Wentworth is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo on 1 May 2013, and it concluded on Showcase with its 100th episode on 26 October 2021. The series serves as a contemporary reimagining of Prisoner, which ran on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986. Lara Radulovich and David Hannam developed Wentworth from Reg Watson's original concept. The series is set in the modern day and initially focuses on Bea Smith's (Danielle Cormack) early days in prison and her subsequent rise to the top of the prison's hierarchy. From the fifth season onward, the series shifted to emphasize more of an ensemble format.
For the first three seasons, Wentworth was filmed on purpose-built sets in the suburbs of Clayton, Victoria. Starting with the fourth season, production moved to Newport, Victoria. The show has received a mostly positive reception from critics, and the first episode became the most watched Australian drama series premiere in Foxtel history and became one of Foxtel's longest running local dramas. The series was picked up by several countries, including New Zealand and the UK, where it is titled Wentworth Prison.
Wentworth was commissioned for an eighth and final season consisting of 20 episodes and airing in two parts; the first part from July to September 2020, and the second part from 24 August 2021, with its final episode on 26 October.
On 6 February 2026, it was announced by Binge at the 2026 AACTA Awards that a Wentworth spinoff series titled Wentworth: Halfway Home had been commissioned by the network.
Premise Wentworth is set in modern-day Australia. The first four seasons explore the life of Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) when she first enters prison after being charged with the attempted murder of her husband. Bea is separated from her daughter and sent to Wentworth on remand, where she lives in "an uncertain limbo" until she is sentenced. Starting at the bottom of Wentworth's hierarchy, Bea is forced to learn how to survive in prison.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Main cast Danielle Cormack as Bea Smith (seasons 1–4) Nicole da Silva as Francesca "Franky" Doyle (main seasons 1–6, special guest season 7) Kris McQuade as Jacqueline "Jacs" Holt (season 1, hallucination season 2) Leeanna Walsman as Erica Davidson (season 1) Kate Atkinson as Vera Bennett (seasons 1–8) Celia Ireland as Elizabeth "Liz" Birdsworth (seasons 1–7) Shareena Clanton as Doreen "Dor" Anderson (seasons 1–5) Aaron Jeffery as Matthew "Matt" Fletcher – "Fletch" (seasons 1–3) Robbie J. Magasiva as Will Jackson (seasons 1–8) Catherine McClements as Meg Jackson (season 1) Katrina Milosevic as Susan Jenkins – "Boomer" (recurring season 1, main seasons 2–8) Pamela Rabe as Joan Ferguson – "The Freak" (main seasons 2–8, special guest seasons 6–7)Adams, Cameron (21 June 2017). Socratis Otto as Maxine Conway (recurring seasons 2–3, main seasons 4–5) Tammy MacIntosh as Karen "Kaz" Proctor (recurring season 3, main seasons 4–7) Kate Jenkinson as Allie Novak (seasons 4–8) Bernard Curry as Jake Stewart (season 4–8) Sigrid Thornton as Sonia Stevens (special guest season 4, main seasons 5–6) Leah Purcell as Rita Connors (seasons 6–8) Susie Porter as Marie Winter (seasons 6–8) Rarriwuy Hick as Ruby Mitchell (seasons 6–8) Kate Box as Lou Kelly (season 8) Jane Hall as Ann Reynolds (season 8) Zoe Terakes as Reb Keane (season 8) Vivienne Awosoga as Judy Bryant (season 8)
Special guest Marta Dusseldorp as Sheila Bausch (season 8) Tina Bursill as Eve Wilder (This character was originally portrayed in "Prisoner" by Lynda Stoner) (season 8) Notes: Bursill appeared in "Prisoner" as Sonia Stevens, with the character being portrayed by Sigrid Thornton in Wentworth.
