Prisoner Cell Block ~May be long~

Hello USM,hope everyone had a great weekend.

Now I have always been a fan of drama TV. Being in Ireland we are a bit behind in US's most popular drama, although we do get them eventually. Right now Glee has just started to be broadcasted over here, and I understand that it has been a hit in America for some months now. But thats just an example. 

As I said I have always been a fan of drama TV, and sadly Ireland doesn't really have many programmes that I find interesting. You will most likely find me watching the British and Austrialian Soaps such as Easteneder, Corrie and Home and Away.

I have alwasy been a fan of prison Dramas, more so based around women than men. 'Bad Girls' had taking England and Ireland by storm. Since many of English channels are broadcasted in Ireland we have no delay in watching them. 'Bad Girls' is a drama based series about the life of women in her Majesty's Prison Larkhall. It was a breath of fresh air to UTV viewers as something like this has never been done before in England, with its tough inmates and bend Prison Officers it had its viewers hooked every week. It ran for eight seasons, but it ran its course. So what  was I suppose to do now that Bad Girls was finished? I tunrend to my Mother and asked her about it. The first thing she said was 'Do you not remember what we always watched on UTV everynight before they decided not to show it any more a few years back?' Sadly I didn't. So she refreshed my memory.

Prisoner Cell Block H first launched on Austrialian Television on 26 Feb 1979. ''If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it's like for a woman' was the producers tagline. 

'Prisoner' as its most known as took Austrialian by storm. Especially in that decade. It is set in Wentworths Detention Center for woman and follows the lifes of the inmates. 

' The main difference with Prisoner compared to other dramas at the time was the realism. There was very little make up worn by the inmates, very few pretty young faces, the combination of this and the fact that the viewers had no real experience of a Prison drama gave Prisoner a very long and loyal following' 

By July 1986 the producered saw a hugh dip in ratings. After 691 episodes and 7 years of broadcasting they decided to call it quits.

With its huge success in Aus, there was major interest in over seas channels to broadcast the drama. The US, using the same name ' Prisoner' and Canada using the name ' Caged Women'', its fan base and loyal followers got even more loyal. 

Ratings in the US were extermely high, with more than 39 million viewers, it was aslo one of the first Dramas to been shown in the US with the Austrialian accent. 

It truly desevers a place in TV history. 

I have currently started to rewatch these. Even though I can remember bits and pieces of the episodes thanks to my Mothers habit of watching it, it still is a piece of fresh air to me now that Bad Girls is of the air. 

With its dangerous and loveable inmates, to the terrifying Prisoner Officer , Joan Fergueson and its griping storylines, this is one drama that I be watching to the end!  

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