YMMV / Prisoner: Cell Block H

• Cult Classic: The show's success was unheard of for an Australian TV Show, it was a hit in the UK, USA and Canada. Also the show was a hit in Sweden to the point a whole campaign signed by fans as well as Elspeth Ballantyne to get the channel to repeat it.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: One cannot underestimate the hit that Prisoner Cell Block H, was with the fan clubs, also Sammy Davis Jr loved the show, to the point he visited the set during a World Tour.
  • The UK Fanbase began their own Fan Magazine and paid for a speical tour with the cast.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • When Vera Bennett was sometimes kind to Lizzie Birdsworth, especially when Lizzie had a Heart Attack and Vera performed CPR.
  • Lizzie and Sid were together, one wanted them to have a happy ending.
  • Lizzie birthday having the girls throw a surprise party even Vera lightened up a little for the day.
  • Lizzie's daughter was traced, Lizzie was clearly happy by this however the inmates discover that she is a fake wanting money to for her daughter's operation, but Lizzie defences her saying that she realised it and was willing to accept her as her daughter and have a family at her release.
    • However she did later on find her biological son whom she was paroled into his family's care which she happily accepted.
  • Edith Wharton was a homeless woman who was imprisoned after an assault, she was great with Lizzie and even the strict Jim Fletcher was softened by her, sadly on the day of her release she dies, but Fletcher pays for the Funeral.
  • Bea lost her memory during her transfer back to Wentworth from Barnhurst in a crash, she ends up in Mum Brooke's house, resulting in both her and Mum's arrest, Bea slowly gets her memory back, but she has a problem, she has medical proof that she was amnesic and under Aussie Law she can be freed. However realising that it would result in Mum going down for harbouring her Bea lies that her memory returned sooner than it did and that she forced Mum to help resulting in Bea returning to Wentworth and Mum saved.
  • Bea later suffered from Kidney Failure and required a new one, since Prisoners were low on the donor list the inmates had tests to find a match, it turns out Doreen is but she is scared about having the operation which Bea understands and just as she prepares for death, a donor is found.
  • Joan Ferguson had her good parts like her love of animals and the scenes with Shane [her Nephew] also when she arranged Lorelei to see her daughter, just a shame she was a rotter.
    • Fans agreed that if Joan had earn custody of Shane she might have been a good person and she would have ended her life of crime.
  • Bobbie Mitchell receiving parole into her adopted family.
  • Alice "Lurch" Jenkins and Harry Grosvenor falling in love and wanting to get married. Sadly Harry is sent to Barnhurst in the last episode without Alice but it's highly likely by the fans that they got married and live on Alice's farm.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In 1981 we have a character called Arna Johannsen from Sweden, of course one of the places P.C.B.H is well received was Sweden itself the character herself was mocked by the audience in all countries^note the character is a poor caricature of Swedish people and the name is made up.
  • Joan Ferguson gives Ray Proctor a look when he is mincing past one episode, the actor who played Proctor played Joan's Father in Wentworth.
• Les Yay: Erica Davidson and Judy Bryant maybe, Helen Smart remarks about Erica being gay as a joke, but in the episode after Judy has a fight with her sister Frances, Erica is calm voice and stokes her hair soft and tender.
• LGBT Fanbase: The show famously has several Lesbian and Bisexual Characters for a time when Male Gay characters were rare.
• Narm: A lot of the series can come off as Narm, but it makes all the more enjoyable. Some of the best examples is the Drug trips when they are seen but The Freak's trip is way too funny with the inmates with white make up forcing accusing her in a strange trial for her crimes the best is Lizzie who is scary yet funny at the same time:

  Lizzie: You forced me to make grog.

