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Prisoner: Season 3

Poster for Prisoner Season 3

81 episodes · premiered Feb 4, 1981

The third season of Australian drama television series Prisoner (commonly known as Prisoner: Cell Block H) premiered on Network Ten on 4 February 1981. It consists of 81 episodes and concluded on 11 November 1981. The season is notable for the conclusion to the tunnel escape storyline which ended the previous season; the departure of Vera Bennett ("Vinegar Tits") when she accepts the position of governor of Barnhurst; the kidnapping of Erica Davidson; the arrival of new prisoners Sandy Edwards, Kate Peterson and former inmate and top dog of H Block – Marie Winter; Bea Smith's amnesia, and later, her mysterious illness which sees her step down as top dog, only to be replaced by Sandy Edwards.

Prisoner: cast and where to watch

  1. Episode 1: Episode 166 Feb 4, 1981 · 47m Judy and Mouse dig in the rubble with their bare hands, but they only turn up Irene's dead body . They shout for help and hear Bea's voice on the other side of the cave-in: Bea tells them…
  2. Episode 2: Episode 167 Feb 10, 1981 · 47m Jim overhears Mouse and Margo discussing the escape and what might have happened to Doreen and Bea, and Irene's death in the cave-in. Anne is also listening as they pass her cell and she…
  3. Episode 3: Episode 168 Feb 11, 1981 · 47m Wally tells Judy he saw her photo in the newspaper, but tells her he has no intention of telling the police where she is, inviting her to stay as long as he likes. He is surprised when she…
  4. Episode 4: Episode 169 Feb 17, 1981 · 47m Vera gives Lizzie mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while the women wait for the ambulance to arrive. Meanwhile, Hazel removes the bucket of booze from the store room behind Vera's back. Ted…
  5. Episode 5: Episode 170 Feb 18, 1981 · 47m Wally tells Judy he's concerned that Micki is getting too involved in Judy's campaign to improve conditions, and Judy agrees to talk to Micki. Erica tells Meg that Lizzie won't be able to…
  6. Episode 6: Episode 171 Feb 24, 1981 · 47m Graeme Hopkins arrives at Wentworth threatening to expose the contents of Judy's tape if Erica won't agree to grant him an interview. Helen Smart comes home to find Judy waiting for her…
  7. Episode 7: Episode 172 Feb 25, 1981 · 47m Jock tells Judy she's now going to work for him: he wants $300 every time he visits - if not, he'll bash her and turn both Judy and Helen over to the police. Doreen is noticeably more…
  8. Episode 8: Episode 173 Mar 3, 1981 · 47m Doreen tries to take the blame as Jim returns her to her cell, but he obviously doesn't believe her. Bea and Lizzie are both in favour of letting David take the blame. Next morning, Jim…
  9. Episode 9: Episode 174 Mar 4, 1981 · 47m Bea orders the women to send Sandra to Coventry so she can't get any more information. Judy overhears Sandra ask Jim to be allowed to make a phone call and using considerable knowledge of…
  10. Episode 10: Episode 175 Mar 10, 1981 · 47m Bea tells the women they can use Sandra to feed her information which supports their cause. Meg gives Lizzie the news that Sid has had a stroke, and promises to ask permission for her to…
  11. Episode 11: Episode 176 Mar 11, 1981 · 47m Bea dashes off to make Evelyn reveal what was in the the mixture she gave Doreen. When Evelyn finds out that Doreen heated up the mixture, making it toxic, she says she can take no…
  12. Episode 12: Episode 177 Mar 17, 1981 · 47m A doctor arrives to carry out tests for tropical diseases: Evelyn scoffs at him from her bed in the infirmary. Dr Granger warns Erica that if Sally was the contact there could be an…
  13. Episode 13: Episode 178 Mar 18, 1981 · 47m Sandra is persuaded to come back inside. Evelyn seems worried that her medicine isn't working on Meg. Sandra is told she could be charged with attempting to escape: Erica tells her she…
