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* ImprobableSelfMaintenance: The inmates are usually immaculately groomed and glamorous, and most of them with very feminine hairstyles, and often wearing lots of jewelery. Most real-life documentaries about a women's prison would show a different picture: far more prisoners with shaven heads, faces riddled with the effects of drug use, and wearing jewelery sparingly, in case it is stolen.
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Page was movedfrom Series.Bad Girls to Series.Bad Girls 1999. Null edit to update page.
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Dewicked trope


* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: The show has a huge EnsembleCast with many characters coming and going, prisoners and guards alike. Unlike a lot of prison shows, there is character focus on the guards as well as the cons.
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The series was critically acclaimed and controversial at times, but ITV axed the series in 2006.

For those who have never heard of the show, it is similar in concept to ''Series/{{Oz}}'' from the states, with both shows sharing a no-holds-bared approach to homosexuality and violence, although it would be unfair to say that Bad Girls is just a British version as it maintains its own style and originality, but parallels can certainly be drawn.

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The series was critically acclaimed and controversial at times, but ITV Creator/{{ITV}} axed the series in 2006.

For those who have never heard of the show, it is similar in concept to ''Series/{{Oz}}'' from the states, with both shows sharing a no-holds-bared approach to homosexuality and violence, although it would be unfair to say that Bad Girls ''Bad Girls'' is just a British version as it maintains its own style and originality, but parallels can certainly be drawn.
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No longer a trope


* SuddenlySexuality: Helen Stuart and Roisin Connor
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There are bad girls, and then there are the girls of Larkhall women's prison. This highly acclaimed, original and controversial drama explores the never-ending drama that occurs between the prisoners and the men and women who are paid to lock them up. Never shying from the darker side of prison life, Bad Girls celebrates the warmth, compassion and defiant sense of humour that can sometimes triumph even behind bars...

Bad Girls was a British {{Prison}} drama that ran from 1999 to 2006. Set in the fictional prison HMP Larkhall, it focused not only on the lives of the female prisoners, but also on the prison staff. The storyline concentrated on G-Wing, as opposed to the entire prison, but D-Wing has been mentioned on several occasions and a few episodes showed scenes from a men's prison.

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There are bad girls, and then there are the girls of Larkhall women's prison. This highly acclaimed, original and controversial drama explores the never-ending drama that occurs between the prisoners and the men and women who are paid to lock them up. Never shying from the darker side of prison life, Bad Girls ''Bad Girls'' celebrates the warmth, compassion and defiant sense of humour that can sometimes triumph even behind bars...

Bad Girls ''Bad Girls'' was a British {{Prison}} drama that ran from 1999 to 2006. Set in the fictional prison HMP Larkhall, it focused not only on the lives of the female prisoners, but also on the prison staff. The storyline concentrated on G-Wing, as opposed to the entire prison, but D-Wing has been mentioned on several occasions and a few episodes showed scenes from a men's prison.

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* ReallyGetsAround: Fenner with the prisoners although he does this by either taking advantage of the vulnerable or swapping sexual favors.



* ReallyGetsAround: Fenner with the prisoners although he does this by either taking advantage of the vulnerable or swapping sexual favors

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* ShootTheShaggyDog: Rachel Hicks is possibly the only character in all eight series to have not one ounce of happiness during her time at Larkhall, even Zandra Plackett and Snowball Merriman had moments of happiness at times. Rachel is bullied by Shell and Denny, manipulated by Fenner and to top it all off her mother gives away her child, the only thing that was keeping poor Rachel sane, her final appearance in episode 4 was a tearjerker.


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* ShootTheShaggyDog: Rachel Hicks is possibly the only character in all eight series to have not one ounce of happiness during her time at Larkhall, even Zandra Plackett and Snowball Merriman had moments of happiness at times. Rachel is bullied by Shell and Denny, manipulated by Fenner and to top it all off her mother gives away her child, the only thing that was keeping poor Rachel sane, her final appearance in episode 4 was a tearjerker.
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* KickTheSadDog: Rachel Hicks is possibly the only character in all eight series to have not one ounce of happiness during her time at Larkhall, even Zandra Plackett and Snowball Merriman had moments of happiness at times. Rachel is bullied by Shell and Denny, manipulated by Fenner and to top it all off her mother gives away her child, the only thing that was keeping poor Rachel sane, her final appearance in episode 4 was a tearjerker.

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* KickTheSadDog: ShootTheShaggyDog: Rachel Hicks is possibly the only character in all eight series to have not one ounce of happiness during her time at Larkhall, even Zandra Plackett and Snowball Merriman had moments of happiness at times. Rachel is bullied by Shell and Denny, manipulated by Fenner and to top it all off her mother gives away her child, the only thing that was keeping poor Rachel sane, her final appearance in episode 4 was a tearjerker.

