake into the prison to free Janet. However, the break-out does not go according to plan, and Dominguez is shot and wounded trying to escape. She is taken away from Wentworth on a stretcher soon after, accompanied by federal police. She's mentioned in episode 277 by Lizzie after the women are surprised a letter they had written and sent to a newspaper wasn't published in it. This led to Lizzie believing that terrorist could have been responsible for it and refers to Janet. |
| Caroline Margaret Simpson | Rosalind Speirs – episodes 89–114 | Arrives at the Halfway House with her fragile mother Vivienne (see below entry), who is seeking shelter from her abusive husband but is turned away. Soon after, when her father's violent temper boils over and he threatens to kill her mother with a shotgun, Caroline fatally stabs him. Caroline convinces Vivienne that they must say intruders killed him, but their story is soon exposed and they end up in Wentworth awaiting trial. Once inside, Officer Jim Fletcher shows an interest in Caroline, subtly at first, but it is soon noticed by the other women (reinforcing his nickname "Fletch the Letch"), although Caroline does not return his advances. Caroline's estranged, possessive ex-husband Michael (Peter Ford) offers to pay bail, but she refuses to bow down to his terms; while Michael becomes jaded at Jim, whom he sees as coming between Caroline and himself. Although Jim also offers to pay bail Caroline refuses, not wanting to be in his debt, but when Vivienne's frail state of health worsens, Caroline finally agrees. Eventually Jim bails Caroline out too; when she moves into the Halfway House, she continues seeing him and she finally returns his advances, and the pair begin a romantic relationship, even though Jim is breaking the terms of Caroline's bail. When Michael and Geoff Butler (Ray Meagher) (who is bitter at Jim for turning him in to the police over a previous incident) join forces, Butler dupes Michael – who insists that he wants no-one badly hurt – into delivering a bomb to Jim's motel room, it kills Jim's wife and children. This puts a severe strain on Caroline and Jim's relationship, with him telling her after the explosion that he blames her. When Vivienne and Caroline finally go to trial and are released on good behaviour bonds, she visits him one last time and they part on reasonable terms. This parting scene with Jim, before she goes to stay with Michael's sister, is Caroline's last appearance in the series. Note: Although billed as Caroline, many characters, including her own mother, pronounced her name as Carolyn. |
| Vivienne Anne Williams | Bernadette Gibson episodes 89–114, | The mother of Caroline (see above entry), who is suffering at the hands of her abusive husband. After Caroline kills him in self-defence, the pair arrive at Wentworth, where Vivienne's fragile health worsens. Eventually, it is Lizzie (who at the time is on release and visits to see Bea) who recognises Vivienne and Caroline from seeking shelter at the Halfway House, adding some support to their claims of abuse, and Vivienne is released awaiting trial. However, once home, the strain of events is too much for Vivienne and she tries to commit suicide, after which she is put into a care home, not seen for a few episodes. Eventually, in episode 114, Vivienne and Caroline come up for trial, and their charges are reduced to manslaughter, allowing them to be freed on good behaviour bonds. |
| Sharon Gilmour | Margot Knight – episodes 90–116 | A scheming, spoiled young woman who is imprisoned for drug dealing after a police raid where she was selling dope to a group of youths (including Social Worker Paul Reid's son Tony (John Higginson)). Being a drug dealer, not to mention a vindictive trouble-stirrer, Sharon immediately becomes an enemy of Bea. Despite having a lover, Judy Bryant (see separate entry), on the outside, Sharon becomes involved in a romantic relationship with Chrissie Latham, and the pair work together for a time to become Top Dog(s) while Bea is in isolation. Jealous of this romantic relationship, Judy purposely gets herself arrested so she can be inside with Sharon, but Sharon uses her spiteful ways to manipulate Judy as she does with everyone else. With Chrissie moved to maternity to be with her baby, Sharon later starts vicious rumours that Kerry Vincent (see separate entry) is a "lagger" (informant) after Kerry turns down her romantic advances. Judy finally becomes tired of Sharon's scheming, manipulative ways and puts an end to their relationship. When Sharon witnesses corrupt officer Jock Stewart (Tommy Dysart) blackmailing and physically attacking Doreen, she tries to strike up working deal with him – she'll keep quiet about what she has seen in return for him protecting her. Soon after, she is found at the bottom of a flight of stairs with her neck broken. Judy, Bea and Kerry are all suspects, but it was Jock who murdered her. |
| Judith Francis "Judy" Bryant | Betty Bobbitt – episodes 91-534 | An American ex-pat lesbian who deliberately committed a crime to join her lover Sharon Gilmour in prison. She was initially an agitator, but later became one of Bea's allies, as well as a long-term inmate. Judy ran Driscoll House, a Half-Way House for ex-criminals to get back on their feet. Judy was sent back to Wentworth after helping friend, Hazel Kent, kill herself while she was suffering from a terminal brain tumour. Served as a sort of "deputy Top Dog," to both Bea and Myra. She was later released to become a successful songwriter. |
| Lilian "Lil" Stokes | Judith McLorinan – episodes 91–392, | The smaller one of Margo Gaffney's goons. Most of her appearances come without a speaking part. She is first seen in episode 91 briefly in the background with Margo Gaffney's bigger goon: Bev Covelli. Lil has her first big scene when she helps Margo and Bev give Sharon a "haircut". In her last appearance she dies when the prison is under quarantine, in deputy governor Colleen Powell's arms. |
| Margo Jane Gaffney | Jane Clifton – episodes 92–448 | One of a long line of agitators in the prison cell block who generally played rival to the reigning top-dog. Margo took charge of all gambling inside Wentworth and was usually accompanied by her stooges "Lil and Bev" (played by extras Judith McLorinan and Kaye Chadwick). Margo went back and forth during the series run from a good to bad guy, usually leaning toward the bad side. One of Margo's most heinous acts was the bashing of guard Meg Morris, who was temporarily a prisoner for contempt of court, and this earned her the combined wrath of Bea and Chrissie (who ironically saved Meg, despite her killing Meg's first husband, Bill Jackson), and avenged her bashing by tying her up and tarring and feathering her in the lavatory. Margo was also later bashed by Bea and Chrissie when it was discovered that she set the storeroom on fire with a Molotov cocktail at Wentworth, thus beginning the Great Fire at Wentworth, and lied about it to the cops. She later tries to frame Reb for attacking Myra Desmond but is found out and transferred to Blackmoor. Note: In the character's second appearance, in episode 93, her surname is given as Dempsey, not Gaffney. |
| Bernadette | Anne Phelan – episodes 94–95 | A dopey background prisoner who appears to be good mates with Top Dog Bea Smith. |
| Heather "Mouse" Trapp | Jentah Sobott – episodes 106*-326 | A rather timid young woman in and out for Wentworth for petty crime. She escapes and goes on the run with Judy Bryant after crawling through the tunnel during the pantomime. Later she returns to Wentworth and gets mixed up in the plans for the Great Fire where she perishes in the flames and burns to death. * – Note: although first credited in episode 106, Sobott had been appearing as an uncredited extra in the series for some time beforehand (first seen in Episode 67). The character – with no dialogue – is first referred to as "Mouse" in episode 100. it's revealed she dies in the Great Fire in episode 326/327 |
| Kerry Vincent | Penny Downie – episodes 112–124 | A young prisoner transferred to Wentworth to give her room to let her artistic talent flourish. Some of the women are sceptical of the special treatment that Kerry is given, such as being given a double cell to herself to give her room to do her paintings. Bea in particular does not take to her after she finds that Kerry's transfer was arranged by Ken Pearce (Tom Oliver), whom Bea has developed a crush on. As we learn more about Kerry, we hear that she is a former prostitute who is inside after violently attacking a client. Kerry's agent is David Austin (Rod Mullinar), a smarmy art dealer who is exploiting Kerry's status as a prisoner to drum up publicity and sell her work for huge profit. Kerry tries to get on with the other women, but they turn on her when malicious Sharon Gilmour starts spreading rumours of her being a "lagger" (informant) after Kerry turned down her romantic advances. During this period, Kerry also gives Vera a painting that she intends to destroy, only for Austin to concoct a story of Vera bribing it out of Kerry in order to give him more publicity, nearly costing Vera her job until Jock Stewart helps her set things straight with Austin; as a result, Austin is banned from visiting her at Wentworth. Kerry is given parole in episode 117 and set up in a small studio flat, but only on the proviso that she does not see Austin. Kerry is oblivious to his manipulating her and continues seeing him, and becomes jealous of other women he is seeing. This leads her to several drunken benders, the last of which results in her smashing David over the head with an ashtray, causing her to think she has killed him. She plans to flee the area; Helen Smart (see separate entry)'s pimp sells her some drugs to calm her down, but she takes them with alcohol, nearly killing her. When David finds her in this state, instead of calling for medical aid, he takes her paintings instead. Helen discovers Kerry and alerts Parole Officer Paul Reid just in time; after she is out of danger, he arranges that her parole not be cancelled if she agrees to be treated in a sanatorium. Kerry agrees to this, and it is the last time she is seen in the series. |
| Helen Pamela Smart | Caroline Gillmer – episodes 118–441 | A likeable, amusing prostitute frequently sent to Wentworth for soliciting who becomes a useful contact for the women on the outside. Became good friends with Judy Bryant. Helen was known to the prison as "The 'tart' with a heart." Attempted victim of the leather gloved killer, she also helps Judy a lot with Driscoll House. Her younger sister Sharon becomes involved with a cult so Helen kidnaps her and tries to de-program her. Sharon stabs and murders one man who was helping causing Helen to be admitted to Wentworth for kidnapping – her first offence other than prostitution. She later develops a tropical disease brought in by Glynis Ladd whilst Wentworth is under quarantine. She was sent to Barnhurst after her trial. She returns to Wentworth and her last episode sees her transferred to B Block after being part of a practical joke on Joan Ferguson and she is never seen again. |
| Gail Audery Summers | Susanne Haworth – episodes 124–133 | A harassed, downtrodden housewife who becomes Meg's new neighbour when Meg moves to a new apartment. Meg soon becomes concerned when she hears Gail's young children constantly crying and ferocious arguments between Gail and her short-tempered husband Tim (Jeremy Higgins); when Meg notices bruises on the children she believes that Tim is abusing them, but when after some debating she goes with Welfare Officer Paul Reid and the Police to intervene, Gail breaks down and confesses that it is her that has been abusing the children, driven to it being unable to cope being left with them all day with no help or support from Tim. She is sent to Wentworth on remand, where she instantly faces the anger of the other women when they find what she is in for, branding her a "baby basher". Eventually, a talk from Captain Barton (standing in for the departed Paul Reid) convinces her to stand up for herself; she gives an emotional speech to the other women telling them how she simply could not cope but loves her children, after which the women ease up on her. Gail goes to trial and is given a suspended sentence, on condition that she seek help. She moves away to join a support group. |
