Prisoner costumes

While a lot of the action in Prisoner (1979–86) happens between the inmates, there’s plenty of drama between the convicts and prison officers (lovingly known as ‘screws’). These two costumes represent the two sides of the prison system. You can see footage of the costumes in the display behind you. While the rugged clothes gave the iconic show authenticity, it’s the characters, storylines and mainly women cast that led to spin-offs, stage shows, musicals, international remakes and a contemporary reboot. Importantly, the show dealt with complex social issues and provided gritty, nuanced roles for women, who were usually relegated to roles in soaps at the time.