Cult Labs - My Top 25ish Characters... in response to mermaid....

:dance: well, i am currently only around the 500 mark of Prisoner... just after the exit of Lizzie Birds worth... but my list would be rather different... (but bear in mind that i havent met many of the characters you've written about yet...)
it was hard to stick with a list of 25 and so i'm going to mention a couple of people who came close but just failed to get in...

5. Hazel Kent - a tragic character, who, while usually a sheep, gave us a look into the troubles faced for the women on the outside - unfortunatly it had to be done at that awful halfway house.

4. Agnes foster (and budgie!) - Especially the scene when she dares to take Erica's parking space

3. Janet Conway - mostly just for her foolishness and bright reeeed hair, not a bad screw mind you... she did try to help dooooor afterall.... not that doooooor appreciated it!

2. Joyce Barry - ahhh, our Joycie gave us many laughs and was usually a compassionate officer... remember when she squished up that sandwich?

1. Coleen Powell - Coleen was a hard, sarcastic, no-nonsense woman - but maintained a caring side to her methods. I found her to be a very realistic character.

ok, on to the main event....here we go...

25. Tina Murray.... - was there ever such a pointless character before? spent 8 years inside for prostitution and never got more than a word or two spoken... (ok, maybe not for prostitution.... but i decided i'd give her a little background, since the writers didnt bother...) but she did brighten the cells up with her milk bottle glasses and controversial perm...

24. Clara Goddard... - i loved Clara, best friends with the gov, or so she thought, and somehow made everyone believe it too. she gave me many laughs - a pity she wasnt used more, she was the only top dog to kinda knock Bea off that press, lol and not with violence... just with words and a few ciggies.

23. Randi Goodlove... - usually a character like Randi wouldn't make it onto my list, but she was a lot more entertaining that the other "mental problem" cases such as Anne Griffin and Susan Rice... not one personality, not two... but three (though they never really let us know what happened to the third... she gets on the list for the attitude she had when she was bad...

22. Barbara Fields... - Barbara was an interesting character, like most prisoners who speak in a upper class way she was given the job in reception, which was a good change from always seeing the cells, she may not have done much but she was monumental in the great wentworth fire storyline... and perished for her stupidity and greed for those diaries...

21. Jean Vernon... - ah, lovely Jean... very underused and unexplained. many people didnt enjoy Jean, but i loved her rolling eyes, sitting on the floor and the way she would antagonise Meg.... she was one of the social workers who honestly did want to help the women. she's also the only social worker who gets on my list... she should have stayed at least long enough to get a storyline...

20. Steve Faulkner... - Stevie was such a nice, caring officer... well, to everyone but Chrissie that is... never did warm to her... lol. he tried - and failed - to bring down Joanie.... - i'd like to point out that he had no problems with corruption when he was off shagging Sandy Edwards... and bad boy who was a good boy... one one of the few pieces of eye candy on the show... (unless u count Alf from home and away and his many incantations - i dont!)...

19. Noleen Burke... - mmm Noleen, what to say about the lovely Nolene... i have a thing for trouble making prisoners... and she certainly caused her fair share... Burke's would rob you blind but never go on the dole because they dont take handouts.... o...kay! her daughters just died and she's smirking away because she thinks she'll get off with the robbery charges... lol, oh Noleen... - they should have brought her back a few more times.... a great atmospheric character... and pretty with that clip in her hair...

18. Myra Desmond... - I havent had the pleasure of meeting Myra behind bars yet, but ive seen her in meetings with the PRG, talking to Davo and babysitting for that annoying bitch Alison Page and i love her... her method of talking, her can-do attitude and her explanations all drive the character. i'll never understand (unless someone explains why) why they waited til over 500 episodes to use her in a frequent role when they'd used her as a continuing character for so long.

17. Lizzie Birdsworth... - you may think Lizzie has been put quite far down my list and i do love her, but i found the "original three" prisoners each became boring periodically, how many times do we need reminding of Edie? how much can Lizzie cry about dying inside? how much can she cry about not having anyone on the outside? how many times does she need to be in hospital?? and her exit was just terrible.... but i do love her, she gave superb performances and was a great comedic actress the show would never have been as good if she'd been absent.