| Kay Frances White | Sandy Gore – episodes 127–145 | The sly administrator of Andrew Reynolds's clothing factory, where a work scheme has been arranged with Wentworth for some of the prisoners. Kay places several large bets with bookie Margo (and holds out on paying up the money she owes), and agreeing to help Judy make a dress for an escape attempt. With suspicion on her for a series of thefts from the factory, she sets up Noeline to take the blame to try to get Mr. Reynolds off of her back. Soon after, her long-running embezzlement of company funds to fund her compulsive gambling habit is uncovered when she "borrows" payroll money to place a large bet, in hope of making back the money she has taken from the company, but she is caught in the act, and sent to Wentworth awaiting trial. There, she tries to use her gambling addiction as a claim that she needs psychiatric help in order to escape charge, but having got on the wrong side of the women over the cancellation of the work program and her generally manipulative attitude, Bea orchestrates a scheme to expose that Kay is still willingly gambling; the plot is successful and Kay does not escape charge, returning to Wentworth as an inmate with a five-year sentence. From this point, Kay's manner only gets more extreme – she opens her own book to overtake Margo's, and using very heavy-handed methods to secure bets. This leads to Bea being sent to solitary after giving Kay a "bashing", and in Bea's absence, Kay makes a move to be Top Dog. Judy, with help from Lizzie and others, plans to put Kay's racket out of action by placing large bets that she can't possibly afford to cover. After this backfires, they record a dog race from the radio on Tracey Morris's tape recorder, place a huge bet with Kay (knowing the outcome) and doctor the newspaper's racing page accordingly, and play the tape back next day as if it were live. The scheme works, but when Kay "borrows" Tracey's tape recorder and realises she's been set up, she goes frantic and violently attacks Lizzie in her cell, nearly strangling her until Linda Jones smashes Kay over the head with a kettle jug to save Lizzie, leaving Kay unconscious and covered in blood. She later dies from a blood clot on the brain. Lizzie stows Linda away from the scene and insist that she herself must take the blame (for more on this, see Linda Jones's profile, below). |
| Linda Mary Jones | Elaine Cusick – episodes 140–150 | First introduced as an existing prisoner who is working as a runner for Margo's betting racket, Linda also has concerns when her son Danny (Darren Sole) is unhappy living with her overbearing, bullying sister while she is inside and runs away. Officer Fletcher later tracks down Danny and offers to take him in to live with him until Linda gets her parole; Danny's behaviour at first causes some trouble, but Jim soon licks him into shape and the pair form a close bond. Meanwhile, Kay White, starting her own more heavy-handed bookie racket, forces Linda into acting as runner for her, something that Linda reluctantly does. When the women try to put Kay out of action with a gambling con, Kay flips out at Lizzie and tries to strangle her in her cell; Linda arrives and smashes Kay over the head with a kettle jug, leaving Kay unconscious. Lizzie manages to stow Linda away before any officers arrive on the scene, and insists that she take the rap for it instead, both in return for Linda saving her life, and concerned about her being reunited with Danny. Linda wants to tell Erica what really happened, but Lizzie insists she keep quiet. Kay later dies, but Lizzie convinces the V.J. that she was behind Kay's injuries, allowing Linda to get her parole and be reunited with Danny, leaving to live in the new apartment that Danny and Jim have organised. However, a few episodes after Linda's departure, a jaded Doreen goes to Mrs. Davidson and tries to tell her the real circumstances of Kay's death. Erica sends Jim Fletcher to visit Linda and question her, but she convinces him that Lizzie's version is correct. She attends Lizzie's trial, where Lizzie – expecting an 18-month extension to her sentence for manslaughter – is given a heavy sentence. |
| Tracey Morris | Sue Devine – episodes 141–198 & (Michelle Thomas – episodes 463–464), | A young woman on remand accused of smuggling heroin into Australia but claims that she was set up by her gangster boyfriend. Tracey's father Bob becomes romantically involved and marries officer Meg Jackson. She returned in episode 463, landing herself on her ex-step mother and creating problems when she and her boyfriend held Meg hostage. |
| Hazel Jean Kent | Belinda Davey – episodes 142–399 Flashbacks in episode 534), | A background prisoner whose situation is eventually explored. A generally decent sort, later episodes show Hazel as being a depressed, drunken loser, turning to the bottle after her partner leaves her for another woman, taking their children with him. Hazel was suffering from a brain tumour and asked Judy Bryant to give her an overdose – leading to Judy's return to Wentworth for her final stint. |
| Sarah Forrest / Jacqueline Mary "Jacki" Nolan | Diane Craig – episodes 149–159 | A classy, sophisticated and well spoken woman that Jim meets at a party. They arrange to see more of each other, and, trying to impress her and not put her off about his job, Jim tells her that he works as a building contractor. Sarah is part-owner of an interior design business, and offers Jim a business deal, much to the disdain of Sarah's haughty partner, Julian (Peter Stratford). After Sarah and Jim spend the night together, Sarah finds Jim's Prison Officer jacket and flees, and when he visits her at the interior design business, she is very cold towards him and tells him that the relationship is over. At the same time, Erica is thinking of having some home decorating done, and Meg mentions that she has heard Jim has an interior design friend. Although Jim tries to put her off, Erica visits Sarah's business and seems to recognise her. Soon after, she realises that she is actually Jacki Nolan, who escaped from Barnhurst a few years previously, and is now using Sarah Forrest as an alias. Erica convinces Jim to try to persuade Jacki to turn herself in; Jim is unsure what to do and stalls, but Jacki turns herself in on her own accord. Sent to Wentworth, Sarah and Jim try to play down their relationship to both Erica and the other inmates. Jim joins Erica at a Prisoners Reform Group meeting, where the group comes up with a high-profile publicity campaign to get Jacki pardoned – insisting that she has self-rehabilitated and that her successful business proves this – amongst other propaganda. Julian has his own campaign to get Jacki pardoned, and warns Jim to keep away else it will ruin the whole petition. Jacki faces going back to Barnhurst, but she is loath to as she was molested by a bullying lesbian officer (who some fans have theorised may have been Joan Ferguson) during her previous sentence, hence her escape in the first place. With increasing media attention over the case, Jacki is just about to be transferred to Barnhurst when her pardon comes through. She leaves Wentworth, presumably to resume running the business with Julian, and never to see Jim again. |
| Myra June Desmond | Anne Phelan – episodes 154–552 | A former prisoner who had worked with the Prison Reform Group before arriving back at Wentworth and replacing Bea Smith as the show's second long-running "Top Dog". She was a thoughtful but strong woman who gave up her own life for the safety of the other hostages during The Ballinger Siege. Before the siege, Desmond organised a scheme to set up Joan Ferguson by bashing Lou Kelly and then framing Joan for the assault. The scheme worked until inmate Anita Selby revealed the truth to then-Governor Ann Reynolds. Reynolds then reinstated Ferguson and introduced a stricter security regime at the prison. She later confronted Desmond and told her that she would no longer recognise her as Top Dog. She also threatened Desmond with a transfer to Blackmoor if she caused any more trouble. |
| Anne Griffin | Rowena Wallace – episodes 160–167 | A seemingly meek, timid young woman sent to Wentworth for robbing a shopkeeper at knife-point. She insists that she is innocent, and the money found on her when she was arrested was loaned to her by her friend Megan; however, no trace (or even proof of existence) can be found of Megan and so with no alibi, Anne is to await trial. Soon after Anne's arrival, Bea is attacked from behind in the corridor, and it eventually emerges that Anne was responsible (not liking Bea's authority over the other inmates); Bea plans her revenge but Judy persuades her to hold off, convincing her that Anne is mentally unwell. Anne tries to convince the authorities that Megan has written to her, giving her the alibi she needs, but it turns out that Anne wrote the letter herself. As Erica realises that Anne needs psychiatric help, various details come to light about Anne's abusive upbringing, her imaginary friend Megan, and the baby she later had that died, also called Megan, which has left Anne in a very confused state. Anne is inside during the big tunnel escape plan of the end of the 1980 season; after the other woman realise Anne is unreliable, they try to cover up all proof of the escape plans, telling her it was merely a prank, in fear that she might inform the officers. Things come to a head during the escape attempt (episode 165); Judy, Mouse, Doreen and another inmate; Irene Nagel, make their escape, but Lizzie decides at the last minute to join Doreen, leading both down into the tunnels, and Bea after her trying to call her back. As the tunnels collapse, trapping Bea, Lizzie and the injured Doreen, Anne deliberately covers the cover to the tunnel (with a "grave" for Megan) to stop them from getting out, leaving them trapped in the collapsed tunnel for several days. Eventually Mouse is recaptured, and raises the alarm, leading the officers to rescue Bea and the others. Bea plans to kill Anne for what she did, but Dr. Weisman by this time certifies her to be mentally unbalanced, and she is led away to a psychiatric hospital before Bea can exact her revenge. |
| Irene Nagel | Heather Howard - episode 165 | An inmate who joins in on the escape from Wentworth at the last minute. She was mentioned by Judy as being in on the escape in episode 163, though her name was mentioned way before in episode 126 as one of the first of the women to attend the Reynolds clothing factory job. She didn't speak any lines and just followed the escape instructions with the other escapees. She was the one who inadvertently caused the tunnel collapse by slipping and grabbing hold of an old rickety support beam that couldn't hold her weight. The tunnel collapsed, killing her. It's implied that her body was dug out and in episode 167, Erica Davidson was on the phone to inform one of her relatives of her death. |
