Prisoner’s Judy spills secrets

One of Prisoner: Cell Block H’s most popular alumni, Betty Bobbitt, has just released a memoir spilling the beans on her time on the show.

Bobbitt played lesbian character Judy Bryant. As she reveals in From the Outside, she has more in common with her on-screen counterpart than some fans might suspect.

This is no seedy exposé though —  Bobbitt looks back on her time in the show with much affection, despite cheekily referring to Prisoner as a “life sentence”.

“I was in the show for five years, and I had such a wonderful time and made lifelong friends,” Bobbitt told the Star Observer.

“But when I finished it in 1984, I had no idea that in 2011 I’d still be talking about it and involved with fans. That’s rather wonderful to me — especially since Judy was only initially supposed to be in the show for 13 weeks.”

The fact that an openly lesbian character was one of the program’s most popular is a testament to just how forward-thinking Prisoner was when it came to queer representation.

“Jude made a pass at a girl who came into the prison at one stage, and we got a few phone calls from people saying they didn’t want to see two women kissing on screen. But that was really about it,” Bobbitt said.

With fans snapping up copies of From the Outside, Bobbitt will also appear with many of her old Prisoner chums at a reunion of sorts on November 11, the Icons of Aus TV event to be held at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow in St Kilda.

Tickets and event info at [email protected]

INFO: From the Outside available now from www.bettybobbitt.com