  14. Episode 14: Episode 179 Mar 24, 1981 · 47m Dr Granger says he wants to carry out further tests on the women to confirm his suspicions. Jim reports Georgie's attack on Judy, but Erica tells him to put Georgie in solitary for now and…
  15. Episode 15: Episode 180 Mar 25, 1981 · 47m Sandra protests to Meg when her breakfast is brought to solitary that she didn't cause the fire. In the dining room, the other women are speculating about where Evelyn is, and what is…
  16. Episode 16: Episode 181 Mar 31, 1981 · 47m Vera wants to censor a letter from Ken Pearce to Bea when she sees it contains praise for Bea for setting his daughter straight, but Meg persuades Vera to let Bea have the letter uncut…
  17. Episode 17: Episode 182 Apr 1, 1981 · 47m Hazel comes to Judy's cell to see if she's all right, and has to listen to a tirade against Georgie for her trouble. Bea cuts Georgie short for crowing over Judy's humiliation, but when…
  18. Episode 18: Episode 183 Apr 7, 1981 · 47m Meg is also injured and the women are locked in the dining room: Judy asks for the gate to be opened so that Bea can get medical attention. Erica wants Bea taken to hospital for X-rays…
  19. Episode 19: Episode 184 Apr 8, 1981 · 47m Det. Insp. Thorne arrives to control the handling of the siege, and snipers and gunmen take up position all around the building. Margo tells Wayne she's worried that Bazza will snap and…
  20. Episode 20: Episode 185 Apr 14, 1981 · 47m Georgie interrupts the TV news about the siege to tell the women her own news about David's decision on her parole. Bea won't accept Judy's defeatist attitude that there's nothing they can…
  21. Episode 21: Episode 186 Apr 15, 1981 · 47m Erica tells Sally she's fallen for the oldest trick in the book and warns her that her work must improve. Vera sympathises with Sally, but only as a means of impressing on her once again…
  22. Episode 22: Episode 187 Apr 21, 1981 · 47m Vera thinks that Lizzie hasn't escaped at all and that the women are hiding her to play a joke on the officers. Jim says the same thing to Erica, and Erica throws a fit of pique and has…
  23. Episode 23: Episode 188 Apr 22, 1981 · 47m Bob tries to apologise to Meg, but he still wants her to change her job. Lizzie is interviewed by the police about her escape and is warned she may face some serious charges. Meg tells…
  24. Episode 24: Episode 189 Apr 28, 1981 · 47m Chrissie returns to the laundry sobbing and Bea makes veiled remarks to Vera to indicate that she holds her responsible. Doreen predicts Meg will be back soon as an officer, just like the…
  25. Episode 25: Episode 190 Apr 29, 1981 · 47m No-one will talk to Bea in the rec room, though Hazel and Chrissie pointedly talk about her as if she wasn't there, provoking Bea to speak up in her own defence, but this only leads to a…
  26. Episode 26: Episode 191 May 5, 1981 · 47m Bea refuses to talk to Ken on try to persuade him to give up his work for the PRG, but Debbie says she won't allow Bea to stand in the way of her parents getting back together. Lizzie…
  27. Episode 27: Episode 192 May 6, 1981 · 47m Chrissie lays into Mick as soon as she's through the front door of the new flat , accusing him of only being nice to her as a way of getting her to have sex with him. She changes her tune…
  28. Episode 28: Episode 193 May 12, 1981 · 47m Bea and the others are keen to know how Doreen's day out went. She tells them Peter wasn't what she expected, and that Erica had taken away her phone privileges, but not the rest of it…
  29. Episode 29: Episode 194 May 13, 1981 · 47m Judy urges the women to stick together and support the strike: only Doreen mutters grumpily that she can't why they should put themselves out when it seems to be largely for one person's…
  30. Episode 30: Episode 195 May 19, 1981 · 47m Chrissie phones Meg at work to tell her about Mick's arrest and that she is in danger herself of being charged with harbouring a fugitive. Colleen tells the women that none of the officers…
