The first season of the crime drama television series ''

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

'' originally aired on

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

in Australia. The season consisted of 10 episodes and aired between 1 May and 3 July 2013. It was executively produced by

FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...

's director of drama Jo Porter. The series is a remake of ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'', which aired on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986. Lara Radulovich and David Hannam developed ''Wentworth'' from Reg Watson's original concept. The season was shot over four months from 10 October 2012. The show is set in modern-day Victoria, Australia and focuses on the fictional women's prison Wentworth. The central characters in the prison are inmates Bea Smith (

Danielle Cormack Danielle Cormack (born 26 December 1970) is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera '' Shortland Street'', though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in th ...

), Franky Doyle (

Nicole da Silva Nicole da Silva (born 18 September 1981) is an Australian actress, best known for her roles as Stella Dagostino in the series '' Rush'' (2008–2011), and as Franky Doyle in the show ''Wentworth'' (2013–2018, 2019). She has made appearance ...

), Doreen Anderson ( Shareena Clanton), Liz Birdsworth ( Celia Ireland), Jacs Holt ( Kris McQuade) and prison officers Vera Bennett ( Kate Atkinson), Matthew Fletcher (

Aaron Jeffery Aaron C. Jeffery is a Logie Award-winning New Zealand-Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Terry Watson in '' Water Rats'', as Alex Ryan in ''McLeod's Daughters'', and as Matt "Fletch" Fletcher in '' Wentworth''. Early and persona ...

), Will Jackson (

Robbie Magasiva Robbie Joseph Magasiva (born 21 May 1972) is a Samoan-New Zealander actor who has starred in several films and as a member of the Naked Samoans comedy troupe. He has also appeared on television and in theatre, and was the co-presenter of New Z ...

), Erica Davidson (

Leeanna Walsman Leeanna Walsman is an Australian actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Zam Wesell in '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' (2002), for playing Carly Bishop in the Australian film '' Looking for Alibrandi'' (2000), fo ...

) and Meg Jackson (

Catherine McClements Catherine McClements is an Australian stage, film and television actress and television presenter. She is known for her TV roles in '' Water Rats'' and '' Tangle'', for which she won Logie Awards, and has performed in stage productions for thea ...

). The season received generally favourable reviews from critics. The first episode of ''Wentworth'' attracted 244,000 viewers, making it the most watched Australian drama series premiere in Foxtel history. The complete first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Australia on 18 November 2013.

Cast

Regular

as Bea Smith *

as Franky Doyle * Kris McQuade as Jacs Holt *

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Erica Davidson * Kate Atkinson as Deputy Governor Vera Bennett * Celia Ireland as Liz Birdsworth * Shareena Clanton as Doreen Anderson *

as Matthew "Fletch" Fletcher senior officer *

as Will Jackson senior officer *

as Meg Jackson

Recurring

Katrina Milosevic Katrina Milosevic (born 25 April 1976) is an Australian actress who has appeared in many television programs and theatre productions, including a starring role in the prison drama series ''Wentworth''. Biography Katrina Milosevic was born in ...

as Sue "Boomer" Jenkins *

Ra Chapman Ra Chapman is a Korean-born Australian film, television and theatre actress and playwright. She appeared in ''Wentworth'' as Kim Chang. born on 8 January 1985 Biography Chapman was born in South Korea South Korea, officially the Repub ...

as Kim Chang *

Georgia Flood Georgia Flood (born 29 November 1992) is an Australian film, television and theatre actress. After studying at the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and the 16th Street Actors Studio in Melbourne, Flood made her stage ...

as Debbie Smith *

Jacqueline Brennan Jacqueline Brennan is an Australian stage, television and film actress with a career that has spanned over 30 years appearing in film, theatre and voice-over roles. Jacquie Brennan is known for her roles on '' Bullpitt!'', '' The Hollowmen,''an ...

as Linda Miles * Martin Sacks as Derek Channing *

Ally Fowler Alexandra "Ally" Fowler (born 6 December 1961) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Angela Hamilton in '' Sons and Daughters'' (1982–84) and Zoe Davis in '' Neighbours'' (1986); both series were produced by the ...

as Simone "Simmo" Slater * Jada Alberts as Toni Goodes *

Jake Ryan Jacob William Ryan (born February 27, 1992) is a former American football inside linebacker. He played college football at Michigan. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. High school career In high ...

as Harry Smith * Reef Ireland as

Brayden Holt The following is a list of characters from the Australian television series ''Wentworth''. Main characters Bea Smith Bea Smith ( Danielle Cormack) (seasons 1–4) came to be an inmate after attempting to murder her husband, Harry, after s ...

* Melitta St Just as Megan Summers * Benne Harrison as Roz Jago * Rondah Dam as Pip Turner

Episodes

Production

''Wentworth'' was announced by Foxtel on 4 March 2012. Developed by Lara Radulovich and David Hannam from the original concept by Reg Watson, it is produced by Fremantle's new head of drama, Jo Porter, and is filmed in Melbourne. FremantleMedia Chief Executive Asia Pacific, Ian Hogg, said: "An entire generation of Australians grew up watching Prisoner and another is about to do the same with Wentworth."

Filming

The ten-part season began filming in Melbourne for five months from 10 October 2012 and the shoot employed 300 cast and crew. ''Wentworth'' is filmed on a purpose built set in the suburb of Clayton.

Reception

Ratings

Accolades

; Australian Screen Editors (2013) * Nominated: Best Editing in a Television Drama — Philip Watts ;

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industr ...

(2014) * Nominated: Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama — Kris McQuade * Nominated: Best Television Drama Series — ''Wentworth'' - Jo Porter & Amanda Crittenden ;

ASTRA Awards The ASTRA Awards were the annual awards for the Australian subscription television industry. According to the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), the awards "recognise the wealth of talent that drives the Australi ...

(2014) * Won: Most Outstanding Drama — ''Wentworth'' * Nominated: Most Outstanding New Talent — Shareena Clanton * Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Danielle Cormack * Won: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Nicole da Silva * Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor — Kris McQuade * Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor — Aaron Jeffery * Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor — Robbie Magasiva ; Equity Ensemble Awards (2014) * Nominated: Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series — Cast of ''Wentworth'' ; Logie Awards (2014) * Nominated:

Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series The Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series is an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. The award is given to recognise an outstanding Australian drama series. The winner and nominees of this award are chosen b ...

— ''Wentworth'' * Nominated:

Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress The Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress, commonly known as the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress, is an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. It was first awarded at the 30th Annual TV Week Logie Awards ...

— Danielle Cormack * Nominated:

Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer The Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Newcomer, also known as the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer, was an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. It was created in honour of Graham Kennedy following his ...

— Shareena Clanton

Home media

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth 2013 American television seasons 2013 Australian television series debuts Wentworth (TV series)