Here is a copy of the SA BG press pack May 2001
In anwswer to a questioned raised on the other thread .
Yes BG3 filming had just been completed. I think they had just done the Waterstones Book Signing then too..

Shed wouldn't have started filming Series 4 in May..at that time they started in the autumn but they probably would have written the scripts l imagine, so it would have been fresh in the writers mind's hence the comment referring to Roisin.


BAD GIRLS website: www.badgirls.co.za

BAD GIRLS
Press Pack

BAD GIRLS is the powerful drama series set in the closed world of a women’s prison, HMP Larkhall. This second series with 13 new one-hour episodes launches on TUESDAY 8th MAY 2001 at 8.05pm (20-05hrs) on M-NET.

BAD GIRLS dramatically portrays this tense and unusual community, capturing the warmth and humour needed to survive the system. On the outside are the women’s homes, partners and children. On the inside they must negotiate their places in the prison’s hierarchy and sometimes make new sexual choices.

The series shows the relentless officiousness of the prison system and its regulations pitched against the devious guerrilla tactics of the smarter prisoners.

The series is produced by BRIAN PARK and created by MAUREEN CHADWICK, EILEEN GALLAGHER and ANN MCMANUS. All the stories are rooted in reality and extensive research. The on-going series advisors are CHRIS TCHAIKOVSKY, director of the campaigning charity Women In Prison, and ex-prison officer WENDY BOWKER.

BAD GIRLS 2 develops all the key characters who were left on a knife-edge at the end of series one. The ensemble cast includes: SIMONE LAHBIB (Young Person’s Guide To Being A Rock Star) as feisty young Wing Governor, Helen Stewart and MANDANA JONES (London Bridge) as lipstick lesbian lifer Nikki Wade. JACK ELLIS (Prime Suspect) plays one of the most evil characters British television has thrown up in years as senior prison officer Jim Fenner. DEBRA STEPHENSON (Playing The Field) is Shell Dockley, the Alexis Colby for the millennium. This new and dramatic series introduces new women on the block including: prison officer Karen Betts played by ex Emmerdale star CLAIRE KING, and gangster’s wife Yvonne Atkins played by LINDA HENRY (Trial and Retribution).

The series was filmed in the East End of London in the largest free standing set in Europe, re-creating the complete three floored interior of HMP Larkhall’s G Wing.

The first series of BAD GIRLS in the UK (1999) attracted an audience of over 7.3 million and was the second highest rating drama across all channels for the whole year for 16 – 24 and 16 – 34 year old audiences, underlining the programme’s mass and young appeal.

The directors are MIKE ADAMS, LAURENCE MOODY and JIM O’HANLON.



For further information, preview & review tapes
please contact Berniece Friedmann 021 434-4951 / 082 892 5877
bernfried@kingsley.co.za
For photos : http://www.badgirls.co.za/highres






THE MAKING OF BAD GIRLS

The year before last, Brian Park, Eileen Gallagher, Ann McManus and Maureen Chadwick set themselves up as an independent production company, called Shed (for reasons none of them can quite remember). They gave up their well paid jobs in TV, borrowed five million pounds from the bank, built the biggest free standing TV set in Europe and employed over seventy staff to make their drama series BAD GIRLS for the ITV Network.

This decision triggered a roller-coaster series of events, the like of which they had never experienced.

Says Eileen Gallagher, managing director of Shed and co-creator of BAD GIRLS:

“The first hurdle was securing the commission. We then had to raise the cash – credit rating for a newly formed independent company that had made nothing before = nil. But Brian’s Corrie credentials and my LWT MD business cards persuaded Barclays Bank that the company was kosher. They handed over the money.

“Then the hard but rewarding work began. Having worked all my life with major support systems at Scottish TV and Granada, it was liberating but terrifying to know that we had to do it all ourselves. We had no one to pass the buck to and no support staff to help us out. We answered the phones, printed our own stationery and negotiated the talent deals ourselves.

“Our friend, Katherine Gotts (who is also co-composing the music for the second series) designed the logo and wasn’t too grand to cut the business cards on the guillotine in her office, whilst also helping me manage the business”.

Brian set about organising the set-build – at a cool £500,000. Then came the recruitment of the crew for the shoot and the extremely time-consuming and delicate task of casting for the series. Ann and Maureen set about story-lining, writing and editing the scripts. Eventually all the scripts were in shape and Shed started the production proper – ten episodes, each one shot in eight days.

Says Brian Park, Producer of BAD GIRLS:

“It is an amazing experience to see a drama take shape from story idea to script stage to eventual transmission. It was a daunting task to bring such an ambitious project to life – both in terms of budget and scale. One of the most awesome moments was seeing the massive G Wing set finally finished. I remember thinking: “Christ, we really DO have to do this show now!’”

Brian finished shooting series one in April 1999 ready for transmission in May. Then began the sleepless nights as they waited for the reaction of the Great British Public.

Says Park:

“It’s always a tough call starting a new major TV drama from scratch and waiting for the critical and public response. We did have very mixed reviews, but, of course, in the final analysis this type of programme is going to be judged by the viewers’ response. Luckily for us, our bulging mailbag was testament to how much they enjoyed it. LWT’s press and publicity department told us they had ‘never seen anything like it’. The number of hugely positive letters and phone calls we received about the show was incredible”.

BAD GIRLS


There was also the phenomenon of one of the biggest unofficial fan web-sites that has ever materialised, attracting over 100,000 hits in its early weeks, despite an obscure web address. The site can now be found at www.badgirls.co.uk.

Such a reaction from the public undoubtedly pleased the ITV Network Centre. It certainly pleased the show’s creators, as some critics had suggested that they had written BAD GIRLS to ‘titillate’ men. Nothing could have been further from their minds.

Lead writer, Maureen Chadwick, says:

“BAD GIRLS is the show I’ve always wanted to write – a popular, contemporary drama with subversive political content, dominated by strong female characters.

“In many ways BAD GIRLS is fuelled by a spirit of protest – against an unjust prison system, male violence towards women and children, poverty and deprivation, absurd drugs laws, the Official Secrets Act, and homophobia – but it’s also a celebration of a unique female spirit of anarchic fun and passionate friendship, such as could never be found in a men’s prison.

“Some years ago I met Chris Tchaikovsky, the director of the campaigning charity Women In Prison, and wrote a screenplay based on her life as a young professional criminal in the 1960s.
I submitted that script to Brian Park and Ann McManus when I applied to join the writing team on Coronation Street, not for one second imagining that a year later it would lead to my being asked to join their newly formed inde2pendent TV company to co-develop a women’s prison drama series.

“As a former fan of Within These Walls, I grabbed the chance to work on a contemporary version of the subject. Women’s prisons today are even riper for dramatisation, since the introduction of male officers on to the residential wings. And a situation that naturally allows for a fresh supply of new characters and stories could not provide a better format for a long-running series”.

Ann McManus, script executive says:

“After helping develop the ‘Deirdre in Prison’ story-line for Coronation Street, I became very interested in the issues surrounding women’s imprisonment. Even the briefest of glimpses into the closed world of the prison system makes you realise how ludicrous it is that we spend so much tax payers’ money on women who are no threat at all to society. You see immediately that most of them are poverty-stricken, or victims of terrible physical or sexual abuse, or simply doing their men’s bidding.

“I taught in one of Glasgow’s toughest housing estates and know first-hand how putting mothers in prison means their children are much more likely to indulge in criminal behaviour. We try to show in BAD GIRLS just how much women prisoners suffer from being separated from their kids. And how, for the children of women prisoners, it is a sentence for them too”.

Now Shed Productions is back on the merry-go-round for a second run.

BAD GIRLS

Says Gallagher:

“ITV commissioned thirteen episodes for the second series. This is one of ITV’s largest commissions for an independent company. The first series was deemed a success after it attracted an average audience of 7.3 million. But one of the remarkable facts about BAD GIRLS is the very high proportion of young people watching. BAD GIRLS was the number two rated drama across all channels for the full year for 16-24 and 16-34 year-olds. I think this is because young people have a huge appetite for drama which is controversial and not bland, but, above all, truthful”.

Says Park:

“If Shed Productions is about anything, it’s about making popular, original eye-level drama. This sets us slightly apart from a market that often seems dominated by the latest adaptation of a classic novel or vehicles for star packaging.

“One of the great joys of producing a series like BAD GIRLS is the opportunity to bring on fresh, new, young talent of the calibre of Alicya Eyo (Denny), Debra Stephenson (Shell), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Crystal) and Lara Cazalet (Zandra).

“We have an extremely tough schedule. Nevertheless, what you do find is a fantastic atmosphere of doing something new from cast and crew”.

The transmission of BAD GIRLS series two was brought forward at short notice to launch Tuesday, April 4th. This means that, earlier than they expected, Shed Productions will be holding their breath, sick with nerves on a Wednesday morning, waiting, once again, for the ratings…

BAD GIRLS

20 FACTS ABOUT WOMEN’S PRISONS


1. In 1996 the cost of keeping one woman in prison was £26,675. Or £500 per prisoner per week. There are no official figures yet for 2000.

