Did you watch Prisoner in the Central ITV days?
 

This and the other ITV regional threads are here so you can take a trip back down memory lane and let us know how you discovered Prisoner, how your local ITV company showed it (some were better than others in how they treated the show) and any other memories you associate from the time - all are welcome on this thread.

Grampian would show it late sundays, my mother (and nearly ever one else's!!!) was hooked, i remember "vinegar tits" (a guard?) lizzie, bea etc...certainly DONT remember "alf" fae H&A as a sadistic warden though!!

Looks like you want to be in the Grampian thread! ;)

It's right here:

http://www.cult-labs.com/forums/your...-itv-days.html

I thought we could have a thread per region so people can swap memories accordingly.

The first episode I saw was the one which ended with Sandy Edwards pelting down the corridor towards a terrified Saint Meg, as the end-of-season riot kicked off.

Hooked instantly. How could anyone not be?

I loved watching the show in the Central region because they showed it three times a week. We were therefore far in front of the rest of the country. My aunt lived in a different TV region, and was also a Blocky addict. She often recorded episodes for me so I could find out some of the characters' back stories. It was particularly thrilling when she captured 116 for me, as Sharon's death had been mentioned quite a few times, what with Jock reappearing in the show not long after I started watching.

I seem to recall Central making a big fuss of the final episode, too, even though they messed around with the scheduling of the last few. Can't remember what they did, exactly, but they certainly made it feel like an Event.

When Blocky had finished, they ran Dangerous Women in its place. I lasted about three episodes into that one before deciding it was crap and switching off. You can't imitate PCBH.

They re-ran the early episodes a few years later (I still have one of the Pat O'Connell ones on tape somewhere from its second Central showing). It was fascinating to see the *really* early ones. I don't remember how far they got before they stopped, though.

Happy Days.

Of course, I've since seen the whole show again on C5, and am enjoying it once more on DVD. Can't wait until they get to Sandy's arrival - those are the episodes that *really* bring back the memories...

i watched it on Central when i lived in Northampton. i joined the series more than half the way through and i'm guessing that was sometime in 1989. i don't recall exactly the date but i watched it right up to the finale just before Christmas 1991. back then there were only 4 channels but on spare "channel 5" we could pick up a rather fuzzy reception of PCBH on Anglia that was several years behind Central. if the picture quality had been better i might have gone back to those earlier episodes and tuned in but it was terrible, you couldn't watch it. mind you it's probably just aswell as Anglia didn't get up to the finale until May 1996, i had moved out of the region by then.

There's a protest on YouTube from 1991, when Prisoner finished it's run on Central- search for prisoner cell block h fans protest.

At the 0.50 point, you don't know whether to laugh or cry- 'Prisoner Cell Block H is my whole life'- what, over having a job, boyfriend etc? I purchase the DVD's and sometimes go to events, but I work to pay for them. I wouldn't give up my job to devote my whole time to PCBH!

There is a protest on YouTube- search for prisoner cell block h protest.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that woman in the YouTube video- I love the show, but I wouldn't say it was my whole life over everything else- I work to pay to go to events and for the DVD's.

Oops, double post.

i remember watching that news broadcast... i never did understand why those fanatics held that protest, i mean it was simple, Central had screened EVERY episode.. the end was the end.

Yes, I was a Central viewer! I remember being really excited when they ran episodes every night one week, rather than the usual one or two!

Hi,

Central television didn't really make a fuss over the final episode, it was the fans that made the fuss. We all had a demo outside central televisions studios in birmingham on the december 16th 1991 (the day of the final episode) demanding that Central re-run the entire series. Val Lehman and Judy McBurney turned up and handed the execs at Central a 15,000 name petition.

Around 100 fans turned up (me included) even though I lived in South Wales) and we even made the local news with central news doing a feature on us in their news report! The fan club organised a party at the 'The Institute' night club where we all watched prisoner clips on a big screen, Val lehman, Judy McBurney and Fiona Spence were there, there was a prisoner memorabilia auction, a fancy dress comp and Val made many phone calls to various Pris actresses including Glenda Linscott (Rita), Lois Collinder (Lurch), Pepe Trevor (Lexie) and a few video messages were played from other actresses including Gerda Nicholson (Ann) and Ernie Bourne (Mervin) and we all watched the final episode of Prisoner screened live on the big screen!

The first Prisoner event I had ever been to and probably the best so far!