  31. Episode 31: Episode 196 May 20, 1981 · 47m The corridors are silent when Jim and Colleen check up later, though the din resumes after their dialogue. The women are taken for their showers a few at a time next morning and are then…
  32. Episode 32: Episode 197 May 26, 1981 · 47m Chrissie tries to convince Meg that the half-naked man fleeing her flat is an old friend, but Meg suspects she is back on the game and threatens to report it if Chrissie doesn't agree to…
  33. Episode 33: Episode 198 May 27, 1981 · 47m At breakfast Judy, Hazel and Phyllis all "vie" for top dog, but it is only a ploy to make the staff feel that there will be too much unrest if Bea is not returned. Margo, who is going in…
  34. Episode 34: Episode 199 Jun 2, 1981 · 47m The driver of the police van is dead and the officer unconscious. A very disoriented Bea stumbles out of the van and walks away. Lizzie brings Judy breakfast in solitary and tells her…
  35. Episode 35: Episode 200 Jun 3, 1981 · 47m Meg goes to phone the police but Mum tells her Bea needs medical attention. Meg agrees to go see Bea before alerting the authorities. In Erica's office, Judy and Doreen explain that they…
  36. Episode 36: Episode 201 Jun 9, 1981 · 47m Terry finds Bea weeping hysterically in the corridor. She begs to see Meg. Bea tells Meg that she almost killed Margo, but doesn't understand where the violent urge came from. In the…
  37. Episode 37: Episode 202 Jun 10, 1981 · 47m Bea finds Mum unconscious and stays with her while Jim runs for help. Margo comes in tossing Mum's pills in her hand. Bea asks for them back but Margo refuses. When Jim and Erica come…
  38. Episode 38: Episode 203 Jun 16, 1981 · 47m At meal time, Margo acts terrified of Bea. Both Mum and Vera notice. Bea later tells Margo not to act frightened of her. Margo then bashes Doreen in front of Bea and the other women. She…
  39. Episode 39: Episode 204 Jun 17, 1981 · 47m Bea tells her counsel that she wishes to change her plea to guilty. On the stand, Bea testifies that she only had amnesia for a few hours immediately following the accident but that she…
  40. Episode 40: Episode 205 Jun 23, 1981 · 47m Lizzie's book is officially "opened". Mr. Muirhead visits Meg at home and tells her that Nick absolutely must move out. Lizzie does very well with her first race. Terry moves in. Vera…
  41. Episode 41: Episode 206 Jun 24, 1981 · 47m Bea bails Lizzie out of trouble by having her give the women back their original bets and IOUs for the rest. Terry brings in a bottle of scotch for Margo. Her information - that Lizzie is…
  42. Episode 42: Episode 207 Jun 30, 1981 · 47m Jim runs for help. Margo comes to in the infirmary, but has no idea who hit her. Bob tells Meg that he has no interest in Arna and invites Meg to have lunch with them that afternoon before…
  43. Episode 43: Episode 208 Jul 1, 1981 · 47m Judy asks Bea what she intends to do with the cassette, but Bea is not yet sure. Meg gets to Nick as he is being escorted to prison. She says how sorry she is for the misunderstanding. A…
  44. Episode 44: Episode 209 Jul 7, 1981 · 47m Jim finds Vera sobbing in the rec room. She asks to be excused for the afternoon and Jim agrees. The family doctor phones Erica and informs her that her mother has collapsed and is in…
  45. Episode 45: Episode 210 Jul 8, 1981 · 47m Judy is stunned at meeting Lori and asks how she found her. Lori explains that her adoptive parents, the Youngs,were afraid that Judy was going to try and contact her during her escape so…
  46. Episode 46: Episode 211 Jul 14, 1981 · 47m The Keep-Fit class ends with Jim about as winded as the women. Meg visits with Erica, who thanks her for the dinner. Erica then tell Meg that she must go to the country to sort through her…
  47. Episode 47: Episode 212 Jul 15, 1981 · 47m Bea and Judy search for Doreen. Bea tells Lizzie to keep an eye on Lori. Lori claims she isn't at all frightened and that Doreen is too stupid to know what to do with a knife. Lizzie sits…