2. Around 40% of British women in prison are likely to have been in local authority care at some time before the age of 18. Official figures say 49% of women prisoners have a history of sexual abuse. Unofficial figures says it’s more like 80%. Over 40% are mothers of dependent children and nearly half of these mothers are single parents. Women prisoners are less obedient than men and are regarded as much more difficult to manage.

3. Many women are expected to continue running their homes and families whilst they are in prison.

4. The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme (IEPS) began in July 1995 with the aim of improving prisoner behaviour and performance in custody. Prisoners are moved between Basic, Standard and Enhanced regimes, giving access to an increased number of privileges, which can also affect their accommodation - shared or single cell. Trusted prisoners (‘orderlies’ like Shell Dockley) are given the better jobs in the prison e.g. in the kitchen. They can go about the prison unsupervised, a privilege which can be seriously abused.

5. Drugs are a constant feature of prison life. In 1996, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs produced a report which acknowledged that there is widespread misuse of drugs in prison, resulting in violence and intimidation.

6. MDT (Mandatory Drug Testing) means that prisoners (mostly chosen at random by computer) have to provide a urine sample. The test, referred to by prisoners as “the piss test” or “taking the piss”, is carried out under a degree of supervision to try to avoid substitute specimens being supplied.

7. MDT is very expensive. It is estimated that for a prison like Holloway, holding about 500 prisoners, the cost per month is between £16,000 and £23,000.

8. When a prisoner breaks the rules, she is sent to the segregation unit, consisting of several bare cells known as ‘the Block’. Whilst there, the women often have their privileges withdrawn and are denied Association (periods when prisoners can mix with each other etc).

9. Working in prisons is undoubtedly a stressful job, exacerbated by the fact that the prison population continues to rise whilst the number of Prison Officers does not.

10. About one quarter of officers working in women’s prisons are men - to provide equal opportunities for prison staff. Although they are not allowed to strip-search women, men have extraordinary access to women in their cells at any time of the day or night.



BAD GIRLS


11. Most women’s prisons have male prison governors.

12. Sentenced prisoners are only entitled to 2 x 30-minute visits a month.

13. Because there are relatively few women’s prisons, the prisoners’ family and friends may have to travel hundreds of miles to visit.

14. Prisoners’ medical records do not follow them into prison.

15. Because doctors working in prisons belong to an independent medical service they are isolated from their peers in the National Health Service. Prisoners suffer sub-standard health care, which is not subject to NHS requirements (Zandra Plackett’s storyline).

16. Self-mutilation – especially cutting up and ligaturing – is a major problem in women’s prisons. Often the women receive no psychiatric help but are seen as time wasters and are frequently punished rather than helped. Prison Service statistics show that the number of incidents recorded as self-injury have increased by 48%. On average every day there are 13 incidents of self-harm or suicide attempts.

17. The inspectorate’s review noted that approximately 25% of women prisoners reported a history of self-harm or suicide. One in three women prisoners attempt suicide.

18. In 1998 there were four mother and baby units in prison establishments throughout the country, with a total of 68 places available between them.

19. Often the operational requirements of prisons are given priority over education. Work in the kitchen or garden is more important than a woman learning to read and write.

20. In April 1998 Linda Jones was appointed as Director of the Women’s Policy Group. This is the first time that the Prison Service has officially recognised that the needs of women prisoners are specifically different. Previously all policy decisions relating to the men’s estate have been blindly imposed on the women’s estate irrespective of their consequences or relevance.


BAD GIRLS

CAST LIST


PRISON STAFF

Helen Stewart
idealistic young fast-tracker/wing governor SIMONE LAHBIB
Karen Betts
newly-promoted senior officer and divorcee CLAIRE KING
Jim Fenner
opportunistic senior officer with a roving eye JACK ELLIS
Sylvia Hollamby
lazy turnscrew aka ‘Bodybag’ HELEN FRASER
Dominic McAllister
committed young rookie officer JOE SHAW
Di Barker
dippy tender-hearted officer TRACEY WILKINSON


INMATES

Michelle (Shell) Dockley
psychotic lifer who uses her sexuality DEBRA STEPHENSON
Nikki Wade
uncompromising lipstick lesbian lifer MANDANA JONES
Denny Blood
lesbian street kid with a big heart ALICYA EYO
Julie Saunders
mouthy tart with a heart VICTORIA ALCOCK
Julie Johnston
child-like tart with a heart KIKA MIRYLEES
Yvonne Atkins
tough gangster’s wife who takes no prisoners LINDA HENRY
Zandra Plackett
heroin addicted young mum LARA CAZALET
Crystal Gordon
uptight bible bashing shoplifter SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Barbara Hunt
middle class and middle aged mercy-killer ISABELLE AMYES
Shaz
cute kid triple murderer LINDSEY FAWCETT
Renee
gangster’s moll ALISON NEWMAN

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Directors
MIKE ADAMS (eps 1, 2, 9, 10 & 11)
LAURENCE MOODY (eps 3, 4, 5, 12 &13)
JIM O’HANLON (eps 6, 7 & 8)
Producer BRIAN PARK
Managing Director, Shed Productions EILEEN GALLAGHER
Series Devisers MAUREEN CHADWICK
EILEEN GALLAGHER
ANN McMANUS
Technical Advisers CHRIS TCHAIKOVSKY
WENDY BOWKER
Music KATH GOTTS
MICHAEL WALTON
Costume Designer SARAH ARTHUR
Make-Up Designer KATE RUDLIN
Sound Recordist JOHN MARCHBANK
Editor PETER CARTWRIGHT/BELINDA COTTRELL
Casting Director MARGARET CRAWFORD
Series Designer MIKE OXLEY
Production Designer JANE TOMBLIN
Director of Photography NICK DANCE
Production Manager VICKY SWIFT
Script Executive ANN McMANUS
First Assistant Director JACK RAVENSCROFT/BILL BRENNAN
Second Assistant Director TOM GABBUTT/JIM CHAMBERS
Third Assistant Director IAN HUTCHINSON
Camera Operator ANDREW STOKES
Camera Assistant WILL MURPHY
Grip MALCOLM SMITH/RON NICHOLLS
Continuity CAROLINE ELLISTON
Sound Maintenance Engineer WILL TOWERS
Gaffer DAVE OWEN
Best Boy DARREN HARVEY
Assistant Editor COLIN FAIR
Post-Production MARTYR TELEVISION
Wardrobe Supervisor SAFFRON WEBB
Senior Make-Up Artist EVA MARIEGES-MOORE
Production Accountant CRAIG BARWICK
Production Co-ordinator POLLY JEFFERIES
Production Secretary HELEN MITCHELL
Location Manager GEORGE GRIFFITHS
Unit Manager IAN HOGAN
Construction Manager TOM OVERTON
Art Director SALLY REYNOLDS
Set Director VICTORIA NELSON
Prop Master NICK WALKER
Prop Buyer ALISON MacMILLAN
Stunt Co-ordinator ALAN STUART


BAD GIRLS
Episode 1
Written by MAUREEN CHADWICK
Directed by MIKE ADAMS

Synopsis
G Wing is in turmoil. Wing Governor Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib) hasn’t returned from holiday and Senior Officer Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) is in charge. Anticipating a permanent promotion to Wing Governor, he suggests to his wife Marilyn (Kim Taylforth) that they go out for a celebratory meal. Marilyn is in no mood to celebrate, having received an anonymous letter – her husband is having an affair with inmate Shell Dockley (Debra Stephenson).

Senior Officer Sylvia Hollamby (Helen Fraser) is pleased to hear of Stewart’s absence and hopes that this will lead to tougher working practices. She is not so pleased to hear the alarm bell go off in the four-bed dorm - Zandra (Lara Cazalet) has gone into labour. Zandra’s boyfriend Robin (Gideon Turner) joins her in the final stages of delivery, but when complications set in for their new baby boy, Zandra has to admit that she is still an addict.

Jim denies all when Marilyn confronts him about the letters. But a shock awaits him back at HMP Larkhall when he finds that Helen has returned from holiday with every intention of continuing in the job. However, Governor Simon Stubberfield (Roland Oliver) has already invited Senior Officer Karen Betts (Claire King) in for a meeting…

Nikki (Mandana Jones) is delighted to hear that Helen is back and hopes that Helen’s break-up from her boyfriend means that, at last, Helen has accepted her burgeoning feelings for her. The news that Jim is not taking over as Wing Governor does not please Shell. Her antagonistic relationship with Nikki, is further fuelled by Helen’s return and Jim’s removal as Acting Wing Governor. But Shell has a plan to seek her revenge on both Nikki and Jim.

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Simon Stubberfield ROLAND OLIVER
Marilyn Fenner KIM TAYLFORTH
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Julie Saunders VICTORIA ALCOCK
Julie Johnston KIKA MIRYLEES
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Midwife RUTH MITCHELL
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Robin Dunstan GIDEON TURNER
Helen Stewart SIMONE LAHBIB
Mel MELANIE RAMSEY
Officer Blakeson EUGENE WALKER
BAD GIRLS
Episode 2
Written by MARTIN ALLEN
Directed by MIKE ADAMS

Synopsis
Shell (Debra Stephenson) continues to torment Marilyn (Kim Taylforth), now that she has had a mobile phone smuggled into HMP Larkhall by prison worker Josh (Nathan Constance). The disturbing anonymous phonecalls to the Fenner household alarm Jim (Jack Ellis) and arouse his suspicions as to who could have access to a phone on the inside.