| Sandra "Sandy" Hamilton | Candy Raymond – episodes 173–180 | A new prisoner who arrives claiming to be inside for the first time after being caught driving with expired tax. However, Bea and others soon become suspicious as, for a supposed first timer, Sandra seems very familiar with prisoner etiquette, and asks a lot of questions, particularly around and concerning Judy. They suspect her to be an undercover police officer after information about Judy's recent escape and recapture. Suspicions are heightened even more when she convinces the Governor to move her into Judy's cell, and she even tries making seductive advances towards Judy; but after Bea and Judy put the heavy on her, she confesses that she is actually a newspaper journalist who deliberately got herself put inside to try to get the scoop on Judy's escape. When Evelyn Randall (see below profile) arrives in episode 175, Sandra offers to write an article about how Evelyn has been unjustly imprisoned in return for Evelyn getting information with her; when Bea and the women plant Evelyn's stolen file in Sandra's cell, Sandra is sent to isolation. When the prison is struck by an unidentified disease (episodes 177–179), and the isolation cells are needed to bed quarantined officers, Sandra is returned to the women, where she becomes very scared of becoming infected, after seeing her mother waste away some years earlier, and even tries to escape during a food pick-up, leaving Jim Fletcher threatening to shoot her if she does not return for fear of her infecting people outside the prison. With the mysterious disease "cured" in episode 179, Sandra finds herself framed for scarring Evelyn in a fire booby trap under Evelyn's bed, which will stop any chances of her imminent release; Sandra strikes up a deal with Bea, for Bea to prove she was innocent, in return for Sandra writing an exposé on poor prison conditions when she is released. However, after she is released in episode 180, she instead writes a story written around her and her time inside, neglecting to mention the conditions she promised to expose. |
| Evelyn Randall | Julia Blake – episodes 175–179 seen in recap of 180) | Referred to as 'Evie' only by Lizzie, she is an eccentric, middle-aged herbalist who arrives with other new prisoners Jennie Armstrong and Georgie Baxter (see separate profiles). She has been accused of manslaughter after poisoning one of her patients but insists that she is innocent and has a grudge against conventional medicine, insisting that everyone should see that herbal remedies are the true cure. Her haughty attitude soon gets Bea's back up, but most of the other prisoners take a liking to her, annoying Bea even more. When an under-the-weather Doreen asks Evelyn for a remedy, she falls ill, leading Bea to believe that Evelyn has poisoned her; but Evelyn finds that Doreen has mistakenly heated the remedy first, which has resulted in Doreen falling sick. Soon after, a mysterious bug breaks out in the prison; it is assumed to be a tropical disease brought in by Jenny Armstrong, who had just returned from overseas. As many prisoners and officers fall dangerously ill and Wentworth is quarantined, Evelyn insists that her herbal remedies could find a cure, as conventional doctors struggle to find the cause. The other prisoners even start to believe her, when one of her secretly brewed remedies begins to heal the very ill Meg; but it eventually emerges that Evelyn was behind the "disease", lacing people's food with enough special ingredients to cause them to fall sick, giving her the opportunity to "heal them" and prove herself. When the other women find out, Bea insists that they do not take action straight away, instead biding their time and making Evie nervous. A booby trap fire using turps placed under Evelyn's bed badly scalds her, seeing her led away to hospital in episode 179. She is not seen after this because Erica organised a transfer to Barnhurst for the day after, and although Bea was aware that the booby trap was placed, it was only designed that it would scare her. It is never fully revealed how Evie came to be so badly scalded, although is suggested that Bea did not authorise the incident. |
| Jennie Armstrong | Sally Cooper – episode 175 | A young, naïve prisoner brought to Wentworth at the same time as Georgie Baxter and Evie Randall, and emerges from the prison truck covered in blood and terrified after being attacked by Georgie. While in the prison hospital recovering, she explains to Lizzie that she is only in prison after not paying a minor traffic fine, thinking that prison sounded "fun". Lizzie scares her about prison life, leading Jennie to quickly decide to pay the fine and get out. However, very soon after prisoners and staff being to fall dangerously ill; it is suspected that Jennie might have been the cause, as she has just returned from Africa and might have brought a rare disease back with her. Jennie is only ever seen in episode 175; after her release, police try to find her to trace the "disease", until it is finally discovered that Evelyn Randall is behind the matter, lacing people's food with poison. |
| Georgina "Georgie" Baxter | Tracy Mann – episodes 175–186 | A violent, illiterate biker's moll who arrives in a prison van with Jennie Armstrong and Evelyn Randall in episode 175, and who has viciously attacked Armstrong during the journey. Georgie is immediately put in solitary and stays there after a series of volatile outbursts. Several inmates and staff alike compare her to Franky Doyle. Prison teacher David Andrews (Serge Lazareff) convinces Governor Davidson to let him see Georgie to try to get to the root of her behaviour, and suggests putting Georgie in with Judy, who can more than take care of herself, and Judy becomes Georgie's first real friend inside. During the mysterious "plague" that sweeps through the prison (176–178), Georgie stays at Judy's bedside and tends to her, but once the mystery disease has passed, Judy misinterprets Georgie's caring friendship and makes a pass at her, sending Georgie into a rage and seeing her sent to another stint in solitary (despite Judy's trying to explain to the Governor that it was her own mistake). Visiting Georgie in solitary once again, David realises that Georgie suffers from a severe hearing impediment, which has led her to misunderstand many things through life and believe people are laughing at her. Georgie soon undergoes an operation and her hearing remarkably improves. Once back at Wentworth, David suggests putting Georgie in with Bea (and Lizzie), which angers Doreen for being turfed out of her old cell, igniting a never-ending feud between the pair. Bea soon takes Georgie under her wing, but when Doreen is sent to solitary for a fight that Georgie instigated, Judy and Bea clash after Bea let Doreen take the blame. This leads to a big split between Judy and Bea, with various prisoners taking each side, and which Georgie, still furious at Judy's advances, works in the middle of to deliberately inflame even further. During this time, Georgie's mother Jeannie (see separate profile) also arrives at the prison for running a brothel, but Georgie wants nothing to do with her; while in David's classes, he begins teaching the illiterate Georgie how to read. By this time, Georgie's chance for parole is coming up, but David puts in a recommendation that she not yet be realised so that he can ensure she continues with her education. When the women discover this from Vera, they boycott David's classes, but a positive word to the V.J. from Meg, who has found Georgie a job, as well as David backing down his request so long as it is ensured Georgie continues her education outside, sees Georgie get her parole. Georgie leaves to live with biker friend "Mike the Bike" (Jon Geros), who had visited her inside several times, but finding the shabby flat a mess and that the bullying Mike only wants her for sex, Georgie storms out. After this bust up, Meg can't find her when she is due to take her to the first day of the new job working in a supermarket, and goes to the store to apologise to the manager, only to find that Georgie has turned up on her own accord and is happily hard at work, and seems to be making a real go of going straight and putting her problems behind her. |
| Jean Nancy "Jeannie" Baxter | Leila Hayes – episodes 180–183 | Georgie Baxter's mother, who had neglected and belittled her as a child. She first appears when visiting Georgie after her operation in episode 180, which results in an argument between the pair. The following episode, Jeannie is admitted to Wentworth for "living off immoral earnings" as a brothel madam. She immediately falls on the wrong side of Bea, who has taken Georgie under her wing and is determined to see that she gets an education and goes straight, and Georgie wants nothing to do with her. Before Jeannie is released, she tries to apologise to Georgie for her treatment, but Georgie doesn't want to know. However, just as Jeannie is leaving, Georgie convinces David Andrews to let her see her mother, and the pair part on amicable terms, with Georgie even calling her "Mum" for the first time. |
| Marie Winter | Maggie Millar – episodes 197–471 | A tough long-term prisoner who was Top Dog of country prison Barnhurst, specialising in pushing drugs. She escaped with help from Lou Kelly and The Freak by climbing over the fence in afternoon exercise and clinging onto a helicopter and flying away. We are told that a few days later she is captured and sent to Blackmoor. |
| Michelle Parks | Nina Landis – episodes 209–213 | An attractive young athlete with Olympic potential, Michelle is remanded to Wentworth charged with stealing from the office where she worked and once inside, literally runs rings around deputy governor Jim Fletcher. |
| Lori Young | Susannah Fowle – episodes 209–347 | A young girl who visits Wentworth searching for her biological mother who had given her up for adoption – Judy Bryant. Lori later deliberately gets herself imprisoned to spend more time getting to know her mother. |
| Dinah Walford | Trudy Simms – episodes 213–223, | A middle-aged woman who arrives with Kathy Hall (see below). She is imprisoned for soliciting and sentenced to two weeks imprisonment. She is sent over to D-block. While on cleaning duty in the hallways alone, she pulls an alarm in episode 215 to help keep the prison officers busy while an attack is made on prisoner Kathy Hall. Bea and Judy both suspect she was responsible for the attack after a briefly questioning her whereabouts during the incident, as she was around when Kathy was attacked. However, she is released on parole in episode 215 before Bea got the chance to question her some more. However Bea informs Kathy about the possible thought of Dinah being responsible for the attack as well as the other threats she's gotten before hand. Kathy would later inform this to her ex-husband Terry Harrison who works at the Wentworth prison, but still remains in denial on it as she doesn't know Dinah. In episode 216, Harrison confronts Walford after looking for her on the street who denies knowing anything about the attack. Instead, she would take him to see a male friend of hers who threatens to beat him up. As it would turn out however, she is indeed the one who attacked Kathy to keep her silent about something she knew about illegal business going on in a pawn shop she went to one night involving Dinah and her gangster friends. In episode 223, she and some of her gangster friends confront Terry Harrison to help them with some business. After one of them witness a conversation between him and Inspector Grace outside of Wentworth, this is looked at the wrong way and Terry is soon killed during a hit-and-run. |