***sorry dunno wot happened*** The above is a reply to this post................

The first episode I saw was the one which ended with Sandy Edwards pelting down the corridor towards a terrified Saint Meg, as the end-of-season riot kicked off.

Hooked instantly. How could anyone not be?

I loved watching the show in the Central region because they showed it three times a week. We were therefore far in front of the rest of the country. My aunt lived in a different TV region, and was also a Blocky addict. She often recorded episodes for me so I could find out some of the characters' back stories. It was particularly thrilling when she captured 116 for me, as Sharon's death had been mentioned quite a few times, what with Jock reappearing in the show not long after I started watching.

I seem to recall Central making a big fuss of the final episode, too, even though they messed around with the scheduling of the last few. Can't remember what they did, exactly, but they certainly made it feel like an Event.

When Blocky had finished, they ran Dangerous Women in its place. I lasted about three episodes into that one before deciding it was crap and switching off. You can't imitate PCBH.

They re-ran the early episodes a few years later (I still have one of the Pat O'Connell ones on tape somewhere from its second Central showing). It was fascinating to see the *really* early ones. I don't remember how far they got before they stopped, though.

Happy Days.

Of course, I've since seen the whole show again on C5, and am enjoying it once more on DVD. Can't wait until they get to Sandy's arrival - those are the episodes that *really* bring back the memories...[/QUOTE]

I was lucky enough to watch PCBH right from the start in Central. I watched the first ep by chance in April 1987 and like so many others was instantly hooked.

In Feb 1988 Central reduced the number of episodes from 3 to 2, by stopping the saturday screenings. There was a massive uproar and so many complaints that they brought it back to 3 episodes in April 1988. They actually listened to us viewers!

Central used to take PCBH off for a couple of weeks at Xmas and new year but in Jan 1989, they made up for it by having 'an 8 day PCBH special' - an episode a day for 8 consecutive days. That was just brilliant! They did the same in Jan 1990 but with only 6 consecutive episodes.

We got it on saturdays, sundays and mondays to begin with. Then fridays, sundays and mondays.

my goodness, what a good memory you have. i watched in the Central region too and had totally forgotten about this!

it's slowly coming back now.. i remember there was some hoopla on Central and the final episode.. i recall James Whale having something to do with it. didn't he have a PCBH themed special on ???

i was sad when it ended.. i did miss it for awhile but only for a few days or so. it was always on so late so i was glad to go to bed at an earlier time.

i wish i knew the exact episode i started watching from.. i think it was sometime in 1989 and so i must have missed more than the first 250 episodes .. and even after that i used to catch it sporadically.. it's funny though because while i was playing ketchup! with the dvd's the earliest recollection i had was of Jim Fletcher and Michelle Parks training at the running track around 209-213 but that could have been something i glimpsed one night tuning in on the terrible fuzzy Anglia reception ??

i do remember i saw Bea for quite some time before she left in 400.

Another ITV Central viewer here.

At school in the midlands around 1987, I was about 11, a friend told me to watch 'Prisoner: Cell Block H' so I did and I became a big fan. I probably watched 100 episodes, usually recording them on VHS to watch the next day as they were shown late at night. I remember seeing the final episodes on Central but I don't remember a lot from Central, just vague memories, such as Lizzy (on the outside) having a gentleman friend (Sid?), Myra Desmond's sad final appearance, Bea in a cell talking to a man in the corridor who was trying to defuse a bomb, Meg's son Marty as an officer, Dennis Crukshank (spelling?) with his Yorkshire Puddings.

I also watched 'Prisoner' on Granada at boarding school, I had my own portable TV, it was late at night so I used to get into trouble and thrown into the pound (not really!).

On holiday in North Wales, I watched 'Prisoner' a few times on HTV. I remember seeing an escape tunnel being dug, during a panto?

I also saw the first ever eps on VHS when they were released in the UK and some Channel 5 showings.

I've never (yet) watched every episode, just selected eps, sometimes odd episodes, sometimes groups of episodes. Now I'm watching every ep on DVD, from the beginning, my next ep is 129.

that's the same for me Trev.. i missed so many episodes when it was on TV..

it's been FAN-tastic to watch them all from the beginning on dvd!

:cool:

We had Grampian TV up here but I was too young to remember anything about show times etc. I remember at about 7 years old I was slightly obsessed with Bea Smith, lol.....

But my first real memory of the show was year later when I saw the episode where Nola drowns Paddy...it was the memory that stayed with me until I finally started watching on DVD....the first time I have ever been able to watch it through. I have never looked back....heehee.