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* AntiHero: Yvonne Atkins

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* AlphaBitch: Natalie Buxton, many people have fit this trope until her introduction. Unlike Shell Dockley, she has no backstory, no family that she loves and no true friends. She is basically nothing more than an evil, cold hearted sociopath.
* AntiHero: Yvonne AtkinsShell Dockley, through out the series we discover it is her horrific past that makes her the way she is. She loves her children, her friend Denny and for a time she loved Fenner. She does some pretty nasty things, but it's hard not to love her.



* BritishBrevity: Averted. The first series ran for ten episodes and later series' would run for as many as nineteen.

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* BritishBrevity: Averted. The first series ran for ten episodes and later series' would run for as many as nineteen.sixteen.



* ButchLesbian: Denny Blood, Al Mackenzie.
* CharacterDevelopment: Many characters are developed through the series. In series 1, Shell Dockley is introduced as the archetypal bully, while series 2 follows her deconstruction and insight into her character.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: A few characters vanished between series, never being mentioned again.

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* ButchLesbian: Denny Blood, Blood (although she was able to girl herself up in one episode), Al Mackenzie.
* CharacterDevelopment: Many characters are developed through the series. In series 1, Shell Dockley is introduced as the archetypal bully, while series 2 follows her deconstruction and insight into her character.
character. Denny Blood was a cruel, bullying thug in series 1, but by the time of her last episode, she was shipped to an open prison for her good behaviour.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: A few characters vanished between series, never being mentioned again. The most notable one being Di Barker, a prominent character since series 2, completely disappeared after series 7, the worst part was that series 7 ended on a cliffhanger for her character and we never got to find out her fate.



* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority

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* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthorityCoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority:



* GreatEscape: Nikki Wade just might be the only prisoner in history who has to be broken ''back into'' prison after breaking herself ''out.'' Lucky everyone was so distracted by that little riot that was going on at the time...

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* GreatEscape: Nikki Wade just might be the only prisoner in history who has to be broken ''back into'' prison after breaking herself ''out.'' Lucky everyone was so distracted by that little riot Shell stabbing Fenner that was going on at the time...



* LipstickLesbian: Nikki Wade, Helen Stuart, Cassie Tyler, Roisin Connor and Selena Geeson

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* KickTheSadDog: Rachel Hicks is possibly the only character in all eight series to have not one ounce of happiness during her time at Larkhall, even Zandra Plackett and Snowball Merriman had moments of happiness at times. Rachel is bullied by Shell and Denny, manipulated by Fenner and to top it all off her mother gives away her child, the only thing that was keeping poor Rachel sane, her final appearance in episode 4 was a tearjerker.
* LipstickLesbian: Nikki Wade, Helen Stuart, Cassie Tyler, Roisin Connor and Selena GeesonGeeson.
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* {{Crossover}}: With FootballersWives.

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* {{Crossover}}: With FootballersWives.''Series/FootballersWives''.
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Blond Guys Are Evil and Blondes Are Evil are no longer tropes.


* BlondesAreEvil: Shell Dockley, Natalie Buxton, Snowball Merriman and [[spoiler:Caroline Lewis]].
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* TheAlcoholic: Bev and Phil, "The Costa Cons". In order to make their prison sentences easier, they're mostly permanently sloshed on either homemade hooch or smuggled booze.


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* DrillSergeantNasty: Governing Governor Joy Masters, a [[RetiredBadass former soldier]], often punishes prisoners with physical training.


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* HeterosexualLifePartners: Two prominent pairs: The Julies, a pair of [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Hookers With Hearts Of Gold]] who were arrested together and finish each other's sentences. One of them even cuts her hair in support when the other gets breast cancer. And then we have Bev and Phil, aka "The Costa Cons", who are the prison's resident moonshiners/booze smugglers.
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* BewareTheNiceOnes: In the end, it's [[spoiler: Julie Johnston who ends up killing Fenner by stabbing him with an ice dagger]], though it wasn't for lack of trying by everyone else.



* ViolentGlaswegian: Al Mackenzie, a ButchLesbian thug with a HairTriggerTemper.

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* ViolentGlaswegian: Al Mackenzie, a ButchLesbian thug with a HairTriggerTemper.

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* BitchInSheepsClothing: Natalie Buxton. She is introduced as a meek, timid, pleasant woman who is in jail merely for getting behind on payments. It turns out she's a violent, bullying peadophile. Don't let her slim, small frame fool you either. She took down Darlene Cake!