Now that Zandra’s (Lara Cazalet) baby has been taken away from her, she is back on G Wing and her cellmates try to cheer her up. Denny (Alicya Eyo) has a visit from her alcoholic mum (Denise Black), and is taken under Yvonne Atkins’ (Linda Henry) wing.

Senior Officer Karen Betts (Claire King) is finding her feet with the staff and inmates on G Wing,
and soon discovers all is not as it should be.

Shell’s plan against Jim and Nikki (Mandana Jones) escalates and soon starts to get out of hand – Marilyn will have the proof she needs of Jim’s adultery and Nikki stands to be shipped out.

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Marilyn Fenner KIM TAYLFORTH
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Helen Stewart SIMONE LAHBIB
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Julie Saunders VICTORIA ALCOCK
Julie Johnston KIKA MIRYLEES
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Josh NATHAN CONSTANCE
Lauren DANIELLE KING
Jessie Devlin DENISE BLACK
Simon Stubberfield ROLAND OLIVER
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER




BAD GIRLS
Episode 3
Written by MARK WADLOW
Directed by LAURENCE MOODY

Synopsis
With his marriage on the rocks, his career on the line, and now the police on his doorstep to question him about Shell’s allegations, Senior Officer Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) realises that he could well find himself behind bars. Forever the schemer, Jim has already thought out a foolproof plan to get his job back - and to get even with Shell.

With Helen’s (Simone Lahbib) resignation and Jim off G Wing, there is a job vacancy - and Karen Betts (Claire King) is fast-tracked by Simon Stubberfield (Roland Oliver) to become the new Wing Governor.

Back on G-Wing, love is in the air. Nikki (Mandana Jones) has received a letter from Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib), and prison worker Josh (Nathan Constance) sets his sights on bible-bashing Crystal (Sharon Duncan-Brewster).

The traumatic difficulties that come from being inside affect all of the bad girls. For Julie Johnston (Kika Mirylees) the absence of her children makes life hard to bear. She hasn’t seen her kids since they were taken to America by her ex, so Julie Saunders (Victoria Alcock) and Yvonne (Linda Henry) devise a way for them to visit their mum. But “Bodybag” Sylvia Hollamby (Helen Fraser) sets out to ruin the emotional re-union.

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Julie Johnston KIKA MIRYLEES
Julie Saunders VICTORIA ALCOCK
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Marilyn Fenner KIM TAYLFORTH
Tom Fenner MATTHEW THOMAS
Simon Stubberfield ROLAND OLIVER
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Di Barker TRACEY WILKINSON
D.I. Williamson FREDERICK WARDER
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Josh Mitchell NATHAN CONSTANCE
Lauren Atkins DANIELLE KING
Rhiannon Dawson JADE WILLIAMS
Martin Dawson SCOTT CHARLES

BAD GIRLS
Episode 4
Written by JAYNE HOLLINSON
Directed by LAURENCE MOODY

Synopsis
Denny Blood (Alicya Eyo) has been feeling low since her mother didn’t show up as planned on visitors’ day. Yvonne (Linda Henry), who has taken Denny under her wing, tries to boost both her confidence and her mood.

On hearing that Jessie (Denise Black) absence was because she had been hospitalised, Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) agrees that Denny can go and visit her. Prison Officer Di Barker (Tracey Wilkinson) accompanies her to the hospital, but on arrival they find that Jessie has already gone. Denny is determined to find her and put an end to her fear of abandonment and loss.

Romantics at heart, the two Julies (Victoria Alcock and Kika Mirylees) arrange a dinner “a deux” in the laundry room for Josh (Nathan Constance) and Crystal (Sharon Duncan-Brewster).

Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) is back on G Wing and, bitter with his lot, now crosses the fine line into the world of financial corruption. He tries to undermine Karen’s new found authority, by telling the Governor (Roland Oliver) about their past sexual relations. But his greed and hunger for power threaten to be his undoing, when he puts a proposition to Yvonne Atkins (Linda Henry) …

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Di Barker TRACEY WILKINSON
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Josh Mitchell NATHAN CONSTANCE
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Julie Saunders VICTORIA ALCOCK
Julie Johnston KIKA MIRYLEES
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Nurse EMILY FAIRMAN
Security Guard NICK BARNES
Simon Stubberfield ROLAND OLIVER
Billy ANDY HOUGH
Jessie Devlin DENISE BLACK





BAD GIRLS
Episode 5
Written by Maureen Chadwick
Directed by LAURENCE MOODY

Synopsis
Life on G Wing is hectic with a batch of new arrivals. The arrival of ‘Mad’ Tessa Spall (Helen Schlesinger) strikes fear in the Prison Officers because of her reputation for extreme violence - especially towards officers. Karen Betts (Claire King) also has reason to dread her, having crossed swords with her in the past. Also arriving is Barbara Hunt (Isabelle Amyes), a terrified and hysterical first-time prisoner – but thanks to a classic prison cockup Barbara is mis-identified as the mad woman and sedated down the block, while Tessa herself is sent to G Wing…

Yvonne Atkins’ (Linda Henry) and Jim Fenner’s (Jack Ellis) unorthodox deal comes to fruition, when Yvonne finds herself and gangland husband, Charlie (Ivan Kay), in a private room - alone. Jim finds himself a couple of hundred pounds richer, and one step further down the road to corruption, at the hands of Charlie and Yvonne.

Zandra has been complaining of headaches and severe dizzy spells, but the Doctor refuses her any medical treatment. The prison and fellow inmates believe she is still doing drugs and going through “cold turkey” - but this could be a mis-diagnosis.

Doubts begin to grow as to ‘Barbara’s’ true identity, as her behaviour becomes frighteningly erratic and ‘Tessa’s’ becomes calmer. Has a dreadful clerical error occurred? If so, who is having the meeting with Karen Betts?

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Barbara Hunt ISABELLE AMYES
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Di Barker TRACEY WILKINSON
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Security Guard DAVID BAUCKHAM
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Tessa Spall HELEN SCHLESINGER
Dr Nicholson PHILIP McGOUGH
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Meg Richards SIAN WEBBER
Charlie Atkins IVAN KAY
PO Blakeson EUGENE WALKER

CONT'D

BAD GIRLS
Episode 6
Written by MARTIN ALLEN
Directed by JIM O'HANLON

Synopsis
Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) reprimands Senior Officer Sylvia (Helen Fraser) for the mix-up over the two prisoners. Talk turns to Sylvia’s recent injury and Karen decides to put her on an exercise and health routine, much to Sylvia’s dismay and the amusement of all the inmates.

Zandra (Lara Cazalet) finally gets her medical examination with Dr Nicholson (Philip McGough). His diagnosis? Low blood pressure and a pair of glasses – but Zandra is not so sure it is that simple.

Tension mounts between Nikki Wade (Mandana Jones) and new cell mate Barbara Hunt (Isabelle Amyes). Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) and Shell Dockley (Debra Stephenson) are causing trouble, by telling Barbara of Nikki’s sexuality, which disturbs Barbara’s cocooned middle-class world.

The Two Julies (Victoria Alcock and Kika Mirylees) are delighted to see their matchmaking has been so successful as Josh (Nathan Constance) and Crystal (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) continue to meet in secret.

Meg (Sian Webber), the new prison therapist, is making great progress with Shell in the group therapy sessions. Revelations emerge that Shell had long since thought buried. But how will this affect her long-term mental well being?

Nikki can’t wait for visiting time, as she is expecting a visitor, whom she knows will cause great excitement and curiosity with both the inmates and officers.

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Dr Nicholson PHILIP McGOUGH
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Barbara Hunt ISABELLE AMYES
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Josh Mitchell NATHAN CONSTANCE
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Julie Johnston KIKA MIRYLEES
Julie Saunders VICTORIA ALCOCK
Meg Richards SIAN WEBBER
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Personal Trainer DANIEL JAMES
Helen Stewart SIMONE LAHBIB

BAD GIRLS
Episode 7
Written by Phil Ford
Directed by Jim O’Hanlon

Synopsis
Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib) has returned to HMP Larkhall in a new Home Office position, much to the delight of Nikki Wade (Mandana Jones) and the dismay of senior prison officer Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) and prison officer Sylvia Hollamby (Helen Fraser).

Jim, believing he is in a position of power over Yvonne (Linda Henry), tries to ‘up the anti’ in their financial arrangements. But Jim soon discovers who really is in control, as Yvonne concocts a plan to leave Larkhall for good.

Meanwhile, Helen is beginning to settle into her new relationship with Nikki, and her new job. Her new post means that she will have access to all Lifers’ files, including Nikki’s file – but there are incidents in Nikki’s past which disturb Helen, and cast a different light on Nikki’s crime.

