Seasons & episodes

Tracey asks Judy for advice about Vera's spiteful comments. Vera blames Jim's rosters for her being a physical wreck, but Jim hints that there could be other reasons for that. Bob admits he is seeing Meg when Tracey challenges him to deny it, though when we see Meg at home she is waiting for Bob, who seems to have stood her up. Doreen visits the hospital with Erica and is interviewed by Dr Henderson and seems to make a good impression on him. Judy reminds Tracey she has Meg to thank for saving her life and so perhaps she could let her father express his gratitude to Meg however he wants. Vera snidely remarks to Jim that he seems very interested in interior design all of a sudden. Doreen gets along well with the kids in the children's ward and impresses Dr Henderson with how well she has been coping.

Sarah leaves Jim's flat in a hurry. Jim finds his wardrobe open and realises why Sarah has fled. Judy tells Tracey to go to Erica about the threatening note, but Bea is also told, and she says she'll make her own enquiries. Bob arrives at Meg's flat to drive her to work on her first day back. Chrissie worries that her baby will soon be one year old and will be taken away from her. Jim sees Meg arriving at work with Bob and makes a snide comment which angers Meg. Erica promises to take action over the threat to Tracey. Chrissie admits to Doreen that she put the note on Tracey's bed, though she didn't know what was in it. Inspector Grace arrives and Meg finds out from him about the threat to Tracey. Chrissie owns up to Bea about the letter. Tracey sees her solicitor who tries to calm her fears. Jim puts on his uniform for his next visit to see Sarah, but Julian tells him she doesn't want to see him again. Tracey goes to court with an armed police escort.

The police car is driven through the back streets, but eventually runs into a police ambush: the driver from McNally's gang and the policewoman in the back of the car are both shot, but Tracey is pushed clear out of the car and sustains only a bad graze to the face . Lizzie comments that it doesn't seem like only six months since Doreen was picked up by the police: Bea tells her not to blame herself for getting Doreen into trouble. Tracey is brought back to Wentworth. Doreen gets a visitor at home: her neighbour Cheryl is investigating why there is a light on in a previously empty house and when she finds out it is Doreen she invites her to dinner. Doreen refuses and hurriedly shuts the door. Bob arrives to see Tracey, and as Meg is preparing to go home she takes a call at reception to say that the policewoman has died in hospital. Judy admits to Tracey that she had a relationship with a man once in America but implies that she didn't have sex with him.

Chrissie is put into street clothes for her visit to Elizabeth, and Vera tells Jim they are supposed to ignore Doreen if they see her at the hospital. Erica wants to know why Jim tried to put her off using Sarah's firm: he notices she is going through prison files and accuses her of jumping to conclusions. Doreen recognises Elizabeth, but a nurse suggests she keeps out of sight or she will give the game away. When Doreen sees Vera she pretends not to know her but advises her cattily to keep away from the children to avoid spreading germs. Vera retaliates by letting everyone know that Doreen has been in prison. Bob arrives for a visit and sees Judy comforting Tracey, but when he asks Tracey about it she is indignant that he should suspect her of having a relationship with Judy. Chrissie asks to work outside the maternity unit to keep her mind occupied, and her mention of Barnhurst reminds Erica of a woman who escaped from that prison several years ago.

Vera comes back from work in tears. Doreen's absence from the hospital is noticed, but the nurses assume that Elizabeth has been moved to another ward. Jim lies to Erica and pretends he hasn't had chance to talk to Sarah, so Erica says she will have to tell the police. Sarah is packed ready to leave for London, but changes her mind and tells Julian she's tired of running. Sister Brookes finds out Elizabeth hasn't been transferred to another ward and finally makes the connection with Doreen's failure to turn up for work. Doreen visits her neighbour Cheryl and passes Elizabeth off as her sister's baby (and then has to lie about having a sister). Jacki is brought to Wentworth and pretends not to know Jim. Meg and Erica discuss Vera's drink problem and wonder why they hadn't noticed it before. Lizzie and Bea can't understand why Judy is making such a fuss about the rumours of her relationship with Tracey. Meg tells the women that Elizabeth has been kidnapped.

Officer Barry takes Chrissie to the hospital to see her baby, who is ill in intensive care. Chrissie is assured by hospital staff the baby is going to be alright even though she is on the critical list. Judy moves out of Tracey Morris's cell in a bid to stop the lesbian rumours. Doreen is put back inside, for kidnapping Chrissie's baby. Erica tells her she is disappointed with her, but promises to help her during the trial. Meanwhile, when Chrissie is brought back to Wentworth, she tells Joyce Barry she knows Doreen kidnapped the baby and she is going to kill her. Erica warns Latham about getting revenge on Doreen, then when Doreen is brought into the Governor's office, she confronts her but in the end, Chrissie understands Doreen's good intentions when Doreen tells her she "kidnapped" the baby because they are putting her in a home. Jim brings Tracey back to the laundry to work, but Mouse assumes it is to be near Judy and makes slighting remarks.

The police question Vera about the robbery but say they're unlikely to be able to help her. Tracey apologises to Meg and congratulates her on the wedding. Vera returns to work but Erica tells her she doesn't look well enough so Vera has to admit to the drink problem and beg to be allowed to stay at work. When Erica asks what has happened to upset her, she tells Erica about being robbed. Jacki isn't pleased with the newspaper article about her case. Vera catches Tracey in the laundry with an uncensored newspaper, but amazes the women by only telling Lizzie to return it to the staff room. Jim tells Erica about his unsuccessful visit to Julian and recommends they try the PRG and attend the meeting conveniently planned for that very evening. Meg asks for leave in four weeks, and Erica is a little dubious until she finds out about the wedding. Julian calls a friend who's a judge for help with Jacki's appeal.

