Remembering PRISONER CELL BLOCK H
Prisoner (known in the UK and US as Prisoner: Cell Block H) is an Australian television soap opera, created by Reg Watson, which broadcast on Network Ten from February 1979 to December 1986, lasting eight seasons and 692 episodes. The series was produced by the Grundy Organisation and was filmed at the then Network Ten Melbourne Studios at Nunawading, and on location. It was the first series in Australia to gain an international cult following, particularly in the United States and Canada (as Prisoner: Cell Block H) but also in Europe - especially the United Kingdom and Sweden, with even Sammy Davis Jr., being a major fan and visiting the set.[2] The series was so popular in the United States, in Los Angeles it was the second highest rated show after Charlies Angels and was the second highest rating programme at KTLA-5 amongst 65 prime time programmes transmitted through 11 Los Angeles based stations on Wednesday evenings at 8.30pm. By 1980 it had been in syndication in eight major US cities, including New York, where it rated higher than late-night staple The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and reruns of legendary series MASH, it paved the way for other popular Australian produced shows including miniseries Against the Wind and The Sullivans to be sold to overseas markets[3] At the time the 0–10 network did not have a cult drama series and were looking for a serial with controversial subject matter and also wanted to establish a show based primarily among a female cast as 1979 was The Year of the Woman. Another spin-off however would be a male counterpart version called Punishment and starring Mel Gibson, although it was not successful