10 Late Night TV Shows From Back In The Day

1. Prisoner Cell Block H

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OAmKVgyW38 Cult Australian women's prison drama that first ran from 1978-1986 in Australia but was slotted into the late night ITV regions all around the UK well into the 1990s. A definite viewer favourite in UTV (my regional ITV station), at one point PCBH was the highest watched soap opera in the whole of Northern Ireland. Derided by many for its wobbly set and bad acting, PCBH nevertheless was intensely popular with late night viewers. Lots of people tuned in to watch the women's antics - which included rioting, making hooch, beating each other up when one of them 'lagged', power struggles as to who is Top Dog, escaping the prison, running a book and fighting about who operates the press in the laundry. The series really became great with the Introduction of Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson - a corrupt and harsh prison warden who terrorised the women and gave them a common enemy to fight against. There followed many Top Dog feuds with The Freak - probably the best of them was Bea Smith versus Joan. The two women violently hated each other and the chemistry between them was amazing. There were several amazing storylines - American lesbian prisoner Judy Bryant versus Jock Stewart. Jock was a spectaculary evil and corrupt Scottish prison warden who threw Judy's girlfriend down some stairs thus killing her. Judy goes all out to seek vengeance and ironically, while chasing after Judy, Big Jock takes a nosedive down the stairs and breaks his neck leaving him paralysed. My all time favourite story arc was the Kate Peterson drama. A highly intelligent medical doctor who arrived at Wentworth after killing a man. She appears to be mild mannered and naive but really she is a manipulative, calculating bitch who gives testimony on the other women to the police in exchange for a diminished sentence. Everyone likes and admires Kate until they figure out she is a lagger. Top Dog of this period was Sandy, who was likeable enough and could have gone a long way in the show, but the actress who played her was pregnant. Sandy goes to have it out with Kate outside. Only Kate comes back and Sandy's disappearance is a mystery. It is hinted that Kate knocked her out with a bin lid and then threw her into the back of a garbage truck. Kate begins to lose her mind. When her mother visits her with Kate's toddler son, she shows zero affection for the child. She becomes convinced that Maire Winter - a troublemaker - is going to kill her. Kate actually has a psychotic breakdown and the screams of the woman were so agonising I hope I never hear anything like it again. In a twist ending of the story arc, the mad as a hatter Kate gets transferred -but there is an old friend waiting for her. I'm pretty sure she ends up in Ingleside. PCBH was a genuinely absorbing and moving drama. We grew to care about the women, understand what made them commit the crimes they are imprisoned for and appreciate the dynamics between the actors. Very gritty for its time, PCBH explored themes of lesbianism, prostitution, juvenile delinquency, rape, murder, child abuse, domestic violence, racism, abortion. I am proud to own all 692 episodes on DVD, just as I am proud to have watched PCBH all those years ago. Just call me Vinegar T*ts!