Bea tells the women to keep quiet about Jacki's relationship with Jim or risk having her transferred to Barnhurst. Erica promises Julian to speak to Myra and the PRG, but gives no guarantees that she can influence them. Vera is behind a store room door and overhears a conversation between Jim and Jacki: she goes to Erica and asks why Jacki is still in Wentworth. Erica tells her it wouldn't look good to have another prisoner transferred so soon after Tracey and for very similar reasons. Vera nevertheless tells Jim she's putting in a report to get Jacki moved "on security grounds" and makes a few snide remarks, but she tears the report up when Jim tells her why Jacki escaped. Lizzie and Doreen are inspired by Jacki's ability to run her own business and put in a request to Erica to let them start studying to improve themselves. Bea is a bit depressed by Lizzie and Doreen's hero worship of Jacki and points out to them that her own future involves another ten years in Wentworth.

Erica tells Jim to organise a special work programme to give the inspector less opportunity to find fault, but Vera thinks putting up a good front amounts to defrauding the Department. Lizzie and Doreen are set to work sorting out the books in the library and Lizzie finds a history of the Wentworth area, which mentions extensive wine cellars which form the prison's storm water drainage system. Meg asks Erica to be her matron of honour. A new prisoner, Anne Griffin , is brought to Wentworth charged with armed robbery after holding up a shopkeeper with a knife. She seems very distressed and says that the money the police found on her was a loan from her friend Megan. The women on the work detail clear the earth from around a concrete slab in the garden and manage to lift it. Anne tells a policewoman that her friend Megan is on holiday which is why they can't trace her. Doreen suggest Mouse is sent down the drains to investigate as she's less likely to be missed.

Judy finds Bea lying unconscious and calls for help. When Vera goes to report the incident to Erica, she tries to pretend in front of Gillespie that it is only a routine matter, but he insists on hearing her report. Judy tells the women in the rec room about the attack on Bea: Lizzie reckons there must be a basher in operation and any of them could be the next victim. Bea can tell Erica nothing useful about the attack, so Erica asks for surveillance to be stepped up on Bea and all her group. Vera suggests (prophetically, as it turns out) that this will only "drive them underground". Bea tells the women she needs to know anything which could identify her attacker. Gillespie "recommends" that the security gates be locked at all times and that armed guards should be posted round the perimeter fence. The script arrives for the pantomime and Vera wants to set to work censoring it, but Erica tells her there are more important things to do.

Judy claims the money was planted in her cell. Bea is prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, but doesn't rate her chances of getting the other women to believe her, even when she gives them the money back. Bea suspects that it is Gillespie who is stirring up trouble, possibly as a way of getting her transferred. Doreen tells Lizzie she thinks Erica is getting the sack, and when Bea hears this, she reckons it gives Gillespie an even better motive. Erica rejects Gillespie's demand that the pantomime is cancelled and tells him she'll put her job on the line to ensure "That show will go on". As Bea predicted, the women are not impressed with Judy's story about the money. Bea is outraged that the women seem to have lost interest in the pantomime. Erica passes on Gillespie's latest instructions to the staff: all officers are to take a refresher course in unarmed combat, the armoury is to be restocked and the pantomime cancelled.

Vera catches up with the policewoman just as she is leaving to tell her the truth about Anne's letter. Bea finds Anne packing her bags, confident that Megan will clear her. Anne is asked for a sample of her handwriting to prove she didn't write the letter she handed over to the police. Judy tells Bea that Mouse and Irene want to come along on the escape. Margo says Doreen must be mad to trust Helen with her money, and Bea warns Helen not to take a penny more than she needs. Meg asks Vera if she's sure there was no letter from Megan: if the letter was forged by Anne, then perhaps Megan is just a figment of her imagination. Lizzie rehearses her part in the pantomime with L plates on, as she's a "learner" Fairy Godmother . Bea tells Helen to get a plan of the storm water drains so they know where to park the getaway vehicle. Lizzie talks to Anne about her daughter, and by an odd co-incidence, the daughter also seems to be called Megan. Helen is released.

The story Anne tells Jim and Vera is very confused, and she eventually agrees she made the whole thing up. She is returned to the laundry where she starts to talk again about her friend Megan. When she tells the women about finding Megan dead and the doctors describing it as a cot death, it becomes obvious she's talking (at least in part) about a baby. Anne says that she named her baby after her best friend, but now no-one can help her as they are both dead. Vera can't persuade Meg to change her mind and take back her resignation. The women try to pretend that the escape plan was just a joke, but Anne isn't convinced and flies into a rage. Bea realises it was Anne who attacked her. Later on, Anne has returned to "normal" and helps Lizzie with her lines. Meg talks to Bob about being born in prison: she says her mother was given a 5 year sentence during the war for black market activities and her father was a US soldier.

On the day of the panto and escape attempt, Gillespie is suspicious and snooping around backstage. The panto is a roaring success with the kids present, and under cover of costume, Judy, Doreen, Mouse and Irene make their escape down the tunnel. Back above ground, Lizzie has been pondering going with Dor, and when she finds Teddy left behind, her mind is made up and she ventures down after them, pursued by Bea, determined to bring her back. After watching what has been going on, loopy Anne tips a wheelbarrow of dirt on top of the entrance to the tunnel, burying it from sight and effectively trapping them all down there. And then disaster strikes when the tunnel collapses on top of the escapees, crushing Irene and trapping everyone else... Meanwhile, Meg prepares to start a new life with Bob, as they tie the knot.