Zandra’s (Lara Cazalet) new glasses don’t seem to be the answer to her headaches and dizzy spells. She is sure it is something more serious, but the officers are un-supportive, still believing that she is using drugs. Only after a serious seizure is Zandra finally sent for tests; the results of which cause Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) grave concern.


Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Helen Stewart SIMONE LAHBIB
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Jim Fenner JACK ELLIS
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Di Barker TRACEY WILKINSON
Sylvia Hollamby HELEN FRASER
Barbara Hunt ISABELLE AMYES
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Lauren Atkins DANIELLE KING






BAD GIRLS
Episode 8
Written by Maureen Chadwick
Directed by Jim O’Hanlon

Synopsis
With Crystal’s (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) release at the end of the week, Josh (Nathan Constance) is looking forward to them spending more time together. But when Crystal finds herself torn between caring for Zandra and starting a new life with Josh, their relationship begins to falter.

Zandra’s (Lara Cazalet) test results have come through, and the news affects Prison Officer Dominic McAllister (Joe Shaw) more deeply than he had anticipated – is he more emotionally attached to Zandra than is professional?

Charlie’s arrest has Yvonne Atkins (Linda Henry) planning a new scheme to keep her busy and the money coming in. The plan involves The Two Julies, Denny, Shell, mobile phones and an advert headed ‘Hot Babes Behind Bars’.

Shell and her mother Rita (Julie Le Grand) are reunited, in an explosive reunion, as Rita rants and rages when Shell dares to mention the safety of her own children. Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) witnesses Shell recalling the traumatic incidents from her childhood, and her mother admitting to the chilling truth that has shaped Shell’s whole life.

Crystal is determined not to leave Zandra in her hour of need, and devises a plan to stay at Larkhall past the end of the week. Her plan succeeds, much to Josh’s dismay as he waits outside the prison gates for her release.

Cast List
(In order of appearance)
Dominic McAllister JOE SHAW
Crystal Gordon SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Josh Mitchell NATHAN CONSTANCE
Zandra Plackett LARA CAZALET
Denny Blood ALICYA EYO
Shell Dockley DEBRA STEPHENSON
Karen Betts CLAIRE KING
Yvonne Atkins LINDA HENRY
Nikki Wade MANDANA JONES
Barbara Hunt ISABELLE AMYES
Julie Johnston KIKA MIRYLEES
Julie Saunders VICTORIA ALCOCK
Rita Dockley JULIE LE GRAND
Di Barker TRACEY WILKINSON
Dr Nicholson PHILIP McGOUGH

BAD GIRLS
Episode 9
Written by Jayne Hollinson
Directed by Mike Adams

Synopsis

Zandra’s (Lara Cazalet) pain is inconceivable, and those around her feel awkward about showing their true emotions. She is delighted that Crystal is staying on, but this soon turns to frustration and anger as she begins to find it more and more difficult to find her words. She finds comfort in spending time with her close friends and with PO Dominic McAllister (Joe Shaw). Dominic’s feelings become confused and emotion takes over as he finds himself in Zandra’s arms.

Josh (Nathan Constance) is worried about Crystal (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) and wonders why she didn’t leave prison as planned. Although her motives were honourable, Josh is furious when he finds out what she has done – and leaves her to cry over the engagement ring he bought her.

The Two Julies (Victoria Alcock and Kika Mirylees) have planned a party for Zandra, and Dominic turns a blind eye to the bottles of miniatures. Spurred by the alcohol, they turn on Shell (Debra Stephenson), when they discover that Shell has been bullying fellow inmate Barbara Hunt (Isabelle Amyes) and they order her to leave the room. Whilst the rest celebrate Shell’s departure, and a particularly amusing call from a ‘Babes Behind Bars’ punter, Zandra suffers a fatal fit.

Shell’s campaign against Barbara continues, and doesn’t let up, even at Zandra’s memorial service. Barbara must learn to face up to Shell once and for all.

Whilst Larkhall says goodbye to one prisoner, another is being processed – Shaz Wylie (Lindsey Fawcett). Shaz’s presence causes a stir amongst the prisoners, especially for Denny (Alicya Eyo), who sees a kindred spirit in this young and energetic new arrival.

At the end of a hard and emotional day, Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) arranges to meet up for a drink with Prison Officer Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) - but knowing their previous history together, is this a wise move?

BAD GIRLS
Episode 10
Written by Phil Ford
Directed by Mike Adams

Synopsis

The Two Julies (Victoria Alcock and Kika Mirylees) are feeling broody, seeing Zandra’s little Robbie at the memorial service has stirred in them the desire to have a child. Being determined and resourceful women, they are resolved to get what they want, regardless of the overpowering obstacles facing them.

Following Barbara’s (Isabelle Amyes) assertive retaliation, Shell (Debra Stephenson) is now nursing a broken arm. Worried and alone, Barbara guiltily confesses to Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) that she was responsible, but Shell still insists she fell. Does Shell have an ulterior motive for preventing Barbara from being blamed?

Denny (Alicya Eyo) and Shaz (Lindsey Fawcett) have immediately become firm friends, and are playing pranks all over G Wing. Their antics have particularly caught the eye of “Bodybag” Sylvia Hollamby (Helen Fraser), who is determined to split them up.

Renee (Alison Newman), a deadly rival of Yvonne’s (Linda Henry) from the outside, arrives on G Wing. In no time, Renee’s violent and aggressive attitude has made her many more enemies on the inside. Renee’s arrival has caused all of the officers great concern.

Worse still, Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) has found The Two Julies’ telephone handsets, and wants to know who else is involved in ‘Babes Behind Bars’.











BAD GIRLS
Episode 11
Written by Ann McManus
Directed by Mike Adams

Synopsis

New prisoner Renee (Alison Newman) is making enemies fast and furiously, and notching up a growing list of inmates with murderous intentions. When she dies under mysterious circumstances, the police have a plethora of suspects to interview and a burning question of how she was killed.

Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib) has good news for Nikki (Mandana Jones), new evidence has come to light that will benefit her appeal. But tension mounts between them, due to Nikki’s jealousy over any friendships that Helen is forming with colleagues on the outside. Nikki is not the only person to be jealous of Helen’s planned evening out with PO Dominic McAllister (Joe Shaw) - Dominic has a secret admirer.

Shaz (Lindsey Fawcett) and Denny (Alicya Eyo) continue their mischief-making, and Prison Officer Sylvia Hollamby (Helen Fraser) becomes the main target for many of their stunts, one of which creates a serious breach in security.

Jim’s (Jack Ellis) morale is deteriorating, reporting for work hung over and unshaven. When Wing Governor Karen Betts (Claire King) calls round to his house to see him; she discovers that his wife and kids are gone. But will pity turn to something more, as feelings from the past come to the fore?









BAD GIRLS
Episode 12
Written by Maureen Chadwick
Directed by Laurence Moody

Synopsis

Jealousy and intrigue are in the air at HMP Larkhall’s G Wing, with news reaching Nikki (Mandana Jones) of Helen’s (Simone Lahbib) and Dominic’s (Joe Shaw) date. Nikki’s jealous temper flares up, leaving Helen no option but to end their relationship. But Nikki is not the only one disturbed by the date, as Di Barker (Tracey Wilkinson) has been nursing a secret crush on Dominic...

Although cleared of actually killing Renee, Denny (Alicya Eyo) and Shaz (Lindsey Fawcett) are reprimanded for spiking her drink. On the block, Shaz has time to think about the proposition Helen has put to her: to meet with Mrs Foster (Elizabeth Bradley) the wife of one of her victims.

Crystal (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) is planning her imminent departure from HMP Larkhall, and although happy to be leaving, she is unsure whether Josh will be waiting outside for her this time, after all she has done.

Dominic continues to pursue Helen. Although she tries to keep their relationship on a professional level, Helen can see only one option to end his flirtations, and that is to tell him who she really loves. Meanwhile, Nikki is hatching a plan to spend some time alone with Helen…

The barrier between Jim (Jack Ellis) and Karen’s (Claire King) professional and personal relationship become blurred when Jim arrives for work, late and drunk. Jim breaks down as he tells Karen that Marilyn has asked for a divorce. The atmosphere between them becomes electric and passions stir.









BAD GIRLS
Episode 13
Written by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus
Directed by Laurence Moody

Synopsis
Prison Officer Sylvia Hollamby (Helen Fraser) is hosting her 30th Wedding Anniversary party in the officers’ club. With all officers letting their hair down, the evening could well prove to be one full of high emotions and the fulfilment of peoples’ dreams.

Nikki Wade (Mandana Jones) is determined to escape from HMP Larkhall, if only for a night, so that she can visit Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib) and try to patch up all their misunderstandings.

Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) is looking forward to a passionate evening with Karen Betts (Claire King), but she is beginning to have doubts.

Meanwhile, Crystal (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) is alone and anxious at her hostel, wondering whether she’ll ever see Josh (Nathan Constance) again. Guilt ridden by the stolen item in her bag, she walks out into the night air, hoping against hope that Josh will come for her. Will her dream come true?

