Bad Girls is an award-winning British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1999 to 2006. It is produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road . It is set in the fictional women's prison of Larkhall, and features a mixture of serious and light storylines focusing on the prisoners and staff of G Wing.
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The first series of Bad Girls was shown on ITV1 in 1999, lasting 10 episodes. There have been eight series in total, ranging from 10 to 16 episodes. Christmas specials were produced in 2005 and 2006 and are now established as the final episodes of Series 7 and Series 8, respectively. All series have been shown on ITV, at 9 pm, on varying days but primarily Tuesdays and Thursdays. The 100th episode, part of Series 8, was shown on Thursday 3 August 2006 at 9 pm.
ITV axed Bad Girls after its eighth series and the 2006 Christmas Special was the final episode.
Shed recently closed a deal with US channel FX, for them to create their own version of Bad Girls. On 27 May 2008 it was announced that Alan Ball, executive producer of Six Feet Under would adapt Bad Girls for an American audience. A pilot script is to be penned by Nancy Oliver and Raelle Tucker for HBO with Ball as executive producer.[1] Film and TV actress Michelle Rodriguez has signed on with the series. It has been revealed that the American version will remake the UK version, featuring the same storylines and characters.[2]
CBS Drama began showing re-runs of the series from October 2010 to February 2011 broadcasting Series 1-7 however for licensing reasons Series 8 can't be broadcast until July 2011, after Series 1-7 gets re-run from 7 March 2011[3] The series was re-run due to popular demand.
HM Prison Oxford was used for the exterior shots that featured in Series 1–3 and for the interior shots the set was a replica of the prison's real wing set-up. For series 4–8, a replica exterior set of the prison was constructed, built to look similar to HM Prison Oxford because the site had been redeveloped into a hotel complex.
From the beginning, Bad Girls dealt with controversial subject matter. Early episodes of the first series included particularly shocking moments such as a pregnant prisoner miscarrying in her cell, Zandra Plackett being viciously strip-searched by fellow inmates for concealed drugs, and Rachel Hicks committing suicide due to being bullied. The central story arc of the first three series revolved around the developing romantic relationship between Nikki Wade, a prisoner serving a life sentence for the murder of a policeman who attempted to rape her girlfriend, and Helen Stewart, the Wing Governor who spent much of series one engaged to her boyfriend. Furthermore, the script, unwilling to compromise the realism of the programme, contained much strong language (for example, the reference to Nikki Wade as a "rug-muncher" and Denny Blood's gloating over the likelihood of Rachel Hicks having "singed her minge").
Other storylines to feature prominently in series one included the pregnancy of a young drug addict Zandra Plackett, the appeal of wrongly-imprisoned Monica Lindsay (frequently referred to as "posh bitch" by other characters) and the illicit relationship between Jim Fenner, the male senior officer and Shell Dockley, the resident bully and drug dealer, serving life for murder. Series 1 was produced by Brian Park.
Nikki and Helen's relationship deepens with Helen resigning from the Wing Governor's post and working as a new liaison officer for prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, encouraging Nikki to continue her education and appeal against her sentence. Shell's background was examined in some detail, with harrowing scenes describing childhood abuse. Zandra's tragic story finally comes to a close when she dies from a brain tumour. For light relief, Yvonne Atkins, the gangster's moll, set up "Babes Behind Bars", a sex-hotline staffed by the prisoners with smuggled in mobile phones, playing such characters as "Whiplash Wanda", "Saucy Sonia" and "Vicky the virgin bride". Series two ended on a double cliffhanger, with Nikki escaping from Larkhall to be with Helen, leaving Helen to agonise over whether to contact the police, and Shell luring Fenner to her cell for sex, where she reaches under her bed for a broken bottle. Series 2 was produced by Brian Park.
Series 3 picks up where Series 2 left off. Jim and Shell are in bed together and Nikki, dressed in a nurse's uniform, is at Helen's house after escaping. Shell stabs Jim with a broken bottle that she had brought back from Sylvia's party, but she is dragged out of her cell before she can finish him off.