Recurring cast Jacqueline Brennan as Linda Miles (seasons 1–8) Ra Chapman as Kim Chang (seasons 1–5) Martin Sacks as Derek Channing (seasons 1–6) Lucia Brancatisano as Officer Peta Webb (seasons 1–8) Reef Ireland as Brayden Holt (seasons 1–2) Benne Harrison as Rosalind "Roz" Jago (seasons 1–3) Cassandra Magrath as Hayley Jovanka (seasons 1–3) Richard Sutherland as Alan Doyle (seasons 1, 4–6) Georgia Flood as Debbie Smith (seasons 1–2, cameo season 4) Louise Harris as Ronnie Katsis (season 1) Rondah Dam as Phillipa "Pip" Turner (season 1) John Bach as Vinnie Holt (season 1) Melitta St Just as Megan Summers (season 1–2) Lynette Curran as Rita Bennett (seasons 1–2) Jada Alberts as Toni Goodes (seasons 1–2) Annie Jones as Rachel Sanger (seasons 1–2) Scott Parmeter as Chris Bakula (seasons 1–3) Jake Ryan as Harry Smith (recurring seasons 1–2; cameo season 3) Ally Fowler as Simone "Simmo" Slater (recurring seasons 1–2; cameo season 3) Steve Le Marquand as Colin Bates (season 2) Tony Briggs as Steve Faulkner (season 2) Katherine Halliday as Sarah Briggs (season 2) Kathryn Beck as Sky Pierson (season 2) Kasia Kaczmarek as Lindsay Coulter (seasons 2–3) Bessie Holland as Stella Radic (seasons 2–5) Christen O'Leary as Kelly Bryant (seasons 2–3) Alex Menglet as Ivan Ferguson (seasons 2–3) Edwina Samuels as Sophie Donaldson (seasons 2–3) Maggie Naouri as Rose Atkins (seasons 2–3) Georgia Chara as Jess Warner (seasons 2–3) Tony Nikolakopoulos as Nils Jesper (seasons 2–4) Luke McKenzie as Nash Taylor (seasons 2–5) Marta Kaczmarek as Marge Nowak (seasons 2, 5) Miles Paras as Cindy Lou (season 3) Pia Miranda as Jodie Spiteri (season 3) Damien Richardson as Michael Mears (season 3) Katerina Kotsonis as Brenda Murphy (seasons 3–6) Libby Tanner as Bridget Westfall (seasons 3–6) Sally-Anne Upton as Lucy "Juicy Lucy" Gambaro (season 3–6) Charli Tjoe as Tina Mercado (seasons 3–5) Steve Bastoni as Don Kaplan (seasons 4–5) Hunter Page-Lochard as Shayne Butler (seasons 4–5) Sophia Katos as Mel Barrett (seasons 4–5) Maddy Jevic as Lee Radcliffe (seasons 4–6) Sarah Hallam as Jen "Hutch" Hutchins (seasons 5–8) Danielle Alexis as Dana Malouf (seasons 5) Zahra Newman as Iman Farah (seasons 5) Chloe Ng as Nurse Shen (seasons 6–9) Emily Havea as Mon Alston (seasons 6–8) Shane Connor as Ray Houser (seasons 6–7) Natalia Novikova as Zara Dragovich (season 6) Artemis Ioannides as Vicky Kosta (seasons 6–7) David de Lautour as Dr. Greg Miller (seasons 7–8) Morgana O'Reilly as Narelle Stang (season 7) Rick Donald as Sean Brody (season 7) Anni Finsterer as May Jenkins (Season 7) Alexandra Schepisi as Cynthia Rattray (season 8) Louisa Mignone as Zaina Saad (season 8) Jennifer Vuletic as Mandy (season 8) Kevin Harrington as Officer Roberts (season 8) Tom Wren as Dominic Slade (season 8) Brian Vriends as Dr. Mendel (season 8) Peter O'Brien as Tony Cockburn (season 8) Greg Fryer as Blair Mitchell (season 8) Huw Higginson as Gavin Thompson (season 9)
Guest/cameos
Anne Charleston as Celeste Donaldson (season 1) (Charleston appeared in the original series in three roles, most notably as Deidre Kean) Andrew Blackman as Oliver Donaldson (season 1) Brett Swain as Max Henderson (1 episode) Carla Bonner as Manda Katsis (season 1) Gloria Ajenstat as Georgia Henderson (season 1) Hany Lee Choi as Su-Yun Lee (Season 2) Maria Angelico as Katrina "Trina" Jenkins (season 2) Liddy Clark as Hazel Fullagher (season 3) (Note: Clark appeared in the original "Prisoner" series in 2 roles as Bella Ulbright (1979) and Sharon Smart (1983) Neil Melville as Brendan Maddock (season 3) Debra Lawrance as Faith Proctor (season 4) Georgina Naidu as Dr Chappell (season 4, 3 episodes) Geraldine Hakewill as Kylee Webb (season 7) Jackson Gallagher as Travis Kelly (season 8) Gary Sweet as Dale Langdon (season 8) Maria Mercedes as Detective Ayoub (3 episodes) Marta Kaczmarek as Marge Nowak Nicholas Bell as Dr Foster (1 episode) Steve Mouzakis as Det Russell Minton (1 episode) Damien Fotiou as Detective Puzo (1 episode) Tom Budge as Daz (1 episode)
