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| FEATURE | WENTWORTH PRISON | THE NEW AUSTRALIAN HIT TV SHOW WENTWORTH PRISON – A MODERN TAKE ON PRISONER: CELL BLOCK H – HAS WOWED QUEER GIRLS DOWN UNDER WITH ITS GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF FEMALE SEXUALITY AND HIGH DRAMA. NOW, JUST A FEW WEEKS INTO ITS CHANNEL 5 DEBUT SEASON, BRITISH LESBIANS ARE GETTING HOOKED ON THE SHOW – AND NEW DYKE PIN-UP NICOLE DA SILVA. KATRINA FOX GIVES US THE SCOOP AND TALKS TO CAST MEMBERS FROM WENTWORTH AND PRISONER Resurrecting Franky: Nicole da Silva (centre) gives an old character a new look n 1980, a coffin was carried through the streets of Los Angeles before arriving at a gay disco where a wake was held to celebrate the life of a much-loved lesbian. Except the only place this lesbian – Franky Doyle – had lived was on screen and in the hearts of millions of Prisoner: Cell Block H fans. Prisoner was an iconic Australian TV show set in a women’s prison (Wentworth Correctional Centre) that ran from 1979 to 1986. Its high-camp melodrama earned it a cult following, particularly among lesbians and gay men, which continues today. Now Franky is back – resurrected as a smart, hip, tattooed Gen Y dyke and űber bad girl in Wentworth Prison, a new hit drama that has got queer girls down under – and over here – as hot under the collar as the infamous steam press featured in both shows. Wentworth is a prequel – a contemporary spin on its 34-year-old counterpart, Prisoner. Legendary characters are re-imagined for today’s audiences, starting with the arrival of Bea Smith at the correctional centre. Not yet the tough, fearless “top dog” dubbed Queen Bea, revered worldwide in the 80s and even now by a loyal Prisoner fanbase, Bea is a wife and mother from the suburbs, shocked and scared by her entry into prison life. In this first series of 10 episodes (a second has already been commissioned) we learn Bea’s back story and are introduced to other popular Prisoner characters including offic- ers Vera Bennett, Erica Davidson and Meg Jackson, along with inmates Liz Birdsworth, Doreen Anderson and Franky Doyle. But Wentworth’s creators Lara Radulovich and David Hannam have made quite a few changes to the storylines and characters (Doreen is Indigenous and one key prison officer is killed 52 DIVAMAG.CO.UK OCTOBER 2013 OCTOBER 2013 DIVAMAG.CO.UK 53 | FEATURE | WENTWORTH PRISON | Prisoner stars: Then and now at the end of episode one, for example), so Davidson (played by Leeanna Walsman). Tak- and Facebook page, along with the show’s of- this is no predictable “remake”. High-tech tele- ing their cue from fans of the UK hit show Bad ficial fan page, is littered with comments like, vision-making techniques including unusual Girls, Aussie dykes have been quick to docu- “Just marry me already, please!” camera angles, a fast pace, an extraordinarily ment the frisson between the two Wentworth “The feedback from fans has been really well-cast team of almost all-female actors Prison characters. A Franky and Erica Tumblr wonderful and positive,” da Silva, who played BETTY BOBBITT (Judy Bryant) and talented, largely female production crew is one of many blog sites that hosts seduc- bisexual police officer Stella Dagostino on “When the show was sold to make Wentworth Prison a powerful stan- tive scenes from the show (watch out for a another Australian TV drama, Rush, tells DIVA. the US we were told ‘no more dalone drama in its own right. We’ve already particularly steamy encounter in episode five), “I’ve had people write to me and say how kissing between girls because seen the shock murder at the end of the first along with creative YouTube videos featuring pleased they are to see a gay character on TV it’s disgusting!’ I was supposed episode and subsequent gripping and unex- clips edited together with carefully chosen without it defining everything she is. She’s to play a diesel dyke, which pected reveals will keep you on the edge of background music designed to stir sexual a woman who happens to be gay. I’m really I thought was someone who your seats with an explosive plot twist at the longings. Meanwhile da Silva’s Twitter account pleased people have responded the way they drove a truck! I went to a party end of the final episode. and there were two tough-as- In its day, Prisoner was groundbreak- nails girls there and I watched them for a while. ing in its inclusion and portrayal of lesbian I noticed the really tough one was a softy and characters, from the original Franky Doyle, that’s what I did with Judy – I gave her a tough played as a sad, lonely, illiterate butch biker by walk on the outside but made her warm on the Carol Burns; sadistic screw Joan “The