The third series saw a high turnover of short-term characters and storylines, but also chronicled the spectacular escape of Shell and Denny Blood to the Costa Del Sol in Spain getting revenge on Sylvia and her husband along the way; Yvonne's top dog status being challenged by Maxi Purvis, the head of the "Peckham Boot Gang"; prison officer Di Barker's struggles as a home carer for her invalid mother and an upbeat finale of Helen and Nikki finally committing to their relationship when Nikki's appeal is successful and she is released from prison. Series 3 was produced by Brian Park.
Series 4 introduced new characters such as Neil Grayling, the gay Governing Governor of Larkhall, who developed an attraction to Jim Fenner. Also introduced were Roisin Connor and Cassie Tyler, imprisoned for fraud and in a lesbian relationship complicated not only by their being behind bars, but by Roisin's being a married mother-of-two. Also Maxi and Shaz square up to each other in a fight, in which Shaz wins, so Maxi tries to chokes herself to death by swallowing toilet paper but fails until Al Mckenzie lends a helping hand. The series tackled domestic violence within the relationship of Di Barker and Barry Pearce and teenage junkie Buki Lester's battle for the right to see her disabled son, Lennox. Mid series, Shaz gets transferred to another prison, to the horror of herself and Denny. The fourth series ended with the prison library being obliterated as part of an escape plan by the devious Snowball Merriman, resulting in a fire that left several inmates trapped and fighting for their lives. After being allowed to visit Denny at Larkhall, Shaz revealed her stash of magic mushrooms, but when the fire spread, she died after Denny was unable to convince her of the danger they were in. Series 4 was produced by Claire Phillips.
The fifth series of Bad Girls saw the brief return of a recaptured and pregnant Shell Dockley to G-Wing. Jim Fenner pimps Shell by offering her money to give the male officers a handjob. After the baby's birth, a screw tries to force her to have sex, when she violently refuses, Jim makes it seem as if she tried to smother her baby. Shell is carted of to a mental home and her baby is taken into care. The "Costa Cons", Bev Tull and Phyl Oswyn arrive. There is good news for Denny, who is transferred to an open prison. The ongoing feud between Jim Fenner and Wing Governor Karen Betts reaches its climax as Fenner ruthlessly frames Karen for a hit-and-run accident in which a man dies. Julie Saunders is diagnosed with breast cancer and takes the decision to take her chances without chemotherapy treatment. Barbara Hunt marries the former prison chaplain, Henry - bad news for Sylvia, who had set her sights on Henry after she was widowed when her husband committed suicide. New prison officer Selena Geeson and new inmate Kris Yates are in a relationship. Kris is taking the rap for killing her abusive father in order to spare her younger sister, the real culprit. Fenner's nefarious ways continue as he kills Yvonne Atkins as she tries to escape Larkhall, by ensuring that she will be trapped in the "hanging cell", a small room beneath the main prison that is blocked off from the outside world. Series 5 was produced by David Crean.
With G-Wing thinking their ex top dog has escaped HMP Larkhall Kris finds Yvonne's corpse after she tries to follow the same way out. But as it is all blocked off she tells Selena who she found. Selena then tells Neil she found Yvonne. Yvonne's death shocks G-Wing. In her absence, Phyl Oswyn is G-Wing "top dog" for a short time before being stopped in her tracks by new wing governor Frances Myers.
Frances Myers soon begins a feud with new inmate Natalie Buxton, in prison for organising a prostitution ring using underage girls. The other girls are disgusted with Natalie and Al plans to beat her up, but she turns the tables and beats Al up. Natalie soon makes the other girls believe she is innocent.
The series features a crossover with Shed Productions' other hit series, Footballers' Wives, with the glamorous character of Tanya Turner enduring a spell on G-Wing for three special episodes that aired over consecutive nights in May 2004. Later Tanya is soon released, after striking a deal with Frances. During her time on G-Wing, Tanya was accused of poisoning her fellow inmates with rhubarb, with Al McKenzie dying from her illness, however it was soon uncovered that Bev and Phyl were actually responsible.
Kris Yates's sister, Milly, commits suicide after Selena puts her under pressure to confess to her father's killing (in self-defence) in order to free her sister. Kris and Selena split and Kris sleeps with Natalie Buxton but the couple are reconciled and the series ends with the cliffhanger of Kris and Selena protesting in London about the injustice of Kris being behind bars.
Jim Fenner marries Neil's ex wife Di. As Neil and Karen are sure Jim has something to do with the hit and run Karen was accused of, they hire a private investigator to prove Karen's innocence. Jim is proven to be the person who drove the car that night. He is later arrested on his and Di's wedding day. Series 6 was produced by Cameron Roach.
