Wentworth dives into lives of women in a maximum-security prison. It’s dark, gritty and full of drama. Power struggles, survival instincts and fierce friendships unfold in this unforgiving space. With a stellar cast and captivating plots, it has won hearts everywhere. Who doesn’t love a good prison story, right? Just be careful not to get too attached to characters. You never know who might go.

Meet the characters from Wentworth

Liz Birdsworth

Oh Liz, the lovable old stalwart of the wing — she’s like that aunty everyone has who swears a lot and cries at soap adverts. She’s blunt, warm, guilty of the occasional boozy meltdown but somehow always ends up being the emotional glue (also she can be annoyingly sharp when you least expect it). There’s this hilarious mix of senility and razor-sharp memory at play — she’ll forget your birthday but remember your darkest secret. Honestly, she feels like comfort food with a knife hidden in it, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Vera Bennett

Vera starts off all buttoned-up and apologetic and then — slowly, deliciously — hardens into this quietly ruthless, by-the-books force, but still terribly awkward with compliments. She’s the kind of person who carries a clipboard like a security blanket and has a weirdly soft spot for small domestic things (flowers, tea cozies), which makes her scary decisions feel even colder. Sometimes she’s painfully moral and other times she bends rules in a way that makes you go “wait, what?” — a walking contradiction, honestly. You can almost see the wheels turning in her head; she’s restrained but not without ferocity.

Sue “Boomer” Jenkins

Boomer is pure wild-card energy — boisterous, hilarious, a bit dim at times (in the most lovable way), and fiercely, fiercely loyal to her crew. She’s rough around the edges, loves a good laugh, but then will also crack your skull without blinking if someone crosses the wrong line — sweet and dangerous mashed into one. Her chaotic warmth makes her weirdly empathetic; she remembers names and birthdays but can’t remember where she put her shoes. Also, she’s the kind of person who hoards friendship bracelets and bad songs and proudly forgets plot points — basically human chaos.

Franky Doyle

Franky is the anarchist-with-a-soft-heart trope perfected — charismatic, complicated, hurtful yet magnetic, and she wears her defiance like makeup (loud and deliberate). She’s tough as nails in a head-on fight but collapses in private into this vulnerable, confused tangle of emotions; don’t get me started on the way she can switch from blazing to bawling in thirty seconds. Fashion-forward punk vibe one minute, existential pile of feelings the next — it’s exhausting and brilliant. Also, she has a million small mannerisms (hair-tugging, scowling) that make her both infuriating and impossible to look away from.

Joan Ferguson

Ferguson is iconic in the most deliciously chilling way — icy, surgical in her cruelty, and proud of it, and you’ll love-to-hate her every second. She’s organized, terrifyingly competent, and has this unsettling calm that makes her sinister moves feel almost polite. There are weird little contradictions like an odd appreciation for order and the occasional hint of loneliness, which only makes her more uncanny. Honestly, she’s the kind of villain you study — hair perfect, posture immaculate, soul questionable.

Doreen Anderson

Doreen is this bright, bewildering bundle of maternal chaos — so sweet and naive but capable of fiercely protective instincts that catch you off guard. She’s sentimental, sings lullabies in the shower (I may be making that up but it fits), and makes decisions based on love which is both adorable and terrifying. Sometimes it feels like she floats through scenes with a cupcake and a bad plan, but somehow her heart is always in the right place. Also, her optimism borders on stubbornness — annoyingly hopeful but utterly human.

Linda Miles

Linda’s vibe is quietly tough and kind of sly; she’s got that “don’t underestimate me” energy that sneaks up on people. She’s practical, friendly, and sometimes secretly scheming (in a small-town way), a decent ear for gossip and a surprisingly big heart under a pragmatic exterior. She’ll bake you something and then roll her eyes at your drama — both comforting and slightly exasperated. Little odd quirks, like an oath to collect buttons or an unexplained love of trivia, make her weirdly endearing.

Bea Smith

Bea is the fierce, maternal queen of the landscape — protective, fierce, morally tangled, and utterly central to everything that happens; leadership just kind of leaks off her. She’s tender and brutal in equal measures, like someone who’ll cradle you then plan revenge after tea. There’s this heavy sense of responsibility about her, plus a stubbornness that reads as holiness to some and menace to others. Also, she hums when scheming (I’m pretty sure) which is both adorable and unhinged.

Maxine Conway

Maxine is this gentle powerhouse — calm, dignified, and endlessly compassionate, but also startlingly strong when things get real. She carries herself with a quiet grace, has a protective streak a mile wide, and her presence feels like a warm blanket and a warning sign simultaneously. She’s proud and soft and has this habit of saying something unexpectedly profound mid-conversation (then laughing about it). Honestly, she’s the friend you want at your back and the quiet smile that makes the whole room feel safer.