Freak” inside. I’ve had so many letters from people say- Ferguson, played by Maggie Kirkpatrick; and ing the portrayal helped make a positive impres- warm yet tough Judy Bryant, played by Betty sion about lesbian women and made it easier for Bobbitt, and her scheming femme girlfriend, them to come out to their parents or friends, and Sharon Gilmour. Gilmour was played by Mar- that’s a wonderful reward for anyone to receive.” Franky Doyle VAL LEHMAN (Bea Smith) is back – “The portrayal of resurrected lesbians is more explicit as a smart, now because times have changed and they now hip, tattooed can be. Prisoner is cur- rently being aired in Gen Y dyke Australia at 6.30pm. It’s become accepted view- got Knight, who, in a strange turn of casting, ing for teenagers. In also played prison officer Terri Malone, the its day that couldn’t be love interest of Ferguson. permitted and it had to be given an 8.30pm Mainstream media coverage at the time timeslot. The only place I was ever asked in Australia was either neutral or positive, about Prisoner’s lesbian content was in the perhaps because audiences had already been UK where they were so prudish they only exposed to a gay male character in the show ever aired the series very late at night.” Number 96 in 1972. According to Val Lehman (who played Bea Smith in Prisoner), Burns and Bobbitt, who all spoke to DIVA (see sidebar), it was the British and the Americans who were CAROL BURNS (Franky Doyle) more “prudish” and censorial. “Initially the public’s More than three decades later, Wentworth reaction to Franky Prison goes even further in its exploration was shock. I was told of sexuality, featuring graphic sex-scenes by producers to be between female characters, masturbation and prepared for it because the seduction of a female prison officer by a I was playing the first dominatrix in a BDSM parlour. And again, even butch lesbian to be on the more conservative Australian media have Australian TV. Yet within raised nary a disapproving eyebrow at sugges- the first two weeks the tive scenes of cunnilingus and finger-fucking. tone had turned around As with any show that features a hot, completely. As an actor I approached the young lesbian character, queer girl fans are role from the human aspects so the audi- proclaiming undying love (and lust) for actor ence had to do that too. Franky’s wake in Nicole da Silva, who plays the new Franky. LA was one of the most uptempo wakes I’ve Franky has a fellow inmate as her girlfriend In for murder, Jacs Holt (Kris ever been to!” but is smitten with prisoner advocate Erica McQuade) is Wentworth’s top dog 54 DIVAMAG.CO.UK OCTOBER 2013 OCTOBER 2013 DIVAMAG.CO.UK 55 | FEATURE | WENTWORTH PRISON | wentworth cast members include... FRANCESCA “FRANKY” DOYLE (Nicole da Silva) Sexy, charming, provocative and skilled DOREEN ANDERSON at mind games, Franky is (Shareena Clanton) a Gen Y lesbian who uses Aboriginal woman from sex as her armour to a community ravaged hide deeper insecurities by alcohol and drug and is scheming to take addiction. Optimistic and over as top dog. malleable. BEA SMITH (Danielle Cormack) Stand off: Jacs and A hairdresser, wife Franky front it out and mother from the suburbs. One desperate MEG JACKSON action lands her in jail (Catherine McClements) and her life changes Governor. Confident; have and hope that’s going to continue to we’ve become numb to sexism.” forever, resulting in tough yet fair. Unpopular grow. Audiences are calling out to see strong, The on-screen chemistry between Franky her slowly becoming with inmates for her hard- female, three-dimensional characters on and Erica is obvious and da Silva confirms tougher. line approach. screen and there’s something taboo and tan- the camaraderie extends beyond the set, not talising about a women’s prison environment.” only with Walsman but other cast members, And while da Silva didn’t offer up any including Kris McQuade who plays Franky’s Fan resources information around her own sexuality, she’s nemesis Jacqueline “Jacs” Holt. A completely certainly a champion of queer rights, regularly new character, Jacs is top dog, a middle- aged, old-school ruthless matriarch from a JACQUELINE “JACS” PRISONER crime family, who has no qualms about using HOLT (Kris McQuade) Behind the Bars: The Unofficial violence to wield power over the inmates. She In her late 50s, Jacs has ERICA DAVIDSON Prisoner Cell Block H Companion “I was very is homophobic, constantly berating Franky served seven of her (Leeanna Walsman) (2013) with jibes of “clitty licker”. And, just as queer 14-year sentence for A middle-class lawyer and by Barry Campbell, Rob Cope and Scott nervous about audiences loved to hate The Freak, they are murder.