| Kathy Hall | Sue Jones – episodes 213–220 | A woman imprisoned for theft who is heavily involved with the local underworld. She's also the ex-wife of prison officer Terry Harrison (Brian Hannan) who works at the prison during her time there. She also falls victim to harmful attempts by prisoner Dinah Walford (see above) which is unknown at first, to silence her for good on something she knows about illegal business that goes on at the pawn shop Dinah and her friends hang out at that Kathy went to visit one night. After Dinah's release on parole, Bea informs Kathy that she expects Dinah was responsible, and strangely after Dinah is released on parole, the harmful attempts stop, but Kathy still remains in denial on Dinah until Terry Harrison confronts her after being beaten up by Dinah's friends. Kathy admits to being in the pawn shop they hang out at, where she met a man named John who made some secretive business with them. Upon the time of her release, she tries to pull schemes around the prison to keep her from the possible danger on her life on the outside but is unsuccessful. In episode 220 unknowingly to her, Terry Harrison decided to set her up to have her killed as revenge for ending their relationship and losing his unborn child Kathy was pregnant with while having a relationship with another man who was abusive. Terry informs the pawn shop manager by phone (not knowing it's Harrison) on the date of Kathy's release. When she is released towards the end of the episode, she is run over by a hit-and-run driver and dies. Her body is discovered in episode 221 by a prison guard on duty and is taken away by an ambulance. |
| Alison Page | Fay Kelton – episodes 215–227 | A troubled suburban prisoner inside for shoplifting and unhappy at being locked up with "common criminals". She strikes out at some of the other women resulting in some conflict with them, most importantly bumping heads with Doreen. In episode 216 she tries to commit suicide by electrocuting herself but is found by Bea in time and taken to the prison hospital where she recovers. When she does, she is put into sharing a cell with Judy Bryant who isn't pleased. She is also given permission by the Governor to work in the reception area which angers the other women who feels she is being given "special treatment". Bea uses this as a way to get information in exchange for her protection from the other women. But Alison feels uncomfortable doing this and is requested a transfer to the isolation block to be by herself. In the meantime she faces family trouble with her 15-year-old son Chris acting out at school and running away from home temporarily unable to cope with her imprisonment. When her husband Don gets into an accident at work, their teenage son and 10-year-old daughter Susan are fostered by ex-prisoner Myra Desmond. On the day her children are taken care of by their father again who gets out of the hospital, Myra gives Alison some advice on how to cope with the other women in prison when she visits them a couple weeks before her release. This convinces Alison to transfer back to H block to reconcile with the other women and apologises for acting as though she was better than them and they forgive her. Afterwards she clashes in with a newly bitter prison officer Colleen Powell a few times, leading to an assault by Powell to which Alison strikes back at her. Powell presses assault charges, possibly causing Alison to have a longer stay at Wentworth. However Powell decides to drop the charges after the women decide to go on strike regarding the issue, much to Powell's dismay. Alison is then released. |
| Andrea Hennessy | Bethany Lee – episodes 228–236 | A student and political activist who is admitted to Wentworth after assaulting officer Colleen Powell during a demonstration outside the prison. She tries to fight for "true freedom" on the inside such as leaving messages written all over her cell and the rec room; causing her to quickly bump heads with the other women inside. To secure her release, two of her followers kidnap governor Erica Davidson and keep her tied up at their hideout. However, their hideout is discovered by the police who shoot one of the women, killing her. The other, Linda Golman (see below), is taken to Wentworth in episode 233. After her friend Linda commits suicide in her cell, Andrea is pressured by new incoming prisoner Sandy Edwards resulting in the two having a fight. She is later transferred to E block for her own protection. |
| Linda Golman | Mary Charleston – episodes 230–236 | An associate of Andrea Hennessy, who is remanded to Wentworth for her part in the kidnapping of governor Erica Davidson. She changes after being placed in solitary and ends up being very, very depressed. She was then found hanging in Andrea's cell, which is looked at as a suicide, but people wonder if Andrea actually hanged her, which she denies. |
| Sandy Edwards | Louise Le Nay – episodes 235–264 | A cocky gangster's moll, inside for murder. She briefly takes over as Top Dog whilst Bea Smith is away in hospital, inciting a riot with the help of Kate Peterson. During this riot she makes advances to officer Steve Faulkner, who is held hostage. After the riot, the two have an affair. She later disappears after a fixed 'meeting' with Kate Peterson at the rubbish bins, but when the girls are called in Kate returns instead of Sandy. Helen overhears Kate's charge: the murder of Sandy Edwards. |
| Kathryn Elaine "Kate" Peterson ("Doc") | Olivia Hamnett – episodes 235–273 | A former general physician who had poisoned her lover. A refined, intelligent and coolly self-reliant inmate, Kate was one of the few characters on the show that was a "good guy", who later turned "bad". Gently sitting on the fence whilst being involved with lagging to screws, lagging to cops, murder, trafficking drugs, fraud and bribery. Acted as though she was untouchable. She left Wentworth for a mental institution for the criminally insane after being given a death sentence from the rest of the women, realising she had burned all her bridges and succumbing to mental illness, which many of the women had predicted she would do, given that she was more educated than anyone else to fake it. |
| Susan Elaine "Susie" Driscoll | Jacqui Gordon – episodes 260–302| | A young girl who is admitted to Wentworth after she has escaped from all the juvenile institutions she has been placed in. She spent most of her time in Wentworth trying to escape. Due to her young age and innocent nature, she is taken under the collective maternal wing of most of the women, including the sarcastic guard, Colleen Powell. She is later released on her 17th birthday and eventually is led by Donna Mason into prostitution. She is the first resident of the halfway house run by Judy Bryant, which is later named 'Driscoll House'. She eventually moves to the country to live with Joanne Slater. |
| Jackie Louise Donahue | Catherine Lynch – episodes 261–290 | A young prostitute who is picked up by a middle-aged man named Ron Crosby in episode 261 and goes back with him to his motel in a taxi driven by prisoner Judy Bryant (now on parole) - who witnesses Crosby treating Jackie in a harsh manner during the ride. When they get to the motel, Jackie changes her mind going with him which leads to Judy fighting Crosby off who tries to take Jackie with him. During this, Jackie robs the wallet off of him taking all the money inside of it, and leaves the empty wallet in Judy's taxi. When Crosby goes to the police and press charges on both Judy and Jackie for assault and robbery, the police then arrive and search through the home Judy's been staying at and finds the empty wallet in her possession. This leads to Judy being sent back to Wentworth when she is suspected of assaulting and robbing Ron Crosby. Jackie later turns up in Wentworth for a two-week stay on remand on a soliciting charge in episode 280. Judy recognises her and is angry due to her being the cause of her being back in Wentworth. She clashes with the other women in particular Bea Smith who convinces her to tell the Governor the truth about the whole incident to let Judy off. When Jackie decides to write a written confession on what happened, she gets bashed by Doreen and Margo – angering Judy who feels Jackie wouldn't confess now. However Jackie does decides to sign a written confession on the whole incident and Judy is released from Wentworth. She is released from her remand in episode 283 but is seen again in episode 290 when prisoner Susie Driscoll is released and meets her on the street. Jackie takes her for dinner and introduces her to another prostitute Donna Mason. |
| Joanne Slater | Carole Yelland – episodes 273–302 | Imprisoned for parking violations, Susie Driscoll believes her to be her birth mother, however to stop Susie from escaping, the women let Susie believe it. Joanne offers for Susie to stay with her and her family out on their farm. |
| Carol Francis Lewis | Elizabeth Crosby– episodes 276–284 | A young woman imprisoned for shooting her husband Doug, who in turn was responsible for kidnapping prison officer Colleen Powell's daughter Jenny along with his friend Mel. While Jenny was held captive, Carol made sure she was well protected. While trying to contact her parents at their hideout to let them know she was alright, Doug catches her and beats her unconscious. After he rapes Jenny, Carol awakens and scratches Doug. In episode 279, Doug, Mel, and Carol flee from their hideout to stay at a hotel while the police were on to them taking Jenny with them. That night, Carol was fed up with Doug's actions and kills him, later telling Mel to take Jenny and dump her in the middle of nowhere for her protection. Jenny makes her way to the police station and is reunited with her parents. Carol is then sent to Wentworth for killing her husband. Despite saving her daughter, Powell finds her to be just as guilty as her husband by not acting against him sooner. Carol is mistreated by Powell who forces her to do massive chores while she is on remand. Powell goes as far as sabotaging Carol's work efforts on two occasions to turn the women against her; costing them their buy up privileges. This happens temporarily, but prisoner Margo Gaffney has always been convinced that Powell was behind sabotaging Carol and took every chance defending her. Soon, Carol convinces the other women to put the pieces together and they soon start to believe her. Bea confronts Powell who denies everything and threatens to put a charge on her. Carol receives a letter from Jenny who thanks her for helping her out which angers Powell who takes it from her and burns it to keep her from using at her upcoming trial. At the trial, Lewis pleads guilty and Jenny testifies at her trial and tells the truth about her helping her and Doug abusing Carol. Carol gets sentenced to three years which upsets Powell. For her own protection. Carol is transferred over to Barnhurst along with Margo Gaffney due to her gambling activities. |
| Faye Quinn | Anne Lucas – episodes 285–352 | A petty criminal inmate who attempts to take charge of all gambling at Wentworth and the first inmate to actively collude with corrupt officer Joan "The Freak" Ferguson. By episode 287 she's operating as the prison bookie, replacing Margo who's just been transferred to Barnhurst. She is then transferred to another block in episode 313 but makes a return in episode 340. She is pressured by Nola McKenzie to front for her insurance racket and provide cash for Nola's deals. She is released in episode 346 after Joan has forced her to lag on Nola's dealing, and goes to live with her mother, but can't keep away from her old racing friends. Her sister Glynis (Kirsty Child) forbids her to see her nephew Billy who soon turns out to really be her own son. After she gets involved with stealing VCRs from her job, she is caught and returns to Wentworth. She is last seen being reduced to tears after being transferred to C Block and reading a letter from her son, Billy. |
| Hannah Simpson | Julieanne Newbould – episodes 288–303 | A young woman on remand for armed robbery who becomes the first unwilling object of officer Joan "The Freak" Ferguson's Sapphic lust. While she is there, Joan repeatedly has her put in solitary to put pressure on her which makes her unable to take part in an escape planned for her by Duncan Campbell. She was transferred to Barnhurst after her court hearing. |
