06 November 2023 , 18:16
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The cast of an iconic Australian series is set to reunite to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the first episode.
Prisoner first aired in 1979 and went on for eight seasons before it came to an end in 1986. The show was the first Australian series to feature a mostly female-dominated cast and had the well-remembered slogan: "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it would be like for a woman."
The show was set in a fictional correctional facility called Wentworth and follows the lives of multiple women in prison for many different crimes. Some of the main cast included Elspeth Ballantyne, Sheila Flroance, Val Lehman, Gerard Maguire and Neighbours star Colette Mann.
The stars will be reuniting in February for the huge event. Confirmed stars taking part in the reunion include Maggie Kirkpatrick, Val Leham, Anne Charleston, Jan Russ, Janet Andrewartha, Lisa Crittenden, Christine Harris, Kevin Summers, Victoria Nicholls and Desiree Smith.
Prisoner first aired in 1979 and went on for eight seasons (Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock)Colette seems to be absent from the line-up. Rowena Wallace and Desiree appeared on The Morning Show to announce the news of the reunion. Rowena explained: “People enjoyed the character.... They ask some wonderful questions, some wacky ones some that I can’t answer because I can’t remember. And I have to explain that I’m getting old! But I love it. It’s great.”
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Meanwhile, the beloved show Neighbours made a return to our screens earlier this year despite many of the show's stars returning to Ramsay Street in 2022 for the show's supposed 'last-ever episode' after it was announced it was coming to an end after almost 40 years.
It quickly made a return to Freevee, but some stars weren't too pleased by the finale 'hoax'. Despite its initial axing, Neighbours' return was revealed late last year with a social media clip featuring some of the soap’s most recognisable characters being told the news.
However, Kylie Minogue, who returned to Australia to resume her role as Charlene Mitchell alongside Jason Donovan, who plays husband Scott, didn't seem impressed by the announcement. Sources in Melbourne, where the soap is filmed, revealed the Padam Padam star – whose career took off while she played the loveable mechanic between 1986 and 1988 – felt she was 'duped' into going back.
One source told The Mail on Sunday in August: "Kylie has apparently got a bit of the hump about it all. It's a case of why did she and others make the effort to go back. She and the others were told it was the end. She knows what she owes to Neighbours and she would have always done it, but it does all seem a little baffling."