With the party in full swing, Nikki successfully escapes HMP Larkhall, for her long awaited evening with Helen. But what will Helen’s reaction be? Will she be able to separate her romantic emotions for Nikki with her duty to her job?

As the party comes to an end, Prison Officer Di Barker (Tracey Wilkinson) is keen to tell her colleague Dominic (Joe Shaw) of her true feelings towards him. The opportunity never arises and she once again goes home alone to her bed-ridden mother, where the full extent of her obsession with Dominic comes to light.

Shell (Debra Stephenson) is happier now her children are with a foster family, but her grievance against Jim leaves her determined to seek the ultimate revenge before the end of the night.







SIMONE LAHBIB
(Helen Stewart)


SIMONE feels that her character Helen Stewart has become “a lot freer this series. She doesn’t have to fight so hard. She’s much more relaxed in her appearance – her clothes, her hair, her body language – she’s quite a changed woman. She’s got rid of her past and she’s moving forward. You have to remember, that she was all set to get married, before Nikki turned her world upside down. Her whole life has changed, which is interesting for an actress to play. Major things have happened to Helen this series and she’s shed a load! She’s certainly been different to play this series.

“Changing her job within the prison means that she’s not so much on the defensive. I think that she found being a governor very hard, and she hadn’t expected it to be that way. Helen had wanted to ‘change the world’ but the reality was very different: but she’ll still fight and show her strength when her back’s up against the wall”.

“Her new job at Area Level, gives her much more freedom, and more flexibility with her relationship with Nikki (Mandana Jones). She comes to terms with the fact that she’s in love with Nikki. She’d never had a relationship with a woman and had never perceived herself as wanting to have one - let alone with a prisoner. It is an impossible situation but somehow it becomes stronger and stronger, despite all the complications”.

Sensitive issues are raised for Helen: “questions about the fact that she wanted children, and how to proceed within a lesbian relationship - all of which she is now having to deal with and come to terms with. Nikki has always been clear about her feelings towards Helen, but for Helen it is much more complicated – she is still adjusting to the changes inside herself. Helen really doesn’t know how she feels about it all, but her ultimate desire is to get Nikki out on appeal and see where the relationship goes from there. In reality, they can’t get past the first stage in their relationship within a prison environment. And, of course, the relationship has to be kept secret”.

“I’m very into the internet and for me one of the most exciting things about BAD GIRLS has been the fan base that has come from the BAD GIRLS web site, which can be found at www.badgirls.co.uk.”



SIMONE LAHBIB comes from Stirling and is the eldest of five children. Her sister Nicole is also an actress and alongside her husband Gordon Brown (Take The High Road) runs a theatre company Sair Feet in Scotland. Her father is a camp boss on the oil rigs and SIMONE turned to an acting career when she was offered a film role in The Girl In The Picture, whilst training as a ballerina. Television credits include: The Young Person’s Guide To Being A Rock Star, Thief Takers and London Bridge. Her recent theatre credits include Playboy Of The Western World (Leicester Haymarket) and The Millennium Showcase at the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh. SIMONE enjoys people and food - and “combining the two is pretty good for me especially if there is some alcohol thrown in for good measure!”

CLAIRE KING
(Wing Governor Karen Betts)


CLAIRE doesn’t mince her words when it comes to describing her new screen character Wing Governor Karen Betts: “Firm but fair, a strong woman who knows her own mind and knows how to treat people. Someone you would want on your side, as she will always deliver on the job and plays by the book”.

“She’s a real good egg. I usually seem to always be playing bitches or vamps so this is great!”

Coming into BAD GIRLS was very exciting for CLAIRE but “It’s always nerve wracking being the new girl on the block. But on this series there are no egos and everyone is working together, towards the same goal”.

CLAIRE has worked hard on “Trying to develop her new character, who’s been married before and has a son at University. It’s a first to have a teenager (I’ve had a baby before in Emmerdale) but to suddenly have a nineteen year old is a little upsetting!”

Karen Betts arrives at HMP Larkhall to discover that she will be working with Senior Prison Officer Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) with whom she had a fling with four years before. “On the whole, the prisoners like Karen when she takes over as the Wing Governor, because she is a fair person. She’s worked her way up through the ranks, having ‘trod the landings’. She’s had a bit of a fast promotion as Simon Stubberfield (Roland Oliver) sees her as his protégé. Jim Fenner certainly has his nose put out of joint when he is passed over”.



Born and bred in Harrogate, CLAIRE KING’s home is still up in North Yorkshire, where she lives in “the middle of nowhere” in a converted seventeenth century barn, with her husband and their labrador, Digger.

CLAIRE met her actor husband Peter Amory (Christopher Tate in Emmerdale), on the set of Emmerdale, when she was playing Kim Tate. They have been married for five and a half years, and with their very busy filming schedules in separate parts of the country, time together is very precious.

CLAIRE and her family have always been involved in horses, having been brought up with them. A few years back, a trainer whom she was riding out with persuaded her to take out her licence to race. CLAIRE has ridden races on courses at Redcar, Doncaster, Newmarket and “when I was in Emmerdale I rode the Newmarket Plate, which is the longest flat race – not very successfully but at least I’ve done it!” She has now joined a syndicate to part own some race horses so “we have a bit of fun with that. I don’t have time to ride out anymore - it’s something that you have to do constantly, but riding is my passion”.
CLAIRE is best known for the nine years that she played super bitch Kim Tate in Emmerdale. Other television credits include Angela in Babes In The Wood, and many comedy shows including: Alas Smith and Jones, Robbie Coltrane Special and Hale and Pace.

JACK ELLIS
(Senior Prison Officer Jim Fenner)


JACK ELLIS is excited about the way Jim’s character and story-line has developed this series: “We see Jim change and I hope that there is a little more humanity to him – although his behaviour is inexcusable you maybe see why certain things happen. We actually leave the prison walls and go to his home and meet his family, which really feels that it changes things for me as an actor – meeting ‘the wife’”.

“I do feel that I have now relaxed into the role, although my real-life wife has been heard to say on more than one occasion “can you leave Jim Fenner at work and just be Jack Ellis when you come home!”

For JACK playing Jim has been a real eye opener, “Jim is certainly a devious man but as with any character I’ve played I have grown to like him. His way of thinking is very un-PC, but it’s something that I’m enjoying playing. He is the ‘raw male’ material and in a strange way it’s quite a release”.

“Jim’s been in the service for 14 years and has the training and experience - something can kick off at any time and he’d deal with it. He’s a good Prison Officer and demands a lot of respect from the women and from his fellow officers. People admire him when they see him operate. He fancies himself as a bit of a hero but feels that if you play everything by the book it doesn’t work. His philosophy is that whatever action he does take, it’s to his advantage – he will always get something out of it”.

“Jim has a major problem with women. He’s highly driven and sexually motivated and he doesn’t think that badly about hitting a woman, which is unforgivable. By giving them a slap it will get them in to line again and that’s what he does to Shell (Debra Stephenson). That’s what makes him think he’s a good officer. His behaviour doesn’t seem to send the prison into a spin. It seems to operate quite well, even though he is behaving badly and taking advantage. The prisoners seem to fall in line”.

“I think that most of his fellow officers who work closely with him do have a good idea about his sexual relations with prisoners but turn a blind eye. He doesn’t see he’s doing anything wrong – it’s there, they need it, he’s providing them with something that they don’t have on the inside …”



JACK ELLIS is married to the actress Christine Cavanagh (Chimera, The Black Heath Poisonings) and they have a young family. He is the youngest of three brothers: the eldest being the Poldark actor Robin Ellis and his middle brother is a TV director in LA.

JACK’s television credits include: DI Muddiman in Prime Suspect, Dr. Stephen Collier in An Unsuitable Job For A Woman, Alex Moore in City Central, Eddie Barton in The Knock and Malcolm in Heartbeat.


HELEN FRASER
(Prison Officer Sylvia Hollamby)


HELEN is “thrilled that in this series the writing shows even more sides to Sylvia. She is evil and no-one could be more sadistic than Sylvia but they are also showing the comic side, which, for me is lovely – so at least the audience might not hate me completely”.

HELEN was very much cast against type when offered the role of Sylvia. “I had just done Coronation Street, which at the time was being produced by Brian and written by Maureen (BAD GIRLS producer and series deviser). I had played Magenta, a hypno-therapist, who was helping Jack Duckworth to give up smoking. Three months later they asked me to play this Prison Officer from hell!”

“The prisoners call Sylvia ‘Bodybag’ and she’s forever saying ‘I’ll put you on report’. She is the first baddy I’ve ever played, which is fun, as I’ve usually been cast as the house-wife or the girl next door before. I’m very fond of her but I don’t think I’ve ever played anyone quite so un-attractive. I have to put on my heavy shoes which help me to find my Sylvia character!”

HELEN laughs “There is a lot of Sylvia in me - the impatience and the bad temper, and I’m getting more and more like her every day! Every now and then Sylvia gives this world weary sigh and I’m getting very good at that at home now too!”

“The whole team on BAD GIRLS is great and as I’m the oldest member of the cast they all call me ‘The Dame’!”