| Donna Mason | Arkie Whiteley – episodes 290–303 | A doomed heroin addict and prostitute who leads Susie Driscoll astray and manipulates her into joining prostitution. Bea Smith tries to help her get clean cold turkey, as she reminded of her own late daughter Debbie. She later dies in Bea’s arms when she injected herself with spiked drugs. |
| Maxine Daniels | Lisa Crittenden – episodes 297–391 | A young biker frequently inside Wentworth for petty theft. She escaped with Lucy Ferguson but was shot dead by a security guard whilst on the run and trying to escape the scene of a robbery. |
| Barbara Fields | Susan Guerin – episodes 300–326) | A devious middle-class woman imprisoned after being caught with embezzled funds from the shoe factory where she worked. Barbara is the first Wentworth inmate to pose a threat to Joan Ferguson after she acquires the Freak's secret diaries full of incriminating evidence of the cold screw's dodgy dealings. During the Great Fire she tries to recover the diaries from Erica's office but collapses and dies. |
| Paddy Lawson | Anna Hruby – episodes 304–339 | A highly aggressive young woman imprisoned for assaulting a colleague after they got locked into a storage room together during an office party. It is eventually discovered that Paddy's violent behaviour is a result of claustrophobia. After this, she settles down and becomes a good friend of Bea Smith. After Paddy exposed escaped murderer Nola McKenzie's involvement in a bank robbery, McKenzie callously murdered Paddy by drowning, incurring Bea's wrath. |
| Penny Seymour | Joy Dunstan – episodes 307–309 | A young woman imprisoned for prostitution. After she was released, she fell victim of the Black Gloved Killer who broke her neck and left her dead in an alley. |
| Tina Lee Gibson | Debbie Cumming – episodes 310–311 | A young woman sentenced for seven days in Wentworth for prostitution. She arrives with returning prisoner Helen Smart and afterwards soon bumps heads with Joan Ferguson who lets her in on her dislike for prostitutes. Both she and Helen are released together where Tina then goes back on the streets. She then becomes the second victim of the Black Gloved Killer. |
| Sally Dempster | Liz Harris – episodes 313–320 | A neurotic, alcoholic middle-class housewife imprisoned trying to run down her neglectful husband after an argument in episode 316. Like Gail Summers, she too was given rough treatment by the other women after she revealed she abused her daughter Michelle. She attempts suicide in her cell but is saved by Colleen Powell. Colleen makes Sally's husband realise that his selfish behaviour provoked Sally's actions and in episode 320 he gets Sally released and they reconcile and she reunites with their daughter. |
| Jeannie Stanton | Rona McLeod – episodes 325–329 | A pregnant prisoner whose baby is delivered by Bea Smith and Chrissie Latham in a men's prison (as the men rioted). |
| Valerie Jacobs | Barbara Angell – episodes 330–332 | An old friend of Deputy Governor Colleen Powell having stolen goods for her boyfriend to sell in his shop. |
| Jean Carter/Nola McKenzie | Carole Skinner – episodes 331–369, | A double murderer who had escaped from death row in Western Australia. Possibly Bea Smith's deadliest rival. She is first introduced as Jean Carter, who takes refuge at Judy's halfway house, however she gets arrested for knocking a cop unconscious at the house, who was coming close to revealing her true identity. It was later revealed at Wentworth and why she faced a death penalty in Western Australia; for killing a cop there. She angered Bea after callously murdering Paddy Lawson by drowning her in a wash basin. Bea brands Nola with a soldering iron. She eventually tries to drive Bea insane with the aid of the Freak and Zara Moonbeam, until Bea eliminated her by shooting her with a Zip Gun. |
| Trixie Mann | Anna Mizza – episodes 311–340 | A young woman imprisoned for prostitution who becomes a brief offsider of Nola McKenzie. She was released. |
| Ruth Shaw | Mary Murphy – episodes 343–537 | A prisoner first seen showing hatred towards Nola McKenzie after Bea tells the prisoners that she had branded her in revenge of her killing Paddy. Shaw is later caught with some of Nola's stolen cigarettes taken from the storage room given to her by Faye Quinn who is trying to sell items to make money for her and Nola while operating an insurance scheme. After her appearances during the Nola McKenzie storyline, Shaw makes more frequent appearances on the show playing minor roles until episode 537. |
| Janice Young | Catherine Wilkin – episodes 344–352, | A proud suburban wife and mother imprisoned for refusing to pay a court fine. Her husband Chris (Roger Oakley) becomes involved with deputy governor Colleen Powell while she is inside. |
| Roxanne Bradshaw | Peppie D'Or – episodes 345–381 | A friend of Maxine Daniels who is the courier when Maxine, Nola and the Freak are smuggling goods into the prison. She is later admitted to Wentworth for receiving stolen goods and is pregnant after agreeing to a surrogacy arrangement with a middle-class couple. Once she gives birth, she is transferred to Barnhurst. |
| Jill Clark | Katy Brinson – episodes 348–353 | A departmental employee posing as an inmate in order to conduct a covert investigation of the prison. |
| Lainie Dobson | Marina Finlay – episodes 354–366 | A tattoo-covered shoplifter who turns to drugs while inside. She is admitted with 'Ellen' Farmer and the two are thought to be having a homosexual relationship, however it is discovered that 'Ellen' is really Allan. She tries to remove her tattoos by dipping her cut arms into caustic soda. She was released. |
| Allan "Ellen" Farmer | Michael Cormick – episodes 354–360, | A shy woman who is brought to Wentworth alongside Lainie Dobson. Lainie first refers to her as shy. Joan later finds Ellen and Lainie in bed together, Joan assumes it's a homosexual relationship. in the shower blocks Helen Smart discovers that Ellen is a man. He claims that the police had a mix-up and then just went with it. Meg discovers that Ellen is Allan after Maxine tries to seduce him. He is later released so the department does not face causing a mix-up like that. Judy later visits him to make sure he is still waiting for Lainie. |
| Diane Henley | Rhonda Cressey – episodes 355–361 | An illiterate prisoner whose plight highlights the lack of educational facilities at Wentworth. She is taught to read by the prison's new teacher John Maxwell who stays for a brief time period. |
| Denise Tyler | Geraldene Morrow – episodes 361–367 | A working-class single mother on remand for apparently killing one of her sons. It is later revealed by Judy she was covering for her other eight-year-old son and is therefore released. |
| Zara Moonbeam | Ilona Rodgers – episodes 362–370 | On remand for fraud. Zara claims to be a medium with "second sight" and becomes embroiled in a scheme by Joan Ferguson and Nola McKenzie to drive Bea Smith insane. She was released. |
| Tracey Belman | Alyson Best – episodes 368–372 | A paraplegic prisoner who poisoned her husband after a car crash which left her using a wheelchair. Joan is assigned special care of Tracey, but after learning Joan is a lesbian, she accuses her of attempting to kiss her when she is awoken from a nightmare. Joan Ferguson proved everyone wrong when she caused Tracy to reveal she could walk and did not need a wheelchair. She is sentenced to three years and transferred to Barnhurst. |
| Maggie May Kennedy (née Mullins) | Davina Whitehouse – episodes 371–376 | A geriatric drug mule convicted for smuggling heroin, who turns out to be an old friend of Lizzie Birdsworth. At first convinces the women she was carrying diamonds, however after her and Bea smuggle out a letter to the newspaper regarding imprisonment of older people, it is revealed that this was at least the third time but the first time she was caught. She applies for an extradition back to the USA where she believes her "press friends" will help her get a release. When she receives the extradition order, Ted Douglas informs her it is on condition that she carries out her full twenty-year sentence. |
| Carol Colsen | Merrin Canning – episodes 373–377 | The next-door neighbour of Joan Ferguson and an abused housewife who finally snaps and kills her husband as Joan enters the house. She holds her daughter Jill and Joan hostage. Once admitted to Wentworth, the women don't look favourably upon her for threatening her daughter. Joan takes Jill under her wing and brings her in to see her mother, but upon Jill's rejection, Carol hangs herself in her cell with her stockings. |
| Laura Gardiner/Brandy Carter | Roslyn Gentle – episodes 373–382 | Admitted to Wentworth as a surly, antagonistic prostitute named Brandy, officer Meg Morris recognises her as a meek librarian named Laura. After Laura tries to commit suicide in an attempt to get a rid of Brandy, a third personality emerges after recovery who calls herself Susan. However, it is not simply a case of a woman living a triple life as it soon becomes apparent that Laura/Brandy is schizophrenic. During a psychiatric examination, Laura manages to "get rid" of Brandy (though the whereabouts regarding "Susan" are never covered) and is sent off to a mental hospital. |
| Frances Harvey | Wanda Davidson – episodes 373–525 | A tough heavy who is introduced as a halfway house resident but ends up in Wentworth without an explanation in episode 384. She bashes Hannah Geldschmidt with Alice Jenkins in episode 453 and is responsible for killing Sarah Higgins later on, but the case gets closed and she is never charged with the murder. Her last appearance is as a punch-bag when Myra Desmond bashes Lou Kelly's heavies to isolate her. |
| Sandra Louise "Pixie" Mason | Judy McBurney – episodes 377–510 recap episode 534 | A flighty, romantic inmate initially admitted on bigamy charges. She applied for a job on the outside and still kept the job after the owners found out that she was a prisoner. Pixie was cruelly raped by Frank Burke, but her friends and Joan Ferguson helped set up evil screw, Len Murphy, for the rape. She never recovered from her ordeal with Frank and was transferred to Ingleside. |
| Gerri Doogan | Deborah Kennedy – episodes 381–382) | Brought to Wentworth on soliciting charges, but she is really a plant attempting to recover the photo of Lionel Fellowes paying a bribe. Bea tricks her into exposing her hand too soon by pretending to have hidden the photo in a lump of modelling clay. |
| Petra Roberts | Penny Maegraith– episodes 383–407 | A former teacher remanded to Wentworth for murdering her father. It is revealed he raped her and her younger sister. She was engaged to prison doctor Scott Collins. Once her sister is found dead, Petra reveals that she was actually not the murderer, but covered for her younger sister. Her storyline was basically a re-hash of the Karen Travers one from several years earlier. She was released. |
| Sharon Smart | Liddy Clark – episodes 383–388 | The younger sister of Helen Smart who becomes involved with a crooked religious cult. When Helen, Judy, a former cult member and deprogramming man lock her in the Driscoll House attic to help de-program her, she stabs and kills the man helping. She is charged and ultimately convicted of murder but is sentenced to probation due to being held against her will. |
| Lucy Ferguson | Yoni Prior – episodes 385–389 | The niece of officer Joan Ferguson who arrives inside on drug charges. She breaks into Joan's house, persuades her to let her stay while she looks for a job and to lend her money to buy new clothes for an interview. She buys drugs, which she and her boyfriend hide in Joan's house until they can deal them. Lucy is arrested for possession but comes in under the last name "Walker" to keep hidden her relationship with Joan, but uses this to blackmail her in the process so she'll do her favours. She manages to escape from Wentworth in a laundry truck along with Maxine Daniels with the help of Joan herself. |
