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Life sentence for Wentworth girls

Some of the stars of Prisoner may have had trouble getting work after the series, but there was one actor grateful she was so unrecognisable.

Carol Burns appeared as ‘Franky Doyle’ in just 19 episodes of Prisoner but made such an impact on viewers that she remains synonymous with the role more than 30 years later.

Last week as some of the stars reunited for 111HITS media launch of the series replay, Burns told TV Tonight that unlike some of her colleagues she had no trouble finding work after the series, partly because she was never recognisable as ‘Franky Doyle’ and partly because she returned to work in theatre.

“I think some of them did suffer that problem of not getting other work but I’ve had a wonderfully diverse career. My 10 years in England was spent on television and the West End, doing tours and having a great time,” she said.

The character of ‘Franky Doyle’, which she willingly admits was Australian television’s first ‘bull dyke’, was so compelling it even drove some US fans to protest outside a Los Angeles television station when she died on screen. Burns said she wanted ‘Franky’ to be shot so she couldn’t be brought back.

But she hadn’t counted on Grundys editing her scenes together into a stand-alone telemovie The Franky Doyle Story. It remains a sore point with her.

“I didn’t get any money for that, it was shocking. It was a really wrong thing to cut together somebody’s work that was made for a series and make it into a Telemovie and not offer any sort of remuneration,” she says.

Now based with her family in her hometown of Brisbane, Burns admits there are challenges in luring more television production to the city.

“Since I’ve chosen to come back with (composer husband) Alan, we based ourselves in Brisbane but the only thing is that Producers tend not to look north of the border. They think if you live in ‘Brisvegas’ you’ve retired. So one of the things we’ve got to convince them of is that there are people wanting to work and are still working.”

Her most recent project with the Queensland Theatre Company was postponed due to the Brisbane floods, but one upside is it allowed her to attend the Prisoner reunion.

“We were supposed to be going into the Playhouse with Pygmalion and it’s now been put off and they’re doing it in October / November. So with two and a half days notice they suddenly said ‘You are now unemployed.’ So I quickly rang up and said, ‘You know that event I said I couldn’t come to, well I can come now!’

Last year she revived the ‘Franky’ character for a benefit performance by Equity’s annual ‘Hats Off’ stage production in Brisbane.

“As soon as they announced there was going to be a Prisoner sketch in it the ticket sales doubled,” she smiles.

Joining her for the reunion at the Old Melbourne Gaol were (group photo L to R) Colette Mann, Margaret Laurence, Judith McGrath, Fiona Spence, Jane Clifton, Patsy King, Elspeth Ballantyne and Val Lehman.

Prisoner replays 6:30pm weeknights on 111HITS beginning with Episode One tonight.

 

19 Responses

  1. Great to have it back on.
    The quality of the colour and lighting was remarkably good on my Sony !
    Already hearing people that weren’t even born when it originally ran are impressed 🙂

  2. Watched the 8:30pm screening of Prisoner on 111Hits+2 – great to see it back on our screens for the first time in many years (since UKTV last aired it).

    @Mark – Channel 10 have not owned the rights to Prisoner for many, many years therefore unfortunately it won’t be appearing on Eleven unless they do some sort of deal with 111Hits / Foxtel.

  3. Great first episode of Prisoner. But to all you fellow Prisoner fans calling out for Eleven to screen it and wondering why they haven’t I think I may have the answer. I have a feeling they’re waiting for digital uptake to reach 100% so when they do eventually screen it it will reach its full ratings potential.

    I seriously don’t think there’s been any other show that has had as many people calling for its return than Prisoner.

  4. Also just a correction to the article and also the Current Affair report last week. Franky Doyle actually lasted 20 episodes in Prisoner and not 19 as stated. I don’t know where they got that from. At least that’s the figure I’ve had in my head ever since I was a kid! Unless they’re counting the first 2 episodes as a double then that figure is definitely wrong! Franky lasted 20 episodes and is still remembered to this day!

  5. I agree it should be put in a primetime slot on Eleven, more people would be watching than any of the current primetime scheduling on that channel. I will also be interested to see the pay tv ratings next week, every one I know will be watching so it could well be one of the highest rating shows of the week.

    Also agree that Inside Out, if it goes ahead, could never top Prisoner as it was just made in a different time when entertaining the viewers was its top agenda rather than its marketing potential which is what all modern day shows are all about.

  6. maybe when Foxtel is finished with it Eleven will run it too or they will share it.
    or the dvds will all of a sudden start selling more this week…

  7. I think that Ten would be hoping that Inside Out turns out to be as good as Prisoner was but the reality is it will not. Polical Correctness will make sure of that.

  8. I don’t have Foxtel but all this Prisoner publicity inspired me to dig out the DVD of the first few episodes and watch them over the weekend. Still holds up well in 2011 although it does lose a bit of its impact when you realise the ‘prison’ is really just the Nunawading studios 🙂

  9. I wish 11 would run Prisoner !!

    It’s sad that actors aren’t given the benefit of doubt when it comes to royalties for their work on old shows. The dynamics of the tv industry changed in ways they could never have imagined so how could they contract themselves against the unknown. Grundy’s and the like should not be the only ones to be allowed to say we didn’t expect tv to diversify so drastically, they should hang their heads in shame !

  10. Poor Home and Away and Neighbours are very threatened tonight !! record them and watch later cos Prisoner is on !
    can’t wait to see the Foxtel ratings .maybe it will be the highest rating non sports program and it will beat Selling Houses Australia , I hope.Fingers crossed!!

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