HELEN FRASER went to stage school as a boarder at the tender age of 9 (“I had one of those mothers”!) and has never looked back. Her television career reads like a who’s who of comedy with plays by Alan Bennett, seven series of Dick Emery and The Two Ronnies to name but a few. She has lived in the Suffolk countryside for 30 years, with her husband Peter (an Oscar winning sound recordist). They met on the film set of Billy Liar when HELEN was playing opposite Tom Courtney. Living in a little village, where “it is five miles for a loaf of bread!”, HELEN loves to garden and cook and luckily has a husband who loves desserts!


JOE SHAW
(Prison Officer Dominic McAllister)


JOE says of Dominic that “he has now made a decision to stay in the Prison Service, and that decision has made him a much stronger person. He wants to work his way up through the ranks and make it work for him. This series Dominic isn’t so naive about what is going on in the prison. Although Dominic hasn’t hardened up inside, he has now developed a stronger exterior to cope with situations on the wing. He is quite a compassionate officer and does get involved with the inmates’ lives on a personal level – and sometimes too involved”.

It is not easy for Dominic as “the trouble is he is the Junior Officer and he has a constant struggle to get some of the other officers to see that the inmates are human beings. He does get on with all his work colleagues, but sometimes his loyalties can be torn when he’s forced to choose one colleague over another”.

“In some senses he’s quite a loner, but as a Prison Officer, the shift work and hours that he puts in don’t promote a very active social life on the outside for him!”

“Dominic is very different from me. He’s a lot more reserved and quieter. Mind you he’s off to Greece on holiday at the end of this series - and I went on holiday to Cyprus, so maybe they’re writing him more like me!”



JOE SHAW lives in North London in a big house with four other actors. Both his brother and sister are actors, as are his parents – his father is the actor Martin Shaw.
Joe has a passion for photography, and with his writing partner has just finished the first draft of a two-part television drama. He is interested in all aspects of film making. Always an actor he would like (when the time is right) to do some directing.

Joe’s credits include Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and for the BBC the drama series Junk and Rhodes.




TRACEY WILKINSON
(Prison Officer Di Barker)


TRACEY sees her new role of Di Barker as a “dizzy, kind natured, but gullible officer. She wants to be able to get on with the prisoners and believes that everyone is equal. She’s not very bright but is very committed to her job, which she just loves”.

“She works hard and keeps a friendly manner with her fellow officers and prisoners. Di is very keen on one of her co workers, Dominic McAllister…”

We discover that Di lives at home with her very sick and demanding mother who suffers from altzheimers. When thinking about this difficult home situation “I drew on my own step-mother’s experiences. She had lived with her mother who had altzheimers for three years. For Di, I see that her prison is when she’s at home rather than when she’s at work – her escape is coming in to work and home is her real prison”.



TRACEY WILKINSON is a true Geordie, coming from Eastbolden just outside Newcastle. She now lives in London’s East End and is hard at work with the DIY in her flat. Her roof terrace is thriving, living so near to Columbia Road Garden Market, “where I hang out and buy my plants”.

Her high profile television work includes: the critically acclaimed Hillsborough playing Jan Spearitt - “it was a very important piece of work and I still keep in contact with the Spearitts”; Elaine Craig/Cox in the epic saga Our Friends in the North and Stephen Tompkinson’s wife Karen, in two series of Grafters.
Recent stage work includes Guiding Star at the Royal National Theatre and several productions in Newcastle. She has just finished playing Kevin Whately’s wife in a new film with a working title Season Ticket, due out this year.




DEBRA STEPHENSON
(Inmate Michelle “Shell” Dockley)


DEBRA excitedly says “This was my wish last year. If someone had asked me what would you like your character to do, I would have said to see a glimpse of Shell’s background, to see why she is like she is. Last series, Shell was established as being a bitch and a bully - and now we see why”.

“We never knew what her background was before and now we meet her mother and discover that she has children. I hadn’t imagined Shell with any kids and I had to adjust to that, but it suddenly made such sense. It was strange to meet ‘my’ mother (played by Julie Le Grand), but I couldn’t wait to see how she was going to be played, as it really does colour how Shell has turned out”.

DEBRA finds it difficult to identify with Shell “There’s not a lot to like about Shell but hopefully you can definitely feel sorry for her in this series – I do. Shell’s had a tragic upbringing and the way that she has handled her life is also tragic. I don’t think anyone is bad through and through and there is usually a reason why someone is bad. Of course, Shell doesn’t make things any easier for herself but she just doesn’t know how to handle her emotions”.

DEBRA laughs wryly when she talks about Shell’s bullying “she’s not even any good at being a bully – she’s absolutely rubbish, and in that way you have to have some sympathy for her. Although Shell deserves all she gets, she always gets hurt herself. Ultimately she never really succeeds in hurting anyone else but herself – particularly in her relationship with Senior Officer Jim Fenner” (played by Jack Ellis)”.

“I don’t think I could find a more stretching role, not least of all because I haven’t got any real life experience of any of the things that Shell has been through. I don’t have kids and I’ve always had such a stable home as a child, and I’m now happily married. I’ve definitely had to use my imagination a lot”.

“We see Shell’s downfall from ‘topdog’ to rock bottom during the series. Shell starts going to group therapy sessions, initially as a laugh, but it opens up a can of worms for her. I’m pleased that the writers haven’t just gone for the story line that she will be reformed through therapy because it would be unrealistic – but I’m not going to give anymore away!”



DEBRA STEPHENSON grew up just outside Hull in East Yorkshire, where her parents teach. Her husband James, whom she married last year, is very supportive of her work and even helps her with her lines. But she tends not to bring her character home “as bringing home a character like Shell would be disaster!” Debra was recently seen as Diane in Playing The Field and Zoe in People Like Us both for the BBC. Since joining the cast of BAD GIRLS Debra has taken up horse riding because “Claire, Kika and Victoria are always going and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do – my teacher says I’m a natural!” Debra still enjoys doing her impressions for fun and is currently working on singers including Celine Dion - but most people like to hear her do Cilla!

MANDANA JONES
(Inmate Nikki Wade)


MANDANA feels that in this series we will be seeing a side to Nikki that has not been seen before. “In the first series Nikki had got used to being self reliant and a survivor. She was distrustful of authority and the system”.

“With Helen coming into her life, and after a lot of persuasion, she agrees to go for the appeal. It gives her a focus and a goal where as before Nikki would just get through the day – living was a life sentence. It takes a while for Nikki to see that Helen is for real. We see her dropping her guard and becoming more of an idealist and alive again”.

MANDANA likes Nikki “because she’s truthful and has a lot of integrity, which is great to play. This series she becomes softer which is borne out of having her trust in life renewed, and allows her to be more expansive”.

“She’s still a loner but she certainly knows who she likes, like the two Julies, who are sweethearts. Nikki has no family on the outside so the other girls have become her family. She has nurtured some friendships but if she doesn’t like them she won’t give them the time of day”.

Like MANDANA, Nikki is a book lover, “Books are her main-stay and an escape from prison life. She takes comfort from reading and it gives her a feeling of existence”.

The series has obviously had a profound effect on MANDANA “Playing Nikki has certainly changed me and the way that I am with women in real life. If you play a story-line where you fall in love with a woman, not just because they’re fanciable but because they are top people, you’re exploring an area that you don’t normally delve into. I have really loved the environment of working with all these women - I’ve ended up thinking women are bloody great!”

MANDANA admits to having been a bit of a wild teenager, “To this day I don’t know why I did it but I had a shoplifting stint when I was fifteen. Of course, I got caught and was given a formal caution by the police. I was taken to the cells and it was terrifying. I’d nicked a cheekbone highlighter from Boots. I believe my record was cleared when I was sixteen – I hope!”



MANDANA JONES’s stunning looks are the result of an Iranian mother and Welsh father. Before moving into television MANDANA had worked successfully in the theatre for several years including seasons with the Royal National Theatre and touring with the English Shakespeare Company and Compass. Prior to BAD GIRLS, MANDANA played Dr. Sam Haynes in three series of London Bridge.

ALICYA EYO
(Inmate Denny Blood)


“This series Denny gets to grow up and realise a bit more about life. She’s developed from this rough bitch and learnt a few lessons. Her alcoholic mum (Denise Black) comes back this series and Denny wisens up to her this time, which is a hard lesson for her to swallow”.

ALICYA is certainly enjoying filming this series of BAD GIRLS as “before Denny was just bad all the time and she was doom and gloom. In life, she’d never had the chances to have fun and just to be a young girl - but now she has a new friend on G Wing, Shaz (Lindsey Fawcett), another young offender, who brings Denny alive, as she is someone on her level“.

ALICYA has a lot of empathy for Denny as “she’s young and fun with so much life in her - its just been channelled in the wrong way. She doesn’t know any better. There is hope for Denny, even though she has been in and out of institutions since she was nine and is only twenty now – it just depends on whether she is strong enough when she gets out”.

“I see Denny as a bit of a runner for the other inmates. She sorts things out for everyone and even manages to get things ‘brought in’, which is good for her ‘cred’ on the inside”.