| Glynis Ladd | Debbie Cumming – episodes 389–391 | A dealer and junkie who admits she has previously been inside Barnhurst. She develops the tropical disease Lassa fever causing Wentworth to be locked under quarantine. Shortly after, she dies. |
| Rosemary Kaye | Jodie Yemm – episodes 391–402 | A naïve country girl who comes to the city looking for work and has all of her money stolen. Wally then sends her to a boarding house where she is sexually harassed by Rod Miller, a supermarket manager and one of the residents of the boarding house; after she bashes him with an ashtray, he presses charges against her and she ends up in Wentworth on remand. After Wally manages to convince Rod to drop the charges against her, she is released and returns to the country to get married. |
| Sonia Elizabeth Stevens | Tina Bursill – episodes 394–447 | A cool vice queen who had operated a protection racket fleecing prostitutes whilst maintaining cover as a policeman's wife. Imprisoned for heroin trafficking and soon took over as Top Dog before Bea was sent to Barnhurst. Her position was taken over by Minnie Donovan for a short time while Judy and Helen ensured Sonia would not return to be Top Dog. She escaped and was last seen standing on a clifftop, but we later see bullets through the window of her car which might explain she was shot down by the criminal Renner or by her husband Eddie's people. |
| Randi Goodlove | Zoe Bertram – episodes 394–414 | A mercenary, high-class prostitute who crosses swords with officer Meg Morris when she tries to manipulate her son Marty (Andrew McKaige) into marriage as a cover for her prostitution. Randi fell victim to murderous officer David Bridges; she was killed and stashed high above the infrastructure in the boiler room which is never discovered by the staff or prisoners. |
| Cass Parker | Babs McMillan – episodes 401–460 Recap ep 534), | A gentle-natured farmer's daughter imprisoned for manslaughter. She is introduced when she is transferred from Barnhurst (where she was initially incarcerated) after killing an officer there. She is taken to Wentworth to finish her sentence and it soon becomes apparent that her docile demeanour hides a violent temper and a tendency to lose control. During her time, she decapitated murderous officer David Bridges with a garden spade when he tried to kill her. She subsequently became friends with both Minnie Donovan and Bobbie Mitchell. She was later transferred to a mental hospital after attempting to strangle officer Dennis Cruikshank when he caused Bobbie to miscarry her baby. |
| Louise Jane 'Lou' Kelly | Louise Siversen – episodes 404–616 | A vicious prison thug and perhaps the most violent agitator in H Block during the later years of the series. She starts out as a background prisoner making casual appearances before being put into the spotlight in episode 452. She led a riot in which she killed Eve Wilder, the Phantom Lagger, but was later killed while in solitary, being beaten to death with a glass bottle by Janet "Maggot" Williams. Lou escaped after the riot she caused by faking a murder attempt by cutting herself with a knife, setting up Rita Connors. While she escaped she was raped by Alice Jenkins's brother and killed him and his mother. |
| Minerva Edith "Minnie" Donovan | Wendy Playfair – episodes 405–437 | An elderly woman who had been a foster carer and had organised her charges into a team of shoplifters. Became the series' most unorthodox Top Dog. She is transferred to B Block after spending an 'escape day' with Bobbie Mitchell in a country town following the glee club singing competition. |
| Roberta "Bobbie" Mitchell | Maxine Klibingaitis – episodes 405–533 | A streetwise and rebellious youngster and punk imprisoned for shoplifting and assault. Accused of pushing Reb over the catwalk but cleared of the charge. Bobbie is eventually released in episode 513. She later returns for a special one-off appearance for Marlene's wedding in episode 533. |
| Brenda Hewitt | Carmen Warrington – episodes 408–416 | A talented forger working for the local underworld who is involved in a brief business partnership with Sonia Stevens while inside. |
| Belinda Margaret Johns | Jane Turner – episodes 414–428 | An embittered blind woman who gets herself imprisoned to take revenge on Sonia Stevens, whose protection racket partner left her blind after a bashing. She was transferred to another cell block and away from Sonia after an attempted bashing which involved a wrench. |
| Sarah Higgins - "Hangin' Higgins" | Nell Johnson – episodes 416–499 | Visiting Justice notorious for her tough attitude and the harsh sentences she gives out to the prisoners. Sarah gets a taste of life on the other side of the bars when she is remanded on corruption charges. Tried by the inmates and shunned. She is then found with her throat slit, which turns out to have been done by prisoner Frances Harvey. |
| Alice "Lurch" Jenkins | Lois Collinder – episodes 419–692 | A prisoner who, like many, graduated from a small non-speaking part into a more fleshed-out role. Alice makes her spotlight appearance in episode 448. Her character, initially a thug, later mellowed and became an ally of Rita Connors after the riot she took part in, realising Lou was no good for her and what she did was wrong. This was further consolidated after Lou killed Alice's brother and mother. Lou was also raped by Alice's brother while escaped. |
| Marge Briggs | Christine Best – episodes 419–534 | Transferred from D block by Joan to act as muscle for Sonia. She manages to goad Cass into a fight. Seen over a year later as a prisoner waiting for her parole decision and mentions Hazel to Judy. Despite her bitter comments, Alice tells us later she does get parole. |
| Rebecca Anne "Reb" Kean | Janet Andrewartha – episodes 422–589 | A tough inmate who played rival to Top Dog Myra Desmond. She was born into money, but rebelled against her wealthy family. She also pushed Joan Ferguson off the catwalk in self-defence and was also pushed off the catwalk by Marie Winter. She was transferred to Blackmoor after attacking Myra and assaulted Joan swearing to her that she will be back. She was returned to Wentworth later in the series, a changed character following electric shock treatment and a bashing from evil Blackmoor officer Cynthia Leech. She is released after she is cleared of the attack on Joyce Barry. |
| Mo Maguire | Bronwyn Gibbs – episodes 428–432 | Antagonistic remand prisoner protesting her innocence of a burglary charge. She was released along Camilla Wells. |
| Camilla Wells | Annette Andre – episodes 429–432 | A radio show hostess and journalist who arrives at Wentworth as a "celebrity" inmate for not paying a parking fine. She was released. |
| Meryl King | Marilyn Maguire– episodes 429–432 | A prostitute imprisoned for drug possession with links to the local underworld. She was released and later shot dead. |
| Gloria Payne | Tottie Goldsmith – episodes 430–445 | A trouble-making inmate and early antagonist of new Top Dog Myra Desmond, having been her husband's mistress on the outside. She was last seen suffering in hospital after having boiling water tipped on her by Phyllis, attempting to frame Myra. |
| Sarah Webster | Fiona Paul – episodes 433–441 | A young single mother who finds herself remanded to Wentworth after sheltering her old friend Reb Kean while she is on the run. She is later released when she was cleared of a murder charge. |
| Diana Hardy | Julia Gardner – episode 445 | A remand prisoner put into uniform by Meg due to her pill-induced amnesia. She is quickly transferred to another prison. |
| Rachel Millsom | Kim Trengove – episodes 450–472 | A young woman whose story began on the outside before she is sent to Wentworth. She is introduced as working at a goods shop with her elderly father and soon begins a relationship with officer Rick Manning. In episode 454 her father is hit and killed by a drunk driver named Trevor Priest. Priest tries to manipulate Rachel by offering her money and condolences in return for her not having him prosecuted. Rachel testifies against him but he manipulates the court and is found not guilty. After a final confrontation with Priest outside court, Rachel runs him over and kills him at the end of episode 457. She is remanded to Wentworth and is subsequently transferred to a prison farm in episode 472 after her trial to continue her sentence. |
| Hannah Geldschmidt | Agnieszka Perepeczko – episodes 451–456 | An East German Jewish concentration camp survivor and illegal immigrant who arrives at Wentworth awaiting extradition back to East Germany. |
| Leigh Templar | Virginia Hey – episodes 457–470 | A glamorous fashion model remanded to Wentworth after killing her manager, who had been blackmailing her with some porn films she had made at the start of her career. After Ann Reynolds is dismissed from the prison thanks to Joan Ferguson and scheming inmate Marie Winter, Templar uses her influence to get her reinstated, thanks in part to Ann saving her life during the riot started by Winter. As a result, Templar gets a two-year probation bond and leaves the prison with high gratitude from Ann. |
| Marlene "Rabbit" Warren (later Delaney) | Genevieve Lemon – episodes 461–534 | A juvenile prankster imprisoned for manslaughter after a practical joke of throwing stones at cars went tragically wrong. When new officer Heather Rogers is introduced to the women, Marlene realises that they went to the same school together and makes her a target for her practical jokes. Another joke intended for Marie Winter earns her first bashing, when she loosens Marie's bed so that it will collapse and finds her stash of drugs. Marie then forces Marlene to give her information on Heather and her family which she uses to blackmail Heather to smuggle drugs into the prison for her. Marlene starts running books on whatever comes to her mind, including Pixie's knowledge of the Bible and cockroach racing. Her father’s gift of the Guinness Book of World Records gives her the idea to start a charity fundraising waltzing marathon to support deaf children. Marlene falls in love with and marries Matt Delaney (one of the Woodridge prisoners who had been transferred to Wentworth temporarily). After the ceremony Marlene is released and Matt is sent to a prison farm to serve the remainder of his sentence. |
| Dot Farrar | Alethea McGrath – episodes 462–486 | An elderly, hypochondriac prisoner who had served years inside. Generally regarded as a nuisance by the other women. After being poisoned by fellow prisoner Angela Adams, she was transferred to the prison farm. |
| Edna May Pearson | Vivean Gray – episodes 463–468 | A genteel woman imprisoned for trying to poison her second husband. Most UK viewers saw Edna arrive, do very little and then disappear. (Note: the episodes featuring Edna Pearson were edited to remove all her scenes after a woman who had been acquitted of a similar offence threatened to sue Grundy's, claiming similarities between the character and her own case. The complete storyline has been screened in certain subsequent international screenings but is missing from the SHOCK DVD box set release. However, recently all the Edna Pearson episodes have been re-released uncut on their own DVD set from SHOCK). Edna appeared all sweet and genteel, having hated being called a poisoner. She gets most of the women, and even officers, onside by convincing them she is innocent. She tells the women her first husband died by taking poison after dealing with illness, which she claims was suicide and the reason she was arrested for apparently attempting to poison her second husband which she swears she hasn't done. The women mostly still believe she is innocent and support Edna with her appeal to get her released, however when she lets something slip to Marlene which makes it clear she did indeed poison her husband she then tries to poison Marlene multiple times despite Marlene not even hearing what Edna had said. She also accidentally poisons Alice and Frances by lacing drink which was meant for Marlene. In episode 468 Meg Morris tells Edna her appeal has been successful and she is being released immediately with no further charges. Only once Edna has gone (ep 469) do Marlene and the others put together the pieces and realise Edna was indeed as guilty as hell. |
