Prisoner (known in the UK and the US as Prisoner: Cell Block H and in Canada as Caged Women) is an Australian television soap opera, which was broadcast on Network Ten (formerly the 0-10 Network) from 27 February 1979 (Melbourne) and 26 February 1979 (Sydney) to 11 December 1986 (Melbourne) and 29 September 1987 (Sydney) running eight series and 692 episodes.
Prisoner was the first Australian series to feature a primarily female-dominated cast and carried the slogan "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it would be like for a woman!"
The series, produced by the Grundy Organisation, was conceived by Reg Watson and filmed at the Network Ten Melbourne Studios at Nunawading and on location. The series garnered an international cult following, and it was one of Australia's most successful media exports, screening in 80 countries, performing particularly well in the United States and Canada. It also built a large audience in the United Kingdom and other European countries, especially Sweden.
The cult status of the series has seen many adaptations, including the modern 21st-century re-imaging Australian series Wentworth on Foxtel.