When the word “tattoos” is mentioned ALICYA smiles broadly and proudly shows off Denny’s nine! “I always scrub them off every night – and make-up have got very quick at putting them back on again! Once I did keep them on, just to see peoples’ reactions. It’s the barbed wire round my neck which gets the most reaction. People are either really intrigued or scared, and some can’t look but kept surreptitiously glancing at my neck. It really helped me discover Denny, as she must invite those reactions every day. I think her tattoos are to create an instant visual image – for protection so that she’s not hassled”.

Whilst ALICYA is waiting to film her next scene, she has taken up an unusual hobby or “therapy” as she calls it – colouring books! With a nice selection of books for age three upwards and her pens it “calms me down, and gives me something to concentrate on – I know it’s a bit quirky but it’s something I’ve always done!”



Born and bred in Liverpool, ALICYA EYO has been acting for three years and has appeared in several TV dramas including: Hetty Wainthrop Investigates and Casualty and two plays at the Royal Court. Her mother Susan sings lead vocals in a local jazz and blues band, Well Balanced. Her next project is a new play Hi, I’m Vince, opening in May on the London fringe by Hilllsborough playwright Lance Nielson.




VICTORIA ALCOCK
(Inmate Julie Saunders)


“Out of the Two Julies, my Julie has always been the driving force in the partnership. She’s always been the brains to Julie Johnston’s (Kika Mirylees) brawn. My Julie has always been more of the talker but they both need each other to survive”.

“Kika and I have had to work very closely together for over a year as the two Julies. We’ve developed a smoothness in our conversations, running into each others’ lines and finishing each others’ sentences. We take our work home with us, we do our lines over the phone together, in fact anything that will make it as believable as possible – and it does help that Kika and I get on very well as friends. It could have been more than a little tricky if we hadn’t got on!”

The Julies have several sidelines, including cleaning for fellow inmates for extra cash on the inside. “They are givers and carers. They still take pride in their appearance and you’d never catch them without their hair or slap on!”

Even out of prison the two Julies live and work (on the game) together. “My Julie has a fourteen year old son, David, whom she’s seeing through private boarding school, paid for out of her earnings as a prostitute. She’s well sussed and sees that he is well cared for”.

VICTORIA doesn’t see any obvious similarities between her and her character “I’ve never been a prostitute, never been in prison, never been a thief, don’t wear gold jewellery and don’t wear makeup in my own time!”

“Out of work, both Kika and I are great horse riders. I’ve had horses since I was four years old, although currently as I live in the centre of Town I do not own one. But Kika owns two horses and we ride out together, which is great. We don’t go over our lines whilst riding but we do laugh a lot – we thought it would be great to have a story-line where the two Julies go horse riding into the sunset!”



VICTORIA ALCOCK hails from Bromley Kent and now lives with her fiancé, actor Andy Robb, in West London. They met on the set of the TV adaptation of Far From The Madding Crowd, and are busy with preparations for their wedding later this year.
Best known for her role in the costume drama series House Of Elliot, other television credits include Poirot, Eastenders, Lovejoy and Coronation Street.


KIKA MIRYLEES
(Inmate Julie Johnston)


“What has been nice for me this series is that Julie Johnston has developed from just the funny double act of the two Julies. Her tragic family circumstances unfold, and we meet her children, who once again will be ripped away from her. They were very upsetting scenes to play with the two children, whom she hasn’t seen for years - the pain of them looking up at you. There was so much to get across to them, in such a short time. It was all very emotional”.

“The thing about my character is she’s not very bright – she can barely read and write. Since the two Julies met, they have worked as a team as prostitutes. My Julie has always been led by the other Julie (Victoria Alcock), who is the driving force behind the team. But they are co-dependent on each other”.

“For me, playing Julie, has been very much against the type of character I usually play on television - which is great. I usually get to play upper class wealthy women and the only way I could even get an audition for the role of Julie, was by sending in a video of me playing a ‘working girl’. When I was seen for the part, I arrived not as myself but as Julie, which helped! Victoria and I did a workshop together as the two Julies and we just clicked – little and large. I think it would have been impossible to play our characters if we hadn’t got on as friends: as all their scenes and lines are always together. We get on as people and now actually finish off each others’ sentences when we are just Kika and Victoria!”

“Victoria and I share a passion for horses. I own two horses and am a fanatic about the country where I now live with two house rabbits. I had always wanted to do something in the countryside and ten years ago, I suddenly realised that I could own a horse. Within a week of buying the magazine Horse And Hound, I was the proud owner of Perdie who is a very strong and fast horse! I also own a superb Danish Warmblood called Aluna who is 16.3 hands. I do dressage and cross country, although I do not enter big competitions”.

As if that were not enough, Kika is also a professional practitioner/therapist in the alternative Bowen therapy. “I Bowen the girls on the BAD GIRLS set! I have recently trained in Bowen for my own horses, as it is very important to me. I do work all the time and see patients at weekends and when not filming”.



KIKA MIRYLEES’s television credits include: Doc Newton in Red Dwarf, Lucy Harcourt in Class Act, Angela Snow in The Darling Buds of May, Andrea in Canary Wharf and Flora Meinnes in Strathblair.



LINDA HENRY
(Inmate Yvonne Atkins)


LINDA feels that this series “We see Yvonne’s nasty streak because she has been provoked. In front of people she will always show that she is in control but there is a lot more of her vulnerability along the way, which is to do with her husband, her daughter and money circumstances”.

Yvonne makes prison work for her and LINDA sees her as “A mother figure within the prison amongst the young girls - with her gangland contacts on the outside, she makes things happen to ease some of their situations on the inside. She takes Denny (Alicya Eyo) under her wing after finding out about her history. I think that she pulled a heartstring for Yvonne, what with having a daughter of her own the same age. Even though the two girls are very, very different, it saddens her to see how Denny has turned out. Her own daughter, Lauren (Danielle King) is loved and never wanted for anything - but she does have a mother in prison and a villain for a father!”

“She’ll do anything for her family – they are the most important thing in her life. Yvonne’s crime was that she had hired a hit man to kill someone who was going to kill her husband - and was then grassed up. She’s part of the Essex underworld and I see her as having lived in a huge house with a pool, and villa in Spain. Even on the inside she wears the designer gear and jewellery – she likes the good things in life. She knows the Business inside out and uses that to make life on the inside bearable. Yvonne is a survivor and she’d kill anyone who crossed her - she doesn’t have any qualms about that”.

LINDA has worked with inmates inside prison, on an improvised play whilst at the Royal National Theatre. “I didn’t meet anyone like Yvonne inside, but I learnt that behind those bars are normal people. Whilst I was there, it wasn’t all violence and doom and gloom - but I wasn’t there 24 hours a day. As I got to know inmates, what I hated most was that I could go home of a night and they couldn’t - especially the ones with kids”.



LINDA HENRY is a South East Londoner and married with a seven year old daughter, a dog and two cats. Her theatre work includes productions at the RNT and the Royal Court Upstairs. On television Linda has been seen in many series including: Trial and Retribution, Touching Evil, The Vanishing Man and Born To Run.

LARA CAZALET
(Inmate Zandra Plackett)


LARA is the complete opposite of her on screen character: pretty and gregarious, she is the antithesis of the messed up, lonely and unhappy heroin addict Zandra.

“This series has been a real stretch for me as Zandra has some pretty dramatic things to do. I’ve had to throw myself into a lot of situations that I’ve never experienced before – not least of all giving birth. I would feel furious and frustrated if I hadn’t properly researched what happens to her, because I have such strong story-lines to work through this series”.

“I have a real chance to show the emotional side of my character and Zandra really gets to express all her emotions and feelings”.

“As the series unfolds, the prison medical system lets her down so badly – and I hope that viewers will feel for her, as it is a very topical story-line”.

“I never thought I would end up playing someone like Zandra, as I usually laugh about most things – Zandra, however, is pretty intense and dark. I think it was a bit of a shock for my family when they saw the first series, as they didn’t see anything of me in Zandra at all – which I took as a compliment!”



LARA CAZALET is the great grand daughter of PG Wodehouse, and grew up surrounded by his books at home, which she has always found fascinating.
From one extreme to the other, whilst LARA has been in ‘prison’ her middle brother (who is a composer and opera singer) has been performing at Glynbourne! Her father is a judge – “who knows about everything that Zandra has gone through, so we’ve discussed her case and character at length”.
LARA also sings professionally in a jazz trio, with her brother. Other television credits include: Harbour Lights, The Bill and Kavanagh QC.

SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
(Inmate Crystal Gordon)


“Bible bashing, guitar strumming – a real good bad girl” is SHARON’s immediate response when asked to describe her character Crystal! “She’s got a very good heart even though she has a tough exterior. No tolerance for drugs at all. She’s got that whole solidarity thing going on”.

“She was a loner when she started off, but she’s come out of herself in this series”. Not least of all because Crystal has a love interest in Josh (Nathan Constance from Sky TV’s Dream Team). “Her having any kind of love interest was a surprise for me to play, because of her deep religious beliefs. But it’s absolutely great to play opposite Nathan – he’s a very good looking guy!”