| Diedre Kean | Anne Charleston – episodes 464–492 | Reb Kean's estranged socialite mother, first seen when she tries to persuade Reb to see her father who is dying of multiple sclerosis. She visits Reb when she is hospitalised after a bashing from Marie Winter to tell her that her father has left all her money to her and she helps her escape, but worried that she might die without medical treatment she informs the police of her whereabouts and ends up in Wentworth with Reb. Whilst she is in Wentworth she is tortured by Frances, Alice and Lou but Reb refuses to help her and even joins in by salting her food and pushing her face into it. Myra eventually manages to persuade Reb to take notice of her mother after she is severely beaten by some of the women. Reb and Diedre reconcile just before someone mysteriously posts her bail and she is released. When Lou Kelly escapes, she seeks refuge with Diedre and holds her hostage in her house and later visits Reb to tell her what happened. |
| Beverly "Bev The Beast" Baker | Maggie Dence – episodes 472–477 | An infamous serial killer, dubbed "The Beast" by the tabloids, who terrifies both staff and inmates alike as it transpires she hurts and kills people simply because it gives her a 'high'. After a reign of terror inside Wentworth (which includes cutting open Bobbie's hands with a razor and deliberately burning Judy Bryant with a soldering iron), she eventually kills new social worker Rob Summerton by stabbing him with a knitting needle. Soon after this, Bev commits suicide by injecting herself with an empty hypodermic needle in front of Judy Bryant and Ann Reynolds. |
| Angela "Angel" Adams | Kylie Foster – episodes 477–488 | A "sweet and innocent" young girl imprisoned for her involvement in her boyfriend’s crimes signing fraudulent dole cheques. She turns out to be a vicious and manipulative monster. Whilst in Wentworth she takes an interest in the social worker Phil Cleary who was dating Meg and sets her up to be raped. Mrs Adams, her grandmother visits her in Wentworth to reveal her true colours to Mrs Reynolds and her suspicions that the fire in which Angela's parents were killed was started deliberately. She was ostracised by the women and had all of her hair chopped off after she poisoned fellow prisoner Dot Farrar. After stabbing The Freak and putting caustic soda in the women's shampoo bottles she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital. |
| Kath Deacon | Michele Sargent – episodes 481–557 | One of Lou Kelly's gang. Lures Myra to be set-up for the murder of Joan Ferguson, which is unsuccessful. |
| Kerryn Adele Davies | Jill Forster – episodes 485–495 | A white-collar fraudster who finds it hard to cope being in prison and separated from her husband. Hangs herself after going through "the change" and being rejected by her husband. |
| Samantha "Sam" Greenway | Robyn Gibbes – episodes 495–520 | A young arts student framed for drug possession. While she is in prison, she asks for her real parents to be traced and finds out that her real name is Julie Ann Cameron. After being denied permission to see her mother, she escapes from Wentworth to visit her and meets her sister Sally as well. Sally is happy to see Sam but her mother tells Sam that she wants nothing to do with her and orders her to leave. A heartbroken Sam promptly turns herself in and is taken back to Wentworth where Ann Reynolds admits that shortly after Sam's incarceration, she talked to her mother who said adamantly that she did not want to see Sam. Ann said she didn't tell Sam this because she thought Sally could convince her mother to come around. Sally later visits Sam to try to explain about why her mother rejected her and says she can still be her sister but Sam tells Sally that if she doesn't have a mother then she doesn't have a sister either. Shortly after this, Sam died when she was electrocuted by a wired door handle which had been set up for Myra by Lou Kelly and Alice Jenkins. |
| Matt Delaney | Peter Bensley – episodes 499–533 | One of a trio of male prisoners transferred to Wentworth for their own safety after they had foiled a mass break-out attempt. A softer touch than the other two male prisoners, he is suspected of being gay, however eventually falls in love and marries Marlene Warren. |
| Geoff Macrae | Leslie Dayman – episodes 500–556 | The unofficial Top Dog of the male inmates transferred from Woodridge men's prison. Becomes romantically involved with Top Dog Myra Desmond. He was last seen at Myra's funeral. |
| Francis Joseph "Frank" Burke | Trevor Kent – episodes 500–555 | The last of the male Woodridge inmates moved to Wentworth, Frank is a convicted rapist and all-round villain. Raped Pixie Mason. He escaped and eventually took his revenge on Dennis Cruikshank by shooting him, leaving him paralysed. |
| Yemil Bakarta | Maria Mercedes – episodes 504–516 | A Middle Eastern Islamic inmate charged with causing a car accident when attempting to escape from her brutal husband. Attacks Dennis Cruickshank, believing it to be Frank Burke, although Judy takes the blame. She is released on a bond, but later sends a letter to Ann telling her that Judy was innocent to pave the way for her release. |
| Alexis "Lexie" Patterson | Pepe Trevor – episodes 509–650 | A loud-mouth punk and card-shark, who spent her first few months in Boy George-style garb. (Note: With George's change in image and subsequent fall from favour occurring prior to Lexie's on-air debut in February 1985, these episodes already seemed dated at the time of first broadcast.) Meets her real mother inside for the first time, Jessie Windom. Suspected of being the Phantom lagger, Lexie escapes and is hunted down by the same killer of Nora Flynn. She is later released with Nancy McCormack and given a very social farewell from Rita, Alice and Lorelei. |
| Ethel May "Ettie" Parslow | Lois Ramsay – episodes 514–600) | A senile old dear who turns out to have been imprisoned since the Second World War due to a bureaucratic mix-up. Develops a close relationship with officer Meg Morris when it turns out that Ettie nursed her as a newborn baby in prison. After getting released and $250,000 compensation, she manages to get herself put back inside by accidentally shooting a police officer. Is released again, and decides to run a halfway house, where Ann Reynolds briefly works. She was last seen begging to be let into Wentworth to see Julie Egbert on her birthday. |
| Janice Mary Grant | Jenny Ludlam – episodes 514–528 | A sophisticated solicitor imprisoned for dangerous driving. It turns out that Janice is an alcoholic suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Lou Kelly quickly catches onto her alcoholism and supplies her with methylated spirits. Despite Myra and Ettie's attempts to sober her up, she manages to get alcohol from Lou, Alice and Frank. Janice takes an interest in Ettie's case and reveals to her that she has been imprisoned for 45 years without a trial and pushes for her to be compensated. Alice and Lexie force her to drink grain alcohol and she is sent to a psychiatric ward, where Ettie pays for her to receive the best possible treatment. |
| Sheila "Shelly" Brady | Colleen Hewett episodes 519–534) | A misfit remand inmate inside for heroin possession with a secret singing talent. The women struggle with her 'odour' initially. Found not guilty and released – but is seen on TV by Judy shortly after, having turned 'Pixie's Song' into a chart hit. Judy tries to sue her until they come to an agreement that she will write an album of songs for Sheila and join her on tour. Last seen driving off with Judy for stardom. Her version of 'Pixie's Song', is the only other piece of music ever to close an episode of the series. |
| Anita Selby | Diane Craig – episodes 526–536), | A Catholic nun imprisoned for causing a disturbance at a nuclear disarmament demonstration. Anita's overall goodness and willingness to seek such virtue in others brought about a brief moral chaos to Wentworth, its prisoners and staff. In particular she proved to be the perfect character foil for cellmate Lou Kelly and evil officer Joan Ferguson. She was released on bail and last seen having a heart to heart with Joan Ferguson. |
| Nora Flynn | Sonja Tallis – episodes 537–588) | A long-term, self-reformed prisoner transferred from Barnhurst. She acts as the new Top Dog after the death of Myra Desmond. She had served 23 years for her involvement in the thrill-kill murder of three hitch-hikers. Perhaps inspired by the situation of the Charles Manson gang members, despite appearing to be self-reformed Flynn is repeatedly denied parole. When she arrives she has already escaped once from prison, and in doing so managed to get herself pregnant, but a scuffle with Lou denies Nora her dream of becoming a mother. Later learns her mother has died, and with little left to live for, she executes a mysterious escape from prison. Later her murdered corpse is dumped outside the prison: it transpires that after her escape she had been hunted down and killed by an ex-policeman serial killer with a grudge against prisoners. |
| "Auntie" May Collins | Billie Hammerberg – episodes 537–587) | An earthy career criminal who was a famous cat burglar. Although getting on in years, May is a tough lady who watches out for the more vulnerable, younger prisoners. After her "escape", she works with a gang to rob an art gallery and after much disagreement she is shot in her chest. |
| Wilhelmina "Willie" Beecham | Kirsty Child – episodes 537–682 | May Collins' partner-in-crime. Willie was a fence on the outside and runs a bartering business in prison. Willie is something of a snob, and often antagonises the women with her supercilious attitude. When offered the opportunity of a full pardon, May and Willie worked with the police to try to expose a new criminal syndicate, when May was shot and killed, Willie made sure everyone at Wentworth knew and left the series feeling she no longer had anyone who cared for her. She returned for a surprising, one-off appearance later in the series as an employee which Joan goes to see for a job. |
| Julie "Chook" Egbert (later Ryan) | Jackie Woodburne – episodes 537–628), | A shy but highly intelligent young girl who had stolen from her workplace to help her terminally ill mother who later dies. She is transferred back to Barnhurst until her release so she can live with her new husband, Steve Ryan. |
| Daphne "Daffy" Graham | Debra Lawrance – episodes 537–590 | A garden-loving inmate who had been a juvenile offender before ending up in prison. It is later discovered that Daphne's crime and her subsequent self-harming in prison is linked to extreme PMT. Ben Fulbright, later to marry Pippa Reynolds, fought for her release on these grounds and she left Wentworth. Briefly was seen on TV making her case known to the public. Acts as 'PA' to Ruth Ballinger during her time in Wentworth. |
