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Val Lehman plans Prisoner 40th anniversary reunion

Iconic TV show turns 40 next February and stars & fans plan to celebrate.

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Former Prisoner star Val Lehman is planning a 40th anniversary reunion of the show that made her one of several household names in the 1970s.

Prisoner premiered in Australia on 27 February 1979 and ran for 8 seasons, triggering a wave of fans around the world, some of whom have since grown into proud Prisoner-tragics. It was ground-breaking in its portrayal of female actors on Australian television, and spawned the rebooted Wentworth hit for Foxtel.

A 30th anniversary fan event was held at the original Nunawading location in 2009, while a number of other fan events have also been held both in Australia and the UK. Now the 40th event looms, with none of fan passion diminished.

Lehman plans to invite up to 15 members of the original cast to an event on Sunday February 24, 2019 (presumably at the same location) and bookings are due to open shortly. Lehman was always cleverly (and rightly) astute in benefiting from her popularity on the show, and previously involved in organising other fan events.

The Nunawading site, once the Melbourne home for 0-TEN Network, is currently leased by FremantleMedia, producers of Wentworth.

Not all of the cast are still with us, but who would you like to see attend?

Source: Starts at 60

13 Responses

  1. The event can’t be held at Nunawading, due to no one being able to assure Val that they could provide an air conditioned marquee for the event. It’s being held in a private club (venue only revealed to those who are attending).

  2. Does anyone remember Mr Askin? Judy Bryant’s lawyer? Also played desk sergeant and Peter moss. Yeah that was my Dad Telford Jackson. Use to love helping him learn his lines. And got to visit the set of prisoner one day and met George Mallaby and Patsy King and others. Just thought I would share. Loved the show

  3. I wonder if Val is still charging fans ten dollars for her autograph, as she was trying to do at Out Video in St Kilda at the launch of the Prisoner Bo’s set.

      1. I wasn’t wanting her autograph myself, but observed others asking for it. Interestingly nobody there was willing to pay the ten dollars Val was asking.

      1. She’s so beautiful, in every way–you’re very lucky to have met her! Was it you who posted an article about her including an interview from 1979?

  5. That’s interesting that Fremantle Media own that site. I wonder if Wentworth gets picked up by another network for Season 8 they could start filming from there?

  6. Maybe we can have our own Golden Girls re boot and have The freak, Bea Smith and Doreen now sharing a house in their declining years. No? Ok then

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