16. Zara Moonbeam... - Yes, another strange choice maybe, but Zara moonbeam was fun, new and different and mostly succeeded in driving bea mad lol... with a little help from her friends of course... i always prefer characters which are just troublesome, Zara moonbeam was coerced into her deviousness but i fully enjoyed the storyline and found the character to be as nice change from the usual proceedings - she should have also stayed in longer...

15. Greg Millar... - only medical character on the list... tho i did enjoy the storyline with Neil. Greg was sweet, Good looking and concerned about the patients. he gave great performances throughout his run on the show - i was annoyed do death by Karen Travers so i gave him an extra point or two for removing her from our screens... i also enjoyed his cameo reappearance (without Karen of course lol)...

14. Bea Smith... - Much like Lizzie, this character maybe deserves a higher place in the list, but i think that Bea Smiths departure was something that needed to happen... there was nothing new to keep the character fresh... the amnesia thing was quite new and cutting edge in its day and they managed not to push it too far but much like Lizzie, her emotions seemed to be on a spin cycle... happy and top dog... depressed n giving up as top dog... in love... trying to be good... failing.... back to bad and happy to be top dog. it was enjoyable when she pressed Lynn hand tho...

13. Margo Gaffney... - Margo was hilarious... the hair, the shifty eyes... every plan ending in disaster... when she wasn't busy getting tarred and feathered in the toilets, she was stealing Meg morris's car... lol, her own worse enemy, she also gets a point or two extra for that pirate like gold tooth, her fashion sense, the hair which seemed to get more and more crazy as time went by and for having the voice of an angel on that stage... very underused...

12. Marie Winter... - i haven't seen Marie's reappearance as yet, i can only judge based on Bea's time in Barnhurst and the first stint Marie did at the time of Sandy and Kate. but she was fantastic... i think she would have done well at the Nola Mackenzie time in Wentworth. she wasn't that smart maybe, but i did love that fantastic trademark Laugh of hers.

11. Sandy Edwards... - Sandy had a lot of potential, its a shame that she left the show when she did, though it did develop the madness of Kate. i enjoyed her firm but fair approach to the women. she was young, but she was smart, Marie really was no match for her... and she could get the women on side when she needed to. the time she was in the show was one of the best runs that the show endured, such a shame it couldnt continue with this classic character.

10. Frankie Doyle... - much like sandy, Frankie is a character who should have remained on the show for some more time. she was an uneducated, rough tough lesbian who really was the shows first misunderstood character... she got to utter those now immortal words which started the whole she-bang "she bumped into me" and the rest was history... i thoroughly enjoyed her affection for Karen Travers too especially when she got a sewing needle to the hand for her troubles... a brilliant character, iconic and not soon to be forgotten...

09. Judy Bryant... - Jude was an amazing character, compassionate, understanding and bitterly loyal.... unfortunately she was given a heart problem ... and a terrible exit story (so i hear) and that horribly boring and dull halfway house to contend with.... whether she was on the run, in the laundry, at the halfway house or riding her taxi she gave us excitement, laughs and regular protests about jock Stewart, the conditions in the prison, Joan and her methods and her doomed lover Sharon. a real Gem was Jude, one in a million. i particularly loved the Irish cop accent... "we'll blow this place wide open" lol....

08. Helen Smart... - Helen was a great character who was extremely underused. she was given time in and out of the prison and was involved in some fun storyline. from her entrance we could see that she was a new, fun and upbeat character. importantly though, for me she is one of the few prisoners in the run of the series who neither blames anyone or moans about her situation. she a pro, but shes not sorry for it and doesn't need to have attitude or be dumb - she's just a normal character who happens to be a prostitute of her own choosing. i like that the directors chose to do that with the character.

07. Vera Benett... - Vera was an excellent character. misunderstood yes, sensitive yes, hard and cruel and unfair yes. but she did care upon occasion, even saving Lizzies life! she was given a few good storylines and i particularly enjoyed it when she turned into a drunk.... did you see the price of the booze back then???? Vera was a character who kept her bad minded attitude throughout her run. Animals she called them, so animals they became, and while Joan might have scared the women... no one was scared of ole Vinegar... which was what made the character so likeable, she also had a decent exit.... missed, gone but not forgotten, i've always wondered why she didnt do a cameo. maybe when someone was sent to Barnhurst, it would have been good to see her with the power she'd always wanted...