• The Scrappy: Pippa Reynolds, Barbie Cox and Alison Page are considered the worst characters.
  • Pippa is Ann's daughter, who briefly an art teacher and is snobbish especially to biker Rita Conners.
  • Barbie Cox was only in the show briefly, her airhead lines and giggly attitude made her crime a mystery especially when Joan and Meg unable to believe it.
  • Alison Page is in for Theft and feels that the others are out to get her, the actress hams the scenes and when she tries to end herself with a socket her screams are still hear over the end credits.
  • Coming after that is Lexie Patterson, in that she is bratty and it says a lot when The Freak cuts her hair and commentators cheer on Joan.
  • Some people could put Doreen and even Meg in as annoying.
• Retroactive Recognition: Many of Australian's finest actors began in this series like Sigrid Thornton, Peta Toppano and Jane Turner.
• So Bad, It's Good: It's camp, has some ridiculous moments, a continuity like Swiss Cheese and a set that is literary moving with the actors. But it's great viewing.
• Tear Jerker: The Show might have been campy and silly but it had relatable characters and the Theme song in a sad piano can make anyone cry.
  • When Bea Smith was released she went to Debbie's Grave remembering how she came to Bea for help after her dad kicked her out, the moment when she found out she died Vera Bennett refused her to go to the Funeral and her apologises to the grave.
  • Erica Davidson has two sad moments:
    • We are introduced to her Mother she is highly critical of Erica choice of a career over marriage and children, Erica then tried of such words tells her off reminding her that she was a cold mother to both her and her brother leaving them to Nannys and Boarding School so how could Erica be a good mother. Soon afterwards her mother collapses and dies during surgery, later on the doctor reveals to Erica and her brother that her mother's coldness was because she had a son before them and he died of a fall leaving her guilt ridden and unable to be a hands on Mother.
    • When Erica starts the Work Release Program at Andrew Reynolds' Garment Factory she and Andrew hit it off but after all the troubles within the inmates and Andrew's wife divorcing him, Erica despite realising she is in love breaks it off with him fearing it will be used against her and that her career is more important to her. She then sits sadly in her office remembering their relationship before breaking down.
  • When Edith died everyone was upset, even Vera was sad and comforted Lizzie.
    Lizzie: I reckon Edie must have gotten tired of being so lonely.
    Vera: You won't be alone in here Lizzie.
  • Doreen Burns kidnapped Chrissie Latham's baby, but when she's arrested again Latham confronts her privately and Doreen explains that she didn't want Elizabeth to go into care, she was going to offer to take care of her, but in her flawed state did it wrong and Latham realises that her motive was right and forgives her.
  • Donna Mason's death from spiked drugs, Bea comforts her as she passes her last words are painful:
    Donna: I don't want to be a bother anymore.
  • Lizzie had a few sad moments:
    • The hard fact that despite being freed for so long after a deathbed confession she is alone in a world that has moved on.
    • When Lizzie had her first large heart attack, she went to Hospital and while in recovery she claims that she saw a tunnel and that in that moment she would happily have died.
    • Vera Bennett had planned to throw a little party at work for her birthday, however the inmates cause trouble meaning everyone forgets apart from Lizzie, who catches her before she goes and reveals she saved up her money to buy her a bar of soap, Vera is close to tears as possibly the first real gift she had ever received.
    • When Sid died, she received his house but his son wanted it so tried to conceive everyone she was crazy,so Lizzie set the house alight telling Sid's Photograph she had to do this.
    • Erica Davidson, tries to get Lizzie a decent retirement home, Lizzie rejects it after she sees a old woman in a chair lost to the world.
    • The women pretend that she's going deaf, so she has convinced herself she was dying and writes her will, she tells Meg that she had hidden Photographs in the library of herself when she was younger but they have been destroyed during the fire.
    • Lizzie ends up in a happy ending, her real son has been traced and ends up paroled into his family's care but her last scene of her in hospital after another heart attack is bittersweet plus the moment of Judy sadly remembering Lizzie as she clears her things from her cell has the eyes watering.
  • Pixie's Song is a bittersweet song especially when you remember Pixie was raped and the montage when Judy leaves you understand the song was Judy pouring out her heart.
  • Some of the deaths or the leaving of a character:
    • When Maxine was killed, she made friends with Lizzie and Lizzie was told the news off a Radio Program which broke her heart.
    • The deaths of the families of Coleen Powell and Jim Fletcher especially since they were innocent of anything.
    • When Vera Bennett left for Barnhurst, while most of the women celebrated Lizzie was sad to see her leave and one can see when she leaves, she is upset as Lizzie's words of sad goodbye rings in her ears before she is slightly relieved to leave.
    • Bea Smith's departure to Barnhurst especially since she was set up by The Freak.
  • While Joan Ferguson is a horrible person, she is still human, several scenes show that she is a lonely person that while trying to impress her Father is pained by her feelings she was never enough. Also her love for Audrey Forbes, a prisoner in her old Prison is tragic since her death is the reason Joan is the monster she is:
    • A great scene was when Hannah Simpson whom Joan had a crush confronts her about Audrey from what Maxine had said but when Joan corrects the lies Hannah sees the pain in Joan’s words and feels sorry about it.
    • When Joan has a fight with her Father, about his favoritism of her brother, she leaves the restaurant, he sends her a letter, showing that he is willing to change for her and gifts her new puppy whom she calls Major. Sadly Major's time on the series is short lived.
    • Joan's Father passes away in the Hospital, she talks to him about a happy memory of the past to comfort him but when he finally goes she is shattered.
    • Later on Joan had a brief relationship with Officer Terri Malone, however their secret is discovered and is openly mocked by the inmates, which results in Terri quitting Wentworth and after starting an affair that Joan was willing to ignore Terri breaks up with Joan who takes it badly. Terri tried to apologize but Joan refused to see her and after Meg sees Joan hit Lou Kelly, she hears Joan's side and rather than report her which could result in the end of Joan at Wentworth she keeps silence.
  • When Rita returns from Blackmoor Sarah West gives her dinner before leaving for Barnhurst, Rita is in tears for Bongo’s death she pleads with Sarah to visit her real father which she does. As she leaves Sarah alerts the others Rita’s back which is a late bittersweet.
  • When Rita dies and everyone finds out over breakfast is painful.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: When Bea and Lizzie left the show for good, some fans felt the show was never the same, even the brief return of Doreen Burns felt out of place and despite some great story-lines and some decently built characters the show's viewership in some States of Australia dropped but it held up until Series 8.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Franky Doyle was such a brilliant character but all fans agreed that her being killed off regardless of the reason was a big mistake, when the show was reimagined into Wentworth and Hinter Gittern – Der Frauenknast, Franky was given the storylines she rightfully deserved.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: We are presented with 3 dimensional characters throughout and sometimes the designed villain is anything but:
  • Val Lehman feared that she would be attacked in the supermarkets after playing Bea Smith but fans forgave Bea's crimes.
  • Vera Bennett might be strict but knowing her terrible childhood, you can forgive her and she was a popular character to the point when Vera was written out, fans called and wrote pleading for her to stay.