Remember Queen Bea, the Freak, and, er ‘Vinegar Tits’?

In return, we sent you a TV show celebrating them.

It ran for 692 episodes from February 1979 until December 1986.

It hitched a ride on the coat-tails of the successful British showWithin These Walls, with a notable difference.

The focus ofPrisonerwas mostly on the inmates, not the wardens.

The initial13-episode runwas quickly expanded to 20, then into full-time production of two one-hour episodes a week.

With this such a demanding production rate, crew turnover was high.

Naturally I was desperate to see it.

Then again, Ive never been to prison so perhaps it scared me straight?

Doreen was dim but loyal, when she wasnt being so easily lead.

Lizzie was an excellent wingman, even if shed get sozzled from drinking home brew made from potato peelings.

Im wearing me last pair a clean undies for the week!

She was also fond of using the expletive, Bugger!

Not that Bea had a clear run of things.

Then she had to teach Chrissie Latham (Amanda Muggleton) a lesson with a pair of scissors.

A fair few of them came back too after finding life on the outside too confusing and alienating.

The inmates were their family; its where many of them belonged.

The Freak took a cut of all shifty deals, like illegal booze operations and betting rings.

She terrorised the inmates better than Bea or Frankie ever could.

Still, Fergusons uppance did come when a biker gang burned her house down.

In classic fictional style, the higher The Freak rose, the further she fell.

Set up big time, she next arrived back at Wentworth as an inmate.

In the UK, the show began its run in some regions as early as the mid-80s.

Just like some of the inmates, it didnt always get a fair trial.

It had to have a name change so viewers didnt confuse it withThe Prisonerwritten by and starring Patrick McGoohan.

The good news is, we can now buy and watch every episode in order on DVD.

Or it’s possible for you to cheat and buy the best of episodes.

Less expensive, but less satisfying.

  • Another riot which resulted in Leanne Burke (Tracey-Jo Riley) falling (or was she pushed?)

  • Vinegar Tits Bennett losing her prison keys, panicking, and seeking solace in booze.

  • Meg Jackson/ Morriss (Elspeth Ballantyne) entire story arc.

She ends up locked up herself, for contempt of court.

Frankies dying words: Bloody Bastards!

  • Margo (Jane Clifton) getting tarred and feathered by Bea and Chrissie in retaliation for attacking Meg.

(Bea and Chrissie had teamed up by this stage.)

Prisoner was filmed mostly within the halls of the Channel 10 studios in a suburb of Melbourne calledNunawading.

Just like a real jail, there are security guards ready to move unauthorised visitors away.

The surrounding area used to be fields, now its expensive housing and sought-after school zones.

(Its right near Billabong Park.

Its like we knew the tourists would come!)

Without fail, every visitor to Casa McKenna gets a trip to theNeighboursstreet.

Oddly enough they dont want to visit the prison.

Ebony McKenna is the award-winning author of the 4-part Young Adult series of novels Ondine.

Find out more at:ebonymckenna.com.