  48. Episode 48: Episode 213 Jul 21, 1981 · 47m While running in the park, Jim comes across Amelia and speaks with her. He shows her a photograph of Michelle and she recognizes her. Amelia says she hasn't seen Michelle in a couple of…
  49. Episode 49: Episode 214 Jul 28, 1981 · 47m Terry is not happy to see Kathy. He advises her to keep quiet about their marriage as it might put her in danger from other prisoners. Since she has already received a threat, Kathy…
  50. Episode 50: Episode 215 Aug 4, 1981 · 47m Bea and Judy give Kathy's cell a thorough check for any more booby-traps. Inspector Grace arrives to see Kathy. Vera is most unpleasant to him and explains to Terry that she's had dealings…
  51. Episode 51: Episode 216 Aug 5, 1981 · 47m Doreen leads the verbal attack on Alison until Judy intervenes allowing Alison to run out of the rec room, bumping into Bea on her way out and somehow managing to scratch Bea's face…
  52. Episode 52: Episode 217 Aug 11, 1981 · 47m Bea hears Alison howling and rushes to the rescue, using a chair to break the circuit. Jim gives Alison mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Vera is delighted by Terry's proposal, and accepts…
  53. Episode 53: Episode 218 Aug 12, 1981 · 47m The gunman, Harry, is looking for Terry, and forces Vera to ring him at work, but Vera tricks Harry by telling Terry that she's gone down with the same virus as her mother. Terry knows…
  54. Episode 54: Episode 219 Aug 18, 1981 · 47m Jim warns Alison not to be so stand-offish with the other prisoners. Wendy is pleased with Alison's quickness in picking up the job in reception. Kathy's parole comes through. Erica is…
  55. Episode 55: Episode 220 Aug 19, 1981 · 47m Don is furious with the security after the assault on Alison, and takes it out on Jim. A repair man comes to fix the washing machine. Judy is a little put out that Alison has read her…
  56. Episode 56: Episode 221 Aug 25, 1981 · 47m The gate guard sees what has happened, and finds Kathy dead in the road. He calls for an ambulance, while Wendy in reception rings the police. Wendy tells Erica about the accident, and…
  57. Episode 57: Episode 222 Aug 26, 1981 · 47m Vera find Terry sweeping up the fragments of his broken mug. Bea warns the other prisoners about Terry, and tells them never to be alone with him. Wendy offers to teach Alison typing. Vera…
  58. Episode 58: Episode 223 Sep 1, 1981 · 47m Terry is forced to go with "Wacka" and Dinah in his car: two men watching his flat see them drive off. Don is told he has a slipped disc after the accident on building site, and must rest…
  59. Episode 59: Episode 224 Sep 2, 1981 · 47m Terry is killed by a gunshot from the car. Erica gets a telephone call from the gate guard about the shooting, and immediately phones Det. Insp. Grace. Doreen tells the other prisoners…
  60. Episode 60: Episode 225 Sep 8, 1981 · 47m The women bet on who will replace Vera and tease Jim for not getting the Barnhurst job. Officer Powell is offered a temporary position as Acting Chief Prison Officer, with the possibility…
  61. Episode 61: Episode 226 Sep 9, 1981 · 47m Bea and Doreen comfort Lizzie and convince her to carry on fighting for the house because Sid wanted her to have it. Bea writes a letter to Gordon with a "reminder" about the earlier…
  62. Episode 62: Episode 227 Sep 15, 1981 · 47m Meg offers to look after Alison's children. Jim tells Meg that he has resigned, to her great astonishment. Erica phones the Department to try to get a replacement for Jim and makes it…
  63. Episode 63: Episode 228 Sep 16, 1981 · 47m The "ghost" turns out be a young man called Peter Richards, who explains that he is on the run from the police, as he was involved against his will as the geataway driver for a robbery…