06. Monica Ferguson... - Wur Monnie was not only a terrifically talented and comedic actress but she was a constant irritation to the screws, she was another underused character who wasn't in the show nearly as long as she should have been. from her snoring, to her husband beating, to threatening inmates... to some really dreadfully awful acting when Bea was stabbed. Monnie reigns on high up in my all time favourite prisoners... she was not nearly as good as "Tinkerbelle"...

OK here we are... The Final Five....

05. Marilyn Mason... - Many people forget Marilyn, she was only in it for a very short time at the shows beginning, but i'll always remember her as the saucy, sweet and seductive pro with the heart of gold. she and Eddie might have lived happily ever after but it was a long time getting there. i enjoyed their roof top snuggle sessions and the convenience of Monnies Milk bar... Marilyn was a favourite of mine as soon as she popped up on the screen, i just wish she'd stayed on for a while longer...

04. Nola Mackenzie...- Nola enters in the number 4 position as she was a great character, she hair, her eyes, her tone of voice when she was issuing a plan... her exit was great! she certainly made a splash while she was on the show. again, id have liked a little more time with her, but so much happened while she was there that i'm happy enough that she went. armed with only Zara moonbeam and Joan ferguson, they nearly made Bea Crazy, which was fun. the branding she received, the razor in the soap... manys the storyline that Nola appeared in. A truely great character...

03. and 02. Erica Davidson and Joan Ferguson... - i simply could not choose between these two, they each represent the polar opposite and both were tremendous characters... i'll do it alphabetically to be fair...

Erica Davidson - The angel with blonde hair, with her 1920s romances, her megaphone skills and doing all her own stunts when she was kidnapped... Erica delivered an excellent character who was too soon gone. by the end of her run they had taken the strong, stubborn apporachable woman that she was and made her into a weaker character who did whatever the department wanted... with nothing more than the flaring of her nostrils and rolling of her eyes.... but in her earlier days she was seen to be understanding and progressive in her dealings with the women, fair and firm when she needed to be and always she did it with style and glamour! Queen Erica will always ride high in my mind as one of the very best characters in the shows history which is whi she is in 2nd position with...

Joan ferguson - if Erica was the angel with blonde hair, joan was certainly the devil in dark... a malicious corrupt screw who would do whatever she could to come out on top, i've loved her since the first time she walked through the door of that prison and im still loving her now, if there was a scheme to be had, she'd be in it. countless attempts were made to bring her down and none - to the point i'm at have worked. she's resiliant, she knows which buttons to push, she doesnt care who she steps on along the way and she certainly doesnt care what people think of her. from the savage beating of chrissie latham, to the hosing down of prisoners in the garden and her infamous intimate searches with her leather gloves she is truely an icon and portrayed fabulously throughout the remainder of the show... im glad i have more to come....

and finally the moment i know i've been waiting for...

01. Meg Jackson-Morris... - yeah right!! was there ever a more annoying character than Meg! - i'll get round to that worst 25 later... for now onto the real winner...

01. Chrissie Latham...- Chrissie to me was the very very very best character in the entire run of prisoner... with her big drag queen like hair, her skirts ALWAYS much shorter than anyone elses, her accent and her convictions, she truely was the very cream of the crop, one minute beas best friend, the next, mortal enemies, one minute Meg is resigning because of "that woman" the next she's driving her around and laughing with her... she was her own worst enemy and only every was in something for what she could make from it.... she did however become slightly annoying with the baby Elizabeth stuff, but she's forgiven because she is what prisoner is for me. a fun, light hearted character who recieved a beating most savage from joan.... she also turned lesbian breifly with sharon gilmour which was fun, - there was not a racket she didnt try to get amongst when she was inside and her departure brought tears to my eyes... she should have been a recurring character throughout the run of the show... a most exciting character and my favourite... our very own CHRISSIE LATHAM....

Thank you for taking the time to read this...

Jamie-Leigh