4 January 1974 (1974-01-04) – 15 April 1978 (1978-04-15)
Within These Walls is a British television drama programme made by London Weekend Television for ITV and shown between 1974 and 1978. It portrayed life in HMP Stone Park, a fictional women's prison. Unlike later women-in-prison TV series, Bad Girls (ITV, 1999–2006), and Australian series, Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H, Grundy Organisation, original run: 1979–1986), and Wentworth (2013–2021), Within These Walls tended to centre its story-lines around the prison staff rather than the inmates.
The lead character was played by British film actor Googie Withers who played the well-groomed, genteel governor Faye Boswell and episodes revolved around her attempts to liberalise the prison regime while managing her personal life at home.
Another prominent character was her Chief Officer, Mrs. Armitage (Mona Bruce).
Googie Withers left after three series; in Series Four her character was replaced as governor by Helen Forrester (Katharine Blake), who in turn left to be replaced in the final Series Five by Susan Marshall (Sarah Lawson).
Creator and screenwriter of the programme, David Butler, appeared in some episodes as prison chaplain, Rev. Henry Prentice.[1]
DVD release
As of November 2011, Network have released all five series on DVD in the UK,[2] with the exception of "Nowhere for the Kids", an episode from Series Two which appears to be missing from the archives.
Screening
The programme was broadcast around 9:00 p.m. (although exact times varied around the ITV regions), but prisoners were locked in their cells 30 minutes before 9:00pm.
Successful alumnae from the series included Helen Worth, later widely known for her role of Gail Platt on Coronation Street. Worth appeared in an episode of season 1 alongside Cheryl Murray. The two would be reunited as flatmates in Coronation Street in 1977, when Murray joined the cast as Suzie Birchall. Shirley Cheriton and Anna Wing both appeared in the season 2 episode "Skivers", long before becoming original cast members of EastEnders together.
Governor Faye Boswell has been in charge at Stone Park women's prison for one month when a prisoner on remand, Martha Kyle, starts to spread stories in the newspaper about her mistreatment by prison officers. As it turns out, Martha is a political activist who is taking any opportunity she can to gain publicity. Meanwhile, another prisoner, Peggy Abbot, screams whenever she's near prison officers, afraid they might beat her just for being black. Is this simply her misconception of the prison system, or is there more to it?
Peggy Abbot is put to work in the prison's nursery to help her cope with her children when she gets out. Initially, things go well until Peggy starts to show signs of slipping back into her old bad habits. Elsewhere, worry arises over the friendship between Lily, a domineering prison veteran, and Nora, a simple-minded first offender. Meanwhile, Faye has to decide how to spend new funding for improvements within the prison itself.
Construction has begun in Stone Park on filling in the floors of the upper wings to give the prisoners more space. Trouble first starts over the issue of the crowded temporary conditions. Then, the work starts to slow down; it seems that the laborers, male prisoners from another institution, are in no hurry to leave. Meanwhile, Faye's son, Paul, brings a girl home with him, Sally, whose views on the prison system clash with Faye's. A few days later, when a prisoner brought to Stone Park on remand for drug offenses asks to see the governor, Faye is surprised to discover the prisoner is Sally.
Stone Park's Deputy Governor, Charles Radley, deals with a prisoner who threatens suicide.
5
5
"Prisoner by Marriage"
Paul Annett
Tony Hoare
1 February 1974 (1974-02-01)
Jane Brogan is transferred to Stone Park so that she can be near her husband and children. However, Jane wants out and intends to use her husband anyway she can to achieve this goal. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old borstal escapee is sent to Stone Park to await trial. Doctor Mayes is incensed by the girl's treatment by the system, which he feels has failed her. He tries to help her, but her distrust of authority figures threatens to hinder his attempts.
Stone Park's drugs unit is one of Faye's main concerns, believing there must be a better way of treating drug addicts than imprisoning them and doping them up with legal substitutes. Dr. Mayes introduces Faye to a friend of his, Dr. Ormonde, who has tried to deal with drug addiction by using group therapy to a degree of success. Though the prison staff expresses concern because the addicts must be kept off all drugs for the therapy to work, Faye allows Dr. Mayes to set up a group. Things go reasonably well until Magda (Cheryl Hall), a hardcore addict, starts to cause trouble.
Marilyn Hunter has been in mental hospitals since being convicted of murdering two babies left in her care 12 years earlier. Now, having been given a clean bill of health, she has been transferred to Stone Park. Faye persuades the authorities to allow her to transfer Marilyn without a guard, but her idea of stopping for tea on the way back could cost Faye her job. Meanwhile, prisoner Joan Harrison is due to be moved to a semi-open prison within days. However, Joan doesn't want to leave Stone Park; in particular, she doesn't want to leave Martha Parrish behind.
After attending a conference as a representative of Stone Park, Charles Radley receives a summons to court over a motoring incident in which he was involved. Charles decides against telling Faye about the incident, but then the papers get hold of the story. Meanwhile, Claire Staines, a usually passive, if distant prisoner, begins to show signs of descent for no good reason.
9
9
"Tea on St. Pancras Station"
Paul Annett
Susan Pleat
1 March 1974 (1974-03-01)
Shirley, a prisoner with mental problems who has previously passed through other institutions run by Faye, is due for release from Stone Park. With professionals dismissing Shirley as a hopeless case, Faye begins to worry about what will become of her once she's on the outside. Faye resolves to help Shirley and make sure that she doesn't end up in prison again.
Episode three from series 2, "Nowhere for the Kids", no longer exists in any format, but its script is included in PDF format on Series Two, Disc One. The script is located in the root directory of the DVD and is called "Within These Walls-N#149129.pdf" The script lists St. John's Waterloo church as the rehearsal hall for read-through for the shows.
Despite indications that this episode is unofficially available on the video-sharing website YouTube, this is not the case. 'The Slap' (series 2 episode 4) is incorrectly labelled ‘Nowhere For The Kids' on YouTube.