| Ruth Ballinger | Lindy Davies – episodes 538–552 | The shady wife of an international drugs baron remanded to Wentworth with special privileges in the hope that she will assist the Federal Police with their efforts to nail her husband's drug trade. One of the few prisoners to really ruffle the feathers of The Freak when she discovers among her crimes she was involved with child pornography. Ruth's time in the series climaxes in a three-episode-long terrorist siege when her husband sends a team of armed mercenaries to spring her from the prison. After the successful escape, she is caught at the airport and is transferred to Blackmoor. (Joan phones Cynthia Leach to have Ruth 'taken care of'). Seen as ruthless and cold, the only other prisoner to seemingly 'soften' Ruth up during her spell in Wentworth is Daphne Graham as Daphne acts as a sort of PA to Ruth and Ruth seems to genuinely hold some care for her; for instance, whilst giving free handouts to the fellow women, Daphne is given a whole cell full of plants in return for her work. |
| Jennifer Elise "Jenny" Hartley | Jenny Lovell – episodes 540–588 | A young woman on remand protesting her innocence of the murder of her wealthy grandmother. Initially introduced as a friend of Pippa Reynolds, she is also a professional piano player, who teaches Daphne Graham to play. Shortly after her arrival at Wentworth, a group of terrorists break into the prison to help Ruth Ballinger escape and torture her by putting an unloaded gun to her head and pulling the trigger. After she finds out that her lawyer is being paid off by her aunt to conceal evidence, she fires him and appoints a detective, Howard Simmons suggested by May Collins who investigates the case. Grows in strength and character through her time in the prison. She was released after her uncle was arrested for murdering her aunt and confessed to her grandmothers murder. She was last seen when she decides to leave Ann's house to look for a flat of her own. |
| Queenie Marshall | Marilyn Rodgers – episodes 556–573 | Sassy prostitute who later becomes a friend to the women on the outside when they need her help to ensure that Nikki Lennox does not end up in prison. Queenie also led to Andrew Fry's resignation as he was known as her "best" customer. |
| Nicole "Nikki" Lennox | Vicki Mathios – episodes 568–574 | The self-imposed leader of the juvenile delinquents sent to Wentworth to spend time with convicted criminals as part of a "scared straight" scheme. She became an enemy of Lexie Patterson when she cheated at a game of cards and they broke out in a fight. Nora, May & Willie teamed up with Queenie Marshall on the outside to make sure she would never return to the prison. |
| Cindy Moran | Robyn Frank – episodes 568–574 | Another juvenile offender sent to Wentworth to be "scared straight". Attacked May, discovered Daphne having hanged herself amongst other things that worked to ensure she would not return to prison. |
| Lisa Snell | Liza Bermingham - episodes 568-569 | Another juvenile offender sent to Wentworth to be "scared straight". Couldn't cope with life on the inside and asked Ann Reynolds to send her home. |
| Joanna "Jo" James | Nicole Dixon - episodes 568–569) | Another juvenile offender sent to Wentworth to be "scared straight". Forced to participate in the robbery of a pharmacy by Nikki and was caught by the police, whilst Nikki made her escape. Transferred to a young offenders' centre. |
| Eve Marie Wilder | Lynda Stoner – episodes 574–600 | A beautiful, but sinister socialite who arrives in Wentworth protesting her innocence at having shot the man she had been having an affair with, claiming she mistook him for a burglar. Her innocent act gains her enough popularity with the women to be asked to host a beauty/talent contest. After her first solicitor Adrian Forster tells her the police can't find any bullets where she claims to have shot Robin, Eve asks for another solicitor and gets appointed David Adams. Eve finds out from Pippa Reynolds that David's marriage has just broken up and a flashback occurs where we find out that Eve really shot Robin after he told her that their love affair was over. Eve starts manipulating David Adams by flirting with him and persuades him to go to her apartment and destroy any incriminating evidence. After she finds out that officer Joyce Barry has been listening in on their conversations she batters her unconscious with the door, drags her into a cell and bashes her with a kettle, letting Reb Kean take the blame. She tries to convince David to finish her off whilst she is in a coma but he can't go through with it and leaves a note for Ann Reynolds before shooting himself in front of Eve. A series of notes are later found around the prison informing the officers of the prisoners activity signed "the phantom lagger", and Eve joins forces with Lou Kelly to try to discover the identity of the phantom lagger. Eve starts trading information with Joan Ferguson. Unfortunately, Alice overhears one conversation between Eve and Joan in which Eve admits that she was the phantom lagger. As a result, Eve is killed by Lou Kelly by hanging during the riot of episode 600. |
| Rita "The Beater" Connors | Glenda Linscott – episodes 585–692 | A spirited bikie, nicknamed "Rita the Beater" who arrives inside for grievous bodily harm and becomes the show's third long-running Top Dog. She also brought down The Freak. Stepped down from Top Dog when she contracted terminal cancer. |
| Barbara "Barbie" Cox | Jayne Healey – episodes 586–602 | A daffy young woman whose vocabulary is limited to "Hi-de-hi!" and "Naughty, naughty!" As part of a running joke, it is never revealed why Barbie is in prison. She is released with Jesse Windom, but returns the following episode to throw tennis balls, filled with alcohol, to the women. |
| Nancy May McCormack | Julia Blake – episodes 589–650 | A demure, dignified housewife imprisoned for killing her abusive husband. In fact, Nancy is covering up for her son, who had accidentally killed his father during a fight. She is released alongside Lexie Patterson. |
| Jessie Windom | Pat Evison – episodes 589–620 | A no-nonsense, resourceful former brothel madam who deliberately gets herself imprisoned in order to search for the daughter she gave away years before – Lexie Patterson. She is released and later takes Lexie's son until Lexie is released. |
| Ida Brown | Paddy Burnet – episodes 592–691 | Rita Connors' formidable elderly auntie involved with her niece's biker gang. She is last seen visiting Rita in 691. |
| Fay Donnelly | Maud Clark – episodes 594–601 | Tall lanky prisoner, a crony of Lou Kelly's. |
| Rachel "Roach" Waters | Linda Hartley – episodes 595–643 | A young punk inside for armed robbery. "Roach" is the girlfriend of Rita Connors' brother Bongo (Shane Connor). She escaped while on work release. |
| Wendy Stone | Vivien Davies – episodes 598–601 | Short prisoner with wild hair (and teeth) supporting Lou Kelly together with Faye Donnelly during the riots. She is first seen in episode 598, and bashes Julie badly in episode 600, which results in Julie and Dr. Steve becoming involved when he gives her medical attention. When the riots ended Wendy and Faye got transferred to D Block and never returned. |
| Janet "Maggot" Williams | Christine Earle – episodes 599–639 | A second-rate prison thug who becomes an offsider to a number of the wannabe Top Dogs at Wentworth. She murdered Lou Kelly. She is later transferred to A Block following a bashing from Kath Maxwell. |
| Katherine Lorraine "Kath" Maxwell | Kate Hood – episodes 601–692 | A middle-class woman committed for killing her terminally ill, handicapped daughter. Initially brutalised by the other women, Kath toughens up and becomes Rita Connors' main rival for the Top Dog position. She is the last Top Dog of the series. |
| Vicki McPherson | Rebecca Dines – episodes 608–692 | A wisecracking inmate who becomes an ally to Kath Maxwell and "Spider" Simpson. |
| Lurlene "Lorelei" Wilkinson | Paula Duncan – episodes 623–677 | A vivacious con-woman imprisoned for posing as a policewoman. She was transferred to Ingleside Mental Institution after stabbing Ernest Craven, in which she became mentally unstable. |
| Merle "Loony" Jones | Rosanne Hull-Brown – episodes 625–692 | A mentally disabled, illiterate prisoner initially regarded as a figure of fun by the other women, but finds friendship from inmate Kath Maxwell. She escaped with Kath but was left behind after an injury and sent to a psychiatric hospital; was subsequently returned to Wentworth where Kath made several attempts to make up with her – they eventually reconciled in episode 691. |
| Margie Anson | Samantha Carter – episodes 645–691 | Prisoner beaten up by Kath and Vicki as part of Kath's bid to take over Top Dog. She backs off from helping Spider unload contraband when van is searched and keeps nit while Spike fixes up the playback of Lisa's tape of Rodney. |
| Rose "Spider" Simpson | Taya Straton – episodes 649–686 | A sneering career criminal who takes charge of all rackets and contraband trading at Wentworth. also became jealous of Spike Marsh. She was transferred to Barnhurst. |
| Lisa Marie Mullins | Nicki Paull/Terrie Waddell – episodes 651–692 | A young woman arrested for operating a prostitution and blackmail racket on the outside. (Note: Lisa was played by Nikki Paul for her first six episodes. When Paul suddenly became ill, the part was taken over by Terrie Waddell). |
| Wendy Glover | Julieanne Newbould – episodes 651–659), | An undercover policewoman whose real name is Tricia Haynes, sent into Wentworth to shadow endangered inmate Lisa Mullins and to gather information about her case. When the women find out Wendy receives a very nasty bashing and they write a tattoo on her forehead reading "cop." She is last seen visiting Lisa to tell her that her boyfriend Lester is dead. During her last appearance, it is revealed that Wendy Glover is an alias and her real name is Tricia Haynes. |
| Sarah West | Kylie Belling – episodes 658–668) | A fiery, impulsive Aboriginal inmate who suffers from abuse from racist prisoners, especially from Spider and Vicki who tie her up and paint her white, and to get back at the women, Sarah sets up a tripod releasing poisonous fumes of hydrochloric acid through the air conditioning. Rita eventually gets through to Sarah and Pamela manages to trace her foster parents, who tell Sarah the truth about her real parents, her mother has died and her father is a white alcoholic. She was transferred to Barnhurst for her own safety after Craven's threats to Pamela. |
| Michelle "Brumby" Tucker | Sheryl Munks – episodes 665–692) | A young prisoner first seen at Blackmoor prison. A misfit and a troublemaker. |
| Margaret "Spike" Marsh | Victoria Rowland – episodes 665–691) | "Brumby"'s best friend at Blackmoor who was framed for heroin trafficking. "Spike" was a university student studying the sciences before being imprisoned and has kept her middle-class background hidden from the other prisoners. She was released to be with her parents. |
| Billy Slocum | Glennan Fahey – episodes 668–684 | Blackmoor prisoner transferred to Wentworth after the fire there, and first seen when Merle tries to trade comics with him. Craven lets him and Stud Wilson into solitary to rape Lorelei, and when the women find out they were responsible, they are held hostage in a store room for some mental torture with a razor. He was transferred back to Blackmoor. |
| "Stud" Wilson | Peter Lindsay – episodes 668–684 | Male former Blackmoor inmate transferred to Wentworth after Blackmoor is burnt down following a riot. A convicted rapist and an underling of evil governor Ernest Craven. He was transferred back to Blackmoor. |
| Harry Grosvenor | Mike Bishop – episodes 679–692 | Former male Blackmoor prisoner moved to Wentworth, becoming a love interest for Alice Jenkins. He was transferred to Barnhurst in the last episode telling Alice that he loves her. |
| Helen Stephens | Anna McCrossin - episode 692), | The last prisoner of the series. Transferred from Barnhurst and was impressed by the way Kath handled Rodney Adams. |
See also
References
- ^ "Bea Smith (Val Lehman)". Archived from the original on 30 January 2001. Retrieved 5 January 2018.