The Greatest Prisoner Cell Block H Characters No 2 Bea Smith Part 1

[@gothamqueen6320]

It’s a good job you uploaded this today because it’s Val Lehman 80th birthday today 🎉❤😊

[@kimberleynails]

Happy birthday Val! I just finished watching the whole series for the first time today - and the end did not disappoint!

[@standenberg]

Bea will always be my fave character & Lizzie is a close 2nd. The early days when these 2 characters shone were the best IMO. The character of Joan Ferguson worked well initially but the programme soon lost steam (weak & recycled storylines & crappy characters replacing excellent ones etc)….& it soon became far too reliant on 1 particular individual, so much so that it wasn’t the same Prisoner anymore & could’ve been re-titled ‘The Freak-Show’. But the first 3or4 years were unforgettable, one of the best TV shows during my teenage years, and episodes from the Bea Smith-era still hold-up well today.

[@madwatermelon1316]

Well we all know who number 1 is going to be now. Personally I would have chosen Bea for the top spot as her character is what really helped make the show a success from the beginning.

[@crevrath7374]

Agreed !

[@prisonerconnection]

Thanks for doing this! Sets us up nicely for Alison Paige as number 1 character.

[@madwatermelon1316]

😂😂

[@James-ij2oo]

thanks for making these, ive watched them all. it reminds me of happy times as a kid staying up late watching the show with my mum and dad

[@zeddeka]

It took me a while to realise the actress who played "Valerie" who supplied Bea with the gun to shoot her husband was the one who played "Aunty" May Collins in later episodes.

[@danielvanr.8681]

2:56 AU$3.75 in 1979 equals AU$22.00 in 2024. 😮 As Bea had been in prison for 10 years, she had accrued AU$1,950 (roughly AU$11,000 in 2024 money). 😮

[@ГеоргиЯнков-о8ж]

It was always going to be toss-up between Bea and The Freak and i think you've made the right choice. Smith was quite a morally ambiguous protagonist, she was often unfair and threw her weight around more than any of the other "good guys", but she had her moments and was a part of many of the best scenes and storylines of the entire series. Definitely deserved a better ending than she got but we all know what went on behind the scenes.

[@leeparkes3156]

The queen deserved a better ending Val Lehman, an icon

[@leeparkes3156]

Loved this first episode, Bea wow xx

[@joecasey1176]

I’m fuming with this result!!! Fergusons character was only at its peak moment when Bea was there, as we hated her but she was such a great villain, she was okay when Myra was there too and still a good villain but when Rita came Ferguson became a lot softer and her character was becoming more boring! It usually is the villain that everyone remembers but in this show it’s always Bea smith, like when I spoke to my Nan and asked if she’s watched it and she said ye do you remember Bea smith and Frankie Doyle etc. Ferguson isn’t as remembered as some people think, not here in the uk anyway!! Bea deserved that first spot especially since she didn’t even get a good send off the women were told about her death and that was it she was gone and the prisoners, Meg and Anne didn’t even seem too upset!! Ferguson got a real send off the show finished with her finally leaving, getting taken down and walking away from the prison to be locked up!! I think Bea should have been number 1, then Lizzie birdsworth as number 2, and then Ferguson as number 3!!even Marie was more of a villain than Ferguson was as she threatened Fergusons godson Shane and he’s a child. I’m actually not happy with this decision I feel like public should have been given a say and voted for the best characters as I can guarantee you it would’ve been close but Bea would’ve won it easily!!!!

[@benchick3565]

Totally agree prisoner was and still Bea and LIZZIE

[@totherightofthem7498]

I totally agree

[@hello5007]

Fergo turned into a pantomime villain, it got ridiculous and so unbelievable the amount of times she kept getting away with stuff. Fergo totally oustayed her welcome. I agree with you, Bea should have gotten first slot.

[@crevrath7374]

Im sorry but Bea should have been number 1. As much as I liked the Freak , she stayed passed her sell by date. She would have had better legacy not staying for such a long stint. Villains like Joan need to get their comeuppance and having her always wrangling out of her dodgy dealings eventually became frustrating to watch. It would have been better to see the Freak go out in a massive showdown with Bea. Rather than make her a regular character which turned her character soft. By the time Joan got her comeuppance in the final episode it didn't have the same effect. Bea was there from day 1 and was the best top dog.. Hard on the outside and vulnerable and caring on the inside. Long live queen Bea.

[@edwarddowds1014]

Yup ..those type of villains do have a shelf life...1 or 2 seasons maximum

[@hello5007]

@@edwarddowds1014 Totally!

[@ThomasFromTN]

STRIDENTLY disagree with slotting Bea as #2. It's very arguably credible the series would not have lasted long enough where "The Freak" character could have ever made an appearance at all if it weren't for the Bea character [which should have had a far more gripping send-off than the writers gave it.]

[@Eltonlaleham]

Bea is very cunning and very devious

[@NickSBailey]

Bea was great but she acted without evidence, wonk was innocent lol and she put revenge before protecting her daughter