“BAD GIRLS has been great as it has really developed skills for me. It’s really nice where you can see a real character coming through, with a good story-line. Up to now I’ve always played parts of prostitutes and drug dealers, where I get to pout a lot and go home, so it’s really nice that I can cry, I can smile, I can laugh and be angry as Crystal”.

“Crystal is in HMP Larkhall for shop-lifting and is a real kleptomaniac. Her excuse is that she had no choice at the time, but I think later on we’ll see she has a major problem with nicking things!”

Jokingly SHARON talks about Crystal’s various hairstyles, “I have a head wrap when I’m in trouble or someone’s died or I have a church scene. But for black hair, I would imagine it is quite difficult to keep it styled in prison. I reckon that she maintains it herself or gets one of the girls to help, but it takes so long, anything from 4 to 10 hours to braid – but I guess that Crystal has time on her hands inside!”

“Like me, Crystal is from East London with Trinidad and Tobago parentage. My mum’s an extremely religious woman. It’s been nice to relate my character to her, which has helped in the things that Crystal says and does. I’m not actually religious, which my mum’s very cool about”.

“I’ve had such a good time working with the whole BAD GIRLS team and learnt so much. This series, we really have come together and had a laugh - we’re all just bad girls together!”



SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER is the only actress in a family of doctors and nurses. She lives with her parents in Hackney but is currently in the process of buying her first home. SHARON finishes filming BAD GIRLS at the end of March and is due in New York on the 4th April to open off-Broadway, in the critically acclaimed play Yard Gal, which she premiered at the Royal Court in 1998.


ISABELLE AMYES
(Inmate Barbara Hunt - from episode 5 onwards)


ISABELLE found that coming into an established series actually helped build up the character of Barbara. “I used the fact that I was arriving somewhere different and meeting new people in the same way that it was very strange for Barbara arriving at prison. I decided not to research going to a prison, meeting the cast or looking at the BAD GIRLS set before going on to it for the first time. I thought it would be better for it all to come as a horrifying shock – which it was!”

“My first scene in front of the whole crew and cast was the arrival of Barbara at the prison and all I had to do that day was just scream and sob. That in itself was very nerve wracking and difficult, which all went to help how I played Barbara. I remember making myself drive to the set on the day because I just wanted to get into the car and scream, so that I could hear the sound of my own screams before I had to go on set and do it for real. At least I had got used to what I sounded like in my head before doing that in front of everyone!”

With a laugh in her voice ISABELLE feels that “Going into this series has been a bit like going into prison: you join a lot of people who have been together for a long time and you fit in or you don’t - and fortunately I have!”

“When I met Brian Park to interview for Barbara, my mother had just died of cancer so I was well aware of the feelings of losing someone close to you, which was crucial for the role of Barbara”.

ISABELLE talks very warmly about her character: “I think Barbara is rather wonderful. She’s done something that she felt she had to do. The mercy killing of her cancer-ridden husband was because she loved him and carried out with his blessing. She’s now suffering the consequences, never thinking that she would go down for manslaughter - but her step-children testified against her”.



Coming from a theatrical background, ISABELLE AMYES always knew she would become an actress. Her father was the actor turned director and Head of Drama for Granada Television, Julian Amyes, and her mother was the actress and writer Anne Allan. ISABELLE worked with both her parents in the television play written by her mother A Wife Like The Moon, her father directed and she starred. Her television, film and theatre credits are numerous and include: Betsy in Ang Lees’ Sense and Sensibility, Anne Collingridge in House Of Cards and Fanny in Love In A Cold Climate. Like her mother ISABELLE also writes for television with her writing partner Peter Symonds, including: the animation series The Bamboo Bears, children’s series Chucklevision, and their first television film is due to go into production later this year.

LINDSEY FAWCETT
(Inmate Shaz Wylie - from episode 9 onwards)


At only seventeen, and starting a life sentence for triple murder, life in HMP Larkhall doesn’t look too good for new inmate Shaz - and is quite a role to take on for LINDSEY’s first major drama series. “Shaz seems completely unaware of the full implication of what she has actually done”.

“I don’t think that she has realised that ‘life’ means life. She has a sunny nature and sees everyone as a potential friend. She wants to have a laugh and is generally misguided”.

On LINDSEY’s first day of filming with BAD GIRLS she “didn’t really have a clue where I was going and walked on set, and as soon as the crew saw me they said, ‘you must be playing Shaz’. I was just how they had expected her to look - which was a great feeling”.

With her new hairstyle for Shaz, twenty-one year old LINDSEY, with her ‘pixie-ish’ childlike looks, is still frequently asked for ID. “I knew I might have to have a new hair do for Shaz, as it was mentioned at the audition. Brian Park said how do you feel about a ‘number one’ shave all over and having it bleached white blonde. I immediately replied ‘yeah yeah that’s good, whatever!!!’ - thinking aahhh! It’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be and I quite like it now!”

“I think that Shaz is a bit of fresh air coming into the prison. She certainly livens things up. As soon as I come on set in the mornings, I just become Shaz. I spend my whole day doing silly stuff with Alicya Eyo, who plays Denny – hiding in laundry baskets and being a general nuisance to everyone. That way when we come to do our scenes we are at the right level and can just carry on. It was something that just happened and we found it easier to stay in character – which causes great amusement with the cast and crew!”



LINDSEY FAWCETT lives at home with her parents in Stocksbridge just outside Sheffield. She starred as Bet in Oliver at the London Palladium at the age of sixteen and is very proud of her other theatrical achievements to date, including: The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie at the Royal National Theatre, the West End production of Dreaming, Callisto Seven directed by Alan Ayckbourn and several productions at the Sheffield Crucible. Her fourteen year old sister, Keeley, plays the youngest daughter in the television series At Home With The Braithwaites.




ALISON NEWMAN
(Inmate Renee - from episode 10 onwards)


ALISON is delighted to have joined the bad girls on set! “Renee is a gangster’s moll and very very rich. She has a huge amount of attitude: she is racist, she is homophobic, she is scared of nothing and no one, she is violent and aggressive – she doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities - so a fantastic role to play!”

“Renee ‘wears’ her gangland connections. She’s really twisted and is out to get Yvonne when she finds out that she is in the same prison…”

“After graduating from Drama School I was sidelined for ten years and worked in advertising, the music business and many, many bars! I’ve been very lucky as I’ve only been acting for the past two and half years and have played some very varied roles - a junkie, a nurse, a serial killer and now Renee, so I haven’t been type cast. My break came when I was in The Censor at the Royal Court and have since worked in television in Touching Evil III, Great Expectations and Butterfly Collectors”.

SHED PRODUCTIONS


The four directors who formed and run Shed Productions are also the main creative forces in the company.

EILEEN GALLAGHER is Shed’s managing director and co-creator of BAD GIRLS. She began her career in television in the press department of Scottish Television, rising very quickly through the ranks to become Director of Broadcasting. She left Scottish Television in 1993 to become Managing Director of Broadcasting at Granada Television, and then soon after Managing Director of LWT. Eileen left Granada Television in 1998 to set up Shed.

BRIAN PARK is one of the best-known drama producers in the UK. His excellent reputation (Prime Suspect, September Song) was further enhanced when he took over an ailing Coronation Street and quickly turned it round, placing it once again in its rightful position as the UK’s biggest rating show. Before Brian joined the drama department at Granada, he was Head of Light Entertainment there and was responsible for You’ve Been Framed and Stars in Their Eyes. Brian left Granada in 1998 to produce series one of BAD GIRLS. He has also produced the second series and has helped develop many of the new series on Shed’s development slate.

ANN MCMANUS is the story force behind BAD GIRLS acting in a role, better known in America, as the “show runner”. Ann worked with Brian as the story and script editor on Coronation Street. Her arrival at The Street followed eight years creating stories and writing serial drama for Scottish Television. Ann’s ability to generate ratings-grabbing stories, e.g. Deirdre Rachid’s imprisonment, was a major factor in building Coronation Street’s audience. Ann and Brian’s successful creative partnership was in many ways the genesis of Shed Productions and is still at the heart of its success.

MAUREEN CHADWICK is one of the most highly respected and sought-after television writers. Her credits include EastEnders, Eldorado, Angels and Springhill plus two of her own screenplays Two Golden Balls and Watch With Mother for BBC1’s Screen One series. Maureen came to Brian and Ann’s attention when she joined the Coronation Street writing team and was quickly identified as one of the series' star writers. Maureen is the lead writer for Shed Productions and works closely with Ann, creating stories and characters for BAD GIRLS as well as working on new drama development.


For further information please contact
Berniece Friedmann 021 434-4951 / 082 892 5877
bernfried@kingsley.co.za

Wow Cool, you are aptly named! This stuff is fantastic! Particularly the first two bits, which were very interesting and enlightening, in terms of the background of creating the show.

Really found the prison statistics and information informative and very interesting. I think anyone who is writing a fan fic where Larkhall plays a prominent role should bookmark that post! Thanks.

Wow! What a post! Thanks COOL.