Where are the cast of Prisoner now?
Before there was Prison Break, Orange is the New Black and Wentworth, there was the hit Aussie series Prisoner. A cult classic in Sweden and the UK (as well as down under, of course), we wondered, where are the women of cellblock H today? Flick through the gallery above to see what they look like now!
Elspeth Ballantyne (Meg Morris)
With an impressive 669 episodes under her belt, Ballantyne was the only cast member to remain full-time throughout the series’ eight seasons. The now-77-year-old went on to land a role on Neighbours and has since appeared in series such as The Flying Doctors, SeaChange and Blue Heelers.
Maggie Kirkpatrick (Joan “The Freak” Ferguson)
Undoubtedly the biggest baddie of the show, Kirkpatrick went on to appear in Home and Away and All Saints and played Madame Morrible in the Australian production of Wicked.
Val Lehman (“Queen” Bea Smith)
After appearing in more than 400 episodes, Lehman left the show in 1983 to pursue other roles in series such as Good Guys Bad Guys and Something in the Air. She also hit the stage, appearing in shows Driving Miss Daisy and The Wizard of Oz. Most recently, she spent 37 days in the South African jungle as a contestant on season two of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Sheila Florance (Lizzie Birdsworth)
Florance, who played elderly alcoholic inmate Lizzie, appeared in over 400 episodes. In 1991 she starred in A Woman’s Tale, written by Paul Cox and Barry Dickens specifically for Florance. Sadly, she passed away that year from cancer at the age of 75.
Colette Mann (Doreen Anderson)
After her stint on Prisoner, Mann briefly took over the role of Cheryl Clark in Neighbours. She would return to the show in 2012 as regular character, Sheila Canning. She also made appearances on Blue Heelers, Hey Hey It’s Saturday and Good Morning Australia. In 2002 Mann released a memoir of her family life, called Give Me A Break.
Fiona Spence (Vera Bennett)
Appearing in 222 episodes between 1979 and 1981, Spence went on to play unlucky-in-love Celia Stewart, sister of Alf on Home and Away on and off between 1988 and 2013. She also appeared in ten episodes of Packed to the Rafters’ final season. The UK-born actress was in a 32-year relationship with screenwriter Denise Morgan, who sadly passed away in 2011.
Have you seen the reimagined series Wentworth yet? Do you think it does justice to the original Prisoner? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Related links:
The Waltons: where are they today?
Where are they now: cast of Happy Days