Production Conception In March 2012, it was announced that a contemporary re-imagining of Prisoner, an Australian soap opera of the late 20th century, had been commissioned by Foxtel. Brian Walsh, the executive director of television at Foxtel, said that Wentworth would not be a remake of Prisoner, which ran for 692 episodes on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986. He said: "Wentworth will be a dynamic and very confronting drama series, developed and stylised specifically for subscription television audiences. We have told producers to push all boundaries and honestly depict life on the inside as it is in 2012."
Lara Radulovich and David Hannam developed Wentworth from Reg Watson's original concept. FremantleMedia and director of drama Jo Porter is producer. The first episode, and several subsequent episodes, were written by Pete McTighe. The idea for an "Underbelly-style remake of Prisoner" was first mooted by television critic Michael Idato, who went on to act as series consultant. Kerry Tucker acted as consultant on authenticity.
Producer Jo Porter commented that the series would explore "the politics of women in a world with few men, and how the experience both challenges and changes them, sometimes for the better". Wentworth is set in the modern-day and explores Bea Smith's early days in prison. The storylines include a mix of original inmates and staff from Prisoner, with characters also developed especially for Wentworth.
Foxtel told a reporter from The Sydney Morning Herald that the original characters from Prisoner would have a contemporary interpretation in the new series. It was initially reported that none of the original cast from Prisoner would appear in the first season of Wentworth, however, Anne Charleston, who had a number of small roles in the original series, made a cameo appearance as Liz Birdsworth's mother-in-law. Alex Menglet and Gloria Ajenstat, who played Ray Proctor and Tammy Fisher in the original series, will have guest roles in the new series. Foxtel revealed that the producers were looking at how they might incorporate the Prisoner theme tune, "On The Inside", into the new series.
Eight-season run On 5 June 2013, it was confirmed that Wentworth had been renewed for a second season. A reporter for the Australian Associated Press said production would begin later in the year, and the season would air in 2014. Porter stated: "We have assembled an extraordinary team of writers who can't wait to get started on series two. We have so many more stories to tell". In January 2014, it was announced that a third season of Wentworth had been ordered, before the second had aired. In a similar manner, a 12-episode fourth season was announced before the airing of the third season on 27 February 2015. It began airing from 10 May 2016. Cormack confirmed a fifth season had been commissioned on 19 July. The twelve-part series premiered on 4 April 2017. On 9 May 2017, Showcase announced that the series had been renewed for a sixth season, which premiered on 19 June 2018. A seventh season was commissioned in April 2018, before the sixth-season premiere, with filming commencing the following week and a premiere set for 28 May 2019. On 5 December 2018, it was confirmed that a 20-episode eighth season had been commissioned, with production beginning in late October 2019, with Part 1, featuring the first 10 episodes, premiering on 28 July 2020 and Part 2 in 2021.
In October 2019, it was confirmed that the series would conclude following the second part of the eighth season in 2021, making it the longest-running hour drama series in Foxtel history, with a total of 100 episodes.
Casting