This series does not follow up on the Series 6 cliffhanger and Kris and Selena neither feature nor are mentioned in this series. Di Fenner, Jim Fenner's wife, lies to ensure he is released from prison and Fenner returns, not only to G-Wing, but as G-Wing Governor. When the Costa Cons escape to Spain, Neil is demoted to G-Wing Governor and Fenner promoted to Governing Governor. Before Fenner can start his new job, he is murdered in the "hanging cell" during a memorial service for Yvonne Atkins. The police have a host of suspects to choose from, including new bisexual lifer, Pat Kerrigan, a woman who is in jail for murdering her abusive boyfriend and is a recent transfer from Alberton prison. Kerrigan had already managed to develop a feud with Fenner over his treatment of Sheena Williams and her son, Dylan. The increasingly mentally unstable Julie Johnston later reveals that she committed the crime to exact vengeance against Fenner for all his past crimes, in particular, the death of Yvonne. However, it is Fenner's widow Di who is arrested, charged and remanded in custody for the offence. New Governing Governor Joy Masterton arrives and indicates she will instigate a tough regime at Larkhall.
Meanwhile, Natalie Buxton has taken over as G-Wing's new top dog. When Natalie and the other inmates find out that new inmate Arun Parmar is a transsexual, Natalie makes her life hell until Pat Kerrigan, annoyed by Natalie's bullying of Arun, beats Buxton in a fight and demands she leave Arun be. Pat develops a romance with recovering drug addict and single mother Sheena Williams before managing to expose Natalie, despite her denials to the contrary, as having been involved in the prostitution of underage girls. Series 7 was produced by Rachel Snell.
The series begins with the arrival of Emira Al Jahani, a Muslim whose husband is a suspected terrorist. When Neil Grayling and a prisoner die and other prisoners fall ill, Emira is accused of biological terrorism. However, it is later established that Neil has died of a previously undiscovered heart condition and the sickness on the wing has been caused by an outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease caused by a faulty air-conditioning unit. New G-Wing governor Lou Stoke (Amanda Donohoe) develops a romance with the prison doctor Rowan Dunlop (Colin Salmon) not knowing he is married, and tries to find her missing sister. Meanwhile, Pat is sickened by Natalie's use of a child in smuggling drugs into the prison and plans to get rid of Natalie for good. Pat devises a plan in which she will trick Natalie into trying to escape, but Natalie realises she is being tricked and a fight ensues, which ends when Pat beats Natalie in the head with a rock. With the help of the two Julies, Pat disposes of Natalie's body in the sewers beneath the prison, making it seem as if Natalie has indeed escaped Larkhall. Inmate Janine Nebeski and new prison officer Donny Kimber embark on a romance that leaves Janine pregnant. With help from Bev, Phyl and Tina, Janine gives birth in her cell and names the baby after Bev. Long-term inmate Tina O'Kane is released for the second time but as before, struggles to adapt to life in the outside world and commits another crime as she takes a bank hostage with a toy gun where a man suffers a heart attack she is again reimprisoned. Joy Masterton's long-lost daughter Stella Gough turns up as an inmate at the prison. But then is shipped out after taking her mother hostage. Darlene Cake is tricked into killing a new inmate Catherine Earlham's husband and tries to commit suicide, but is saved by Donny. And Natalie Buxton's spirit returns in the last episode to haunt Sylvia and teach her the error of her ways. Series 8 was produced by Sharon Houlihan.
A musical comedy adaptation, based on the characters and storylines of series 1, including the events of the death of inmate, Rachel Hicks, and the relationship between Wing Governor Helen Stewart and lifer, Nikki Wade. The musical originates with the same creative staff which worked on the television program. Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, of Shed Productions, are the book writers of the musical, and Kath Gotts, composer for Bad Girls series 2 - 4, is the composer-lyricist. The first full production of the musical premiered at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in May - June 2006. A West End production began a run at the Garrick Theatre in August 2007, closing in November 2007 (four months earlier than intended). A DVD version of the musical has since been released. A national tour of Bad Girls The Musical has been ruled out.