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* BitchInSheepsClothing: Natalie Buxton. She is introduced as a meek, timid, pleasant woman who is in jail merely for getting behind on payments. It turns out she's a violent, bullying peadophile.paedophile. Don't let her slim, small frame fool you either. She took down Darlene Cake!


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* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Di Barker is desperate for children; It's the main reason she becomes TheBeard to Grayling and she tries to get kids out of Fenner, which leads to him getting a vasectomy.
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* AnyoneCanDie: Major characters have been known to die, whether by suicide, accident or outright murder. And not just the cons. The guards tend to die just as easily.
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* DomesticAbuse: Barry Pearce subjects Di Barker to beatings and verbal abuse when their wedding is cancelled by Shaz. He manages to break her hand in the process. Fortunately, Shaz gives him a taste of his own medicine.


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* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: The show has a huge EnsembleCast with many characters coming and going, prisoners and guards alike. Unlike a lot of prison shows, there is character focus on the guards as well as the cons.
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None

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* ViolentGlaswegian: Al Mackenzie, a ButchLesbian thug with a HairTriggerTemper.
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None

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* EightiesHair: Yvonne Atkins and her female mullet.
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None


For those who have never heard of the show, it is similar in concept to {{Oz}} from the states, with both shows sharing a no-holds-bared approach to homosexuality and violence, although it would be unfair to say that Bad Girls is just a British version as it maintains its own style and originality, but parallels can certainly be drawn.

to:

For those who have never heard of the show, it is similar in concept to {{Oz}} ''Series/{{Oz}}'' from the states, with both shows sharing a no-holds-bared approach to homosexuality and violence, although it would be unfair to say that Bad Girls is just a British version as it maintains its own style and originality, but parallels can certainly be drawn.
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None

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* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: A few characters vanished between series, never being mentioned again.
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Sympathetic Criminal was merged into Justified Criminal. Bad examples and ZCE are being removed.


* SympatheticCriminal: Many

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* BrokenBird: try finding a character who ''isn't'' one. Many of the characters come from horrific backgrounds of abuse and violence, and carry a lot of emotional scars as a result.



* LesYay: And plenty of it.

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* BlondeIsEvil: Shell Dockley, Natalie Buxton, Snowball Merriman and [[spoiler:Caroline Lewis]].

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* BlondeIsEvil: BlondesAreEvil: Shell Dockley, Natalie Buxton, Snowball Merriman and [[spoiler:Caroline Lewis]].



* FoeYay: Between Fenner and Grayling.
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[[quoteright:348:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bg_7482.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:348:Season 2]]

There are bad girls, and then there are the girls of Larkhall women's prison. This highly acclaimed, original and controversial drama explores the never-ending drama that occurs between the prisoners and the men and women who are paid to lock them up. Never shying from the darker side of prison life, Bad Girls celebrates the warmth, compassion and defiant sense of humour that can sometimes triumph even behind bars...

Bad Girls was a British {{Prison}} drama that ran from 1999 to 2006. Set in the fictional prison HMP Larkhall, it focused not only on the lives of the female prisoners, but also on the prison staff. The storyline concentrated on G-Wing, as opposed to the entire prison, but D-Wing has been mentioned on several occasions and a few episodes showed scenes from a men's prison.

The series was critically acclaimed and controversial at times, but ITV axed the series in 2006.

For those who have never heard of the show, it is similar in concept to {{Oz}} from the states, with both shows sharing a no-holds-bared approach to homosexuality and violence, although it would be unfair to say that Bad Girls is just a British version as it maintains its own style and originality, but parallels can certainly be drawn.