  64. Episode 64: Episode 229 Sep 22, 1981 · 47m Jim believes that Colleen is trying to influence him to forget that he saw her hit Andrea. Judy tells Andrea that she's unpopular with the other prisoners because of her "know-it-all"…
  65. Episode 65: Episode 230 Sep 23, 1981 · 47m Lizzie discovers that Doreen is missing, and starts to go after her. Jim brings Mrs Reid inside the house with the police, who find that there are only five prisoners there, not six. Mrs…
  66. Episode 66: Episode 231 Sep 29, 1981 · 47m Andrea's friends take Erica hostage, blindfolding her and bundling her into a delivery van. Linda rings Ted Douglas from a call box and announces that they are holding Erica hostage until…
  67. Episode 67: Episode 232 Sep 30, 1981 · 47m ... but she misses and Erica escapes. Wentworth gets a new prison officer, Janet Conway. Jim is disappointed when he finds out that she is only just out of training school. Erica tries to…
  68. Episode 68: Episode 233 Oct 6, 1981 · 47m Peter is not angry with Doreen, and tells her it is his fault that Doreen is in trouble. Bea remembers who Officer Conway is, and tells Janet that she knows she had been a remand prisoner…
  69. Episode 69: Episode 234 Oct 7, 1981 · 47m The shot hits Jim in the arm but he still manages to overpower Linda. Doreen and Judy suspect that the strange way Bea's been behaving recently has something to do with Officer Conway…
  70. Episode 70: Episode 235 Oct 13, 1981 · 47m Meg meets Lizzie to take her to Sid's house and advises her to try to make new friends on the outside. Bea tries to keep Andrea and Linda apart in the dining room. Meg gives Lizzie an…
  71. Episode 71: Episode 236 Oct 14, 1981 · 47m Sandy tells Judy she thinks the importance they all give to the press is childish, and holds Judy's arm in it until she gives in. Jim offers to let Bea work on the Braille machine…
  72. Episode 72: Episode 237 Oct 20, 1981 · 47m
  73. Episode 73: Episode 238 Oct 21, 1981 · 47m Judy is worried that Hazel might have hit Kate too hard, and asks Doreen to go and find out how she is. Meg asks Janet if the TV hire company is run by someone related to her. Doreen is…
  74. Episode 74: Episode 239 Oct 27, 1981 · 47m Meg comes back to work as a prison officer. Sandy gets to hear that Bea is seriously ill and wonders whether she should take over as top dog. Jim explains to Janet that Erica will soon be…
  75. Episode 75: Episode 240 Oct 28, 1981 · 47m Erica tells Meg that Lizzie's house has burnt down, and that Lizzie has vanished. Erica orders Colleen to return the goods confiscated in the cell search. Sandy manages to give Bea…
  76. Episode 76: Episode 241 Nov 3, 1981 · 47m Colleen accuses Meg of putting her in a bad light with Erica. Judy thinks can teach herself to use the Braille machine, but Erica tells her it is being moved to Barnhurst. Erica asks…
  77. Episode 77: Episode 242 Nov 4, 1981 · 47m A police officer comes to talk to Colleen. Janet and Meg go out for a night on the town. Sandy tells the other prisoners that if there is anyone who can donate a kidney for Bea, they will…
  78. Episode 78: Episode 243 Nov 10, 1981 · 47m Jim returns to work after a week's holiday. Joyce Barry shows Jim the drawing, and it has the same effect on him as it did on Janet. Erica is discussing the newspaper article with Ted…
  79. Episode 79: Episode 244 Nov 11, 1981 · 47m There is a cell search, and Colleen tries to get Meg to leave her alone to search Sandy's cell, but Meg points out that the regulations require there to be two officers present. Sandy gets…
  80. Episode 80: Episode 245 Nov 17, 1981 · 47m Kate speaks with Inspector Grace. Kate wants a witness "found" for her appeal in exchange for information. She tells Grace where Megan Barnett's body is buried. Grace agrees to work with…
  81. Episode 81: Episode 246 Nov 18, 1981 · 47m Doreen tells Judy about life at Wentworth under Marie's rule before Bea took over and how bad it was. Marie stands outside the cell listening. Janet comes across the forged roster in the…