HBO is developing a U.S. remake, with the same characters and same storylines. Shed Productions has been involved in talks since as early as 2002 regarding a US version of Bad Girls. In 2006 it was announced that FX would be bringing an American version of Bad Girls to US screens, but Shed subsequently vetoed FX's original pilot script after the show was given a "really gritty and unpleasant" feel like that of Oz.[4]
In 2008, Eileen Gallagher, CEO of Shed Productions’ parent company Shed Media, announced that HBO bought the rights to the show from FX. HBO's version of Bad Girls is being developed with creative input from Six Feet Under writer Alan Ball, and it will be written by Nancy Oliver and Raelle Tucker. According to Gallagher, the HBO team will be sticking very closely to the characters and story lines from the original show.[5]
| Country | Broadcaster | Series shown |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Seven Network | Series 1-3. No plans to show Series 4-8 |
| UK.TV | Series 1-4. No plans to show Series 5-8 | |
| Belgium | VTM | Series 1-4 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | TVSA | Series 1-8 |
| NTV Amna | Series 1-8 | |
| Canada | OUTtv | Series 1-8 |
| Estonia | Kanal 2 | Series 1-8 |
| Finland | Nelonen | Series 1-8 |
| France | NT1 | Series 1-7 |
| AB1 | Series 1-6 | |
| Ireland | TV3 | Series 1-8 |
| Luxembourg | RTL9 | Series 1-7 |
| Montenegro | TV Vijesti | Series 1-8 |
| New Zealand | TV ONE | Series 1-8 |
| Sweden | TV4 (Sweden) | Series 1-2 |
| South Africa | M-NET | Series 1-8 |
| GEO | rustavi 2 | Series 1-8 |
| UK | ITV | Series 1-8 |
| ITV2 | Series 1-8 | |
| ITV3 | Series 1-3 | |
| Five Life | Series 4 | |
| CBS Drama | Series 1-8 | |
| USA | BBC America | Series 1 and 10 episodes of Series 2 |
| LOGO | Series 1-8 |
The first five series of Bad Girls were released on VHS. Series 1 - 3 were released in both boxsets and separate volumes (Series 1 comprising three volumes, and Series 2 and 3 having four), while Series 4 and 5 only had complete boxset releases on VHS.
The first series of Bad Girls was also released on VHS in Australia.
Series 1-8 of Bad Girls are available on DVD in the UK (Region 2). Series 1-8 are also available on DVD in Australia (Region 4). Season 1 was released on DVD in the United States on 7 June 2005. A boxset of Series 1-4 was released in the UK on 9 October 2006. Series 5-8 was released on 22 October 2007. Series 1 and 2 are to be re-released with a new DVD cover in 2011. Can be brought from Amazon UK.[6]
All eight series were originally produced in 16:9 widescreen, but the first three series on DVD are only available in 4:3 full frame. Also the recaps have been cut on all three series, and the "next week" clips from series three have been cut (series one and two did not have "next week" clips). The series four to eight DVD's remain the same way there they were shown on TV.
It was announced in November 2010 that all series would be re-released back on to DVD, and for the first time on Blu-ray, with Series 1 and 2 being released on 7 February 2011 with Series 3-4 being released later on in the year.
| Bad Girls: Series One Uncut | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 18 June 2001 7 February 2011 (re-release) |
24 March 2003 | 7 June 2005 | ||
| Bad Girls: Series Two Uncut | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 1 October 2001 7 February 2011 (re-release) |
26 May 2003 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series Three Uncut | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 25 March 2002 4 July 2011 (re-release) |
8 September 2003 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series Four Uncut | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 9 June 2003 5 September 2011 (re-release) |
22 April 2004 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series Five Uncut | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 23 August 2004 03 October 2011 (re-release) |
7 March 2005 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series Six Uncut | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 25 June 2005 27 December 2011 (re-release) |
4 July 2005 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series Seven | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 7 August 2006 | 18 September 2006 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series Eight | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 26 December 2006 | 3 September 2007 | |||
| Bad Girls: Series 1-4 Boxset | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 9 October 2006 | ||||
| Bad Girls: Series 5-8 Boxset | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 22 October 2007 | ||||
| Bad Girls: The Complete Collection | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | Australia | United States | ||
| 10 November 2010 | ||||
Series 1
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Series 2
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Series 3
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Series 4
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Series 5
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Series 6
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Series 7
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Series 8
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