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!!This game series provides examples of :
* AbusiveParents: The backstory or {{FreudianExcuse}} for many of the characters
* AntiHero: Yvonne Atkins
* AssholeVictim: Renee Williams and [[spoiler:Jim Fenner]]
* AxCrazy: Shell Dockley, full stop. Also Mad Tessa and Podger Pam.
** Natalie Buxton surely also qualifies. She has a tendency to bite if you make her mad. Just ask Pat Kerrigan and Bev Tull.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Natalie Buxton. She is introduced as a meek, timid, pleasant woman who is in jail merely for getting behind on payments. It turns out she's a violent, bullying peadophile. Don't let her slim, small frame fool you either. She took down Darlene Cake!
** Snowball Merriman. Introduced as a friendly, classy, glamorous American woman. Turns out she's a pornstar from Wigan who isn't above a bit of murder and blowing up the prison!
* BlondeIsEvil: Shell Dockley, Natalie Buxton, Snowball Merriman and [[spoiler:Caroline Lewis]].
* BritishBrevity: Averted. The first series ran for ten episodes and later series' would run for as many as nineteen.
* ButchLesbian: Denny Blood, Al Mackenzie.
* CharacterDevelopment: Many characters are developed through the series. In series 1, Shell Dockley is introduced as the archetypal bully, while series 2 follows her deconstruction and insight into her character.
* ClintSquint: Yvonne Atkins has one frightening stare.
* ClosetKey: Nikki was apparently one of these for Helen.
* {{Crossover}}: With FootballersWives.
* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority
* DeadpanSnarker: Plenty.
* DrivenToSuicide: Several characters notably [[spoiler: Rachel Hicks, Maxi Purvis, Snowball Merriman and Bobby Hollamby]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After all the hell prison puts her through, Nikki Wade finally wins her appeal and is released. On top of that, she ends up with Helen Stewart.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: While Fenner is in no way above rape, murder (though, he does feel guilty over it) or corruption, child molestation is a BerserkButton for him. He even has a VillainousBSOD when [[spoiler: his fellow inmates]] send him pictures of child pornography.
* EvilGloating: Fenner loves to do this.
* EvilVersusEvil: Shell vs Fenner and Shell vs Snowball
* FascistButInefficient: Bodybag
* FoeYay: Between Fenner and Grayling.
* GirlsBehindBars: Played with, deconstructed and reconstructed seventeen ways to Sunday.
* GreatEscape: Nikki Wade just might be the only prisoner in history who has to be broken ''back into'' prison after breaking herself ''out.'' Lucky everyone was so distracted by that little riot that was going on at the time...
* HighTurnoverRate: The G-Wing Governor's job, probably one of the most lethal desk jobs in the history of TV. Helen Stewart resigns over her relationship with Nikki Wade. Karen Betts is forced to resign twice (The second time, Fenner was gunning for the job). Jim Fenner resigns once and is [[spoiler: killed]] the second time he holds the job. Sylvia Hollamby holds the job for about a day and loses it due to a disastrous riot. Di Barker is removed by Grayling and replaced by a former undercover cop. Grayling is demoted to the position and dies over it. It's a wonder anybody wants the job at all.
* HappilyFailedSuicide: [[spoiler: Monica Lindsay]]
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: The Two Julies
* LesYay: And plenty of it.
* LipstickLesbian: Nikki Wade, Helen Stuart, Cassie Tyler, Roisin Connor and Selena Geeson
* ManslaughterProvocation: What Nikki, Kris and Pat Kerrigan are all in prison for...
* MeaningfulName: A vicious prison bully called Denny Blood. Though this became somewhat void as she softened throughout the series
* MiscarriageOfJustice: Many of the main characters in the series are victims to this. Though, even the ones who aren't will tell you otherwise...
* MoralityPet: Monica Lindsey's mentally handicapped son, Spencer.
* NiceGuy: Dominic Mac Allister and Josh Mitchell
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Simon Stubblefield, the Governing Governor, is this in spades.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted by the Julies. Played for laughs in that they are also HeterosexualLifePartners who finish each other's sentences.
* ParentalFavoritism: Tina and Maxi's father
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Fenner (again) and Bodybag
* PrisonRape: Not rape but the decrutching Zandra is subjected to is clearly sexual assault
* PutOnABus: Nikki ''literally'' gets put on a prison bus in the Series 1 finale, as Helen is made to think she's been behind some rather nasty goings-on in G-Wing. Everything gets sorted out once the real schemer is found, but Nikki is understandably quite hurt by the experience.
* RapeAsBackstory: A FreudianExcuse for several female villains though this is TruthInTelevision as a lot of women in prison have been sexually abused. At least one major character is in jail for killing their attacker.
* RapeAsDrama: When [[spoiler:Fenner]] rapes [[spoiler:Karen]]
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Or at least ''Child Sexual Abuse is a special kind of evil''. Characters such as Natalie Buxton and [[spoiler: Caroline Lewis]] are depicted as 100% evil and are never shown any sympathy compared to murderous characters like Shell Dockley and Maxi Purvis who are generally shown as evil but occasionally given PetTheDog and FreudianExcuse moments
* ReallyGetsAround: Fenner with the prisoners although he does this by either taking advantage of the vulnerable or swapping sexual favors
* StraightGay: Neil Grayling. He even marries Di Barker to try and keep his sexual orientation a secret.
** Seems to be a recurring theme for the G-Wing Governors...
* StalkerWithACrush: Di Barker
* SuddenlySexuality: Helen Stuart and Roisin Connor
* SympatheticCriminal: Many
* TheVamp: Snowball Merriman, Natalie Buxton and Shell Dockley. Maxi Purvis also had elements of this
* TookALevelInBadass: Shaz, after she learns martial arts.
* UnderestimatingBadassery:
** Maxi Purvis does this with Yvonne
** Darlene does this with Natalie in the Series 6 finale.

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