Bad Girls - Series 1 (Box Set) > Reviews > Them And Us

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Advantages:	Fantastic, gripping, intense, brilliantly bad girls .
Disadvantages:	Gone a bit silly .   A bit unrealistic .   Only out once a year .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Bad Girls is my all time favourite series. I used to be a soapy watching all the soap opera's now, however I very rarely watch television at all apart from Bad Girls and Casualty. It’s strange to think how I used to watch everything going on the television, but now I only watch the bare essentials. For me Bad Girls comes under the essentials. For something to come under the essentials it has to meet very high standards and I’m glad to say that Bad Girls does and has never disappointed me.

I'm very choosy about my type of programme, but Bad Girls attracted me from day 1. The first series in 1999 seems such a long time ago now when really I suppose 5 years isn’t really that long. From the very moment I saw this I was hooked, but just what was it that made me addicted to this prison drama?

Well, I think it was the drama. The gripping tension that made me cling to the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next. The thing is with Bad Girls it isn’t a programme that’s predictable in any way, shape or form. Sometimes I’ll be watching this and it will be like, hey? How did they get there? That’s the thing with Bad Girls it moves very quick and never leaves you bored. I'm a bit frightened about writing everything that is good about this programme since recently a member of Ciao criticised me for not having a rounded opinion and rated me somewhat helpful. So I feel like I don't have as much freedom anymore so I have to try to give you a balanced opinion of both good and bad.

This is difficult for me since Bad Girls is my all time favourite programme, but I suppose I would criticise it by saying that there now seems to be too much sex and too much unbelievable occurrences, but this never used to be the case. It seems to have deteriorated a little bit from the first series, but it still give me much enjoyment and entertainment. In the first series which I feel was the best there was more of a believability to it. Less sexual scenes and more scenes of tension.

However lesbianism and bisexuality has always been there from the beginning in Bad Girls and I think this does attract a lot of people. However for me it is the detail, the good story lines. The way it is acted. I think every single actor in Bad Girls acts with conviction and power. In the later series we’ve seen more famous actresses come into it. Actresses such as, Stephanie Beacham and her cell mate who you will know better if I say, Alma from Coronation Street. I suppose the first series was a hit and miss really suffice to say it was a massive hit which lead onto many more series being made.

I do not like the swearing or blasphemy, but then I suppose that's life. Especially life in prison. The majority of people in today’s society do swear so it goes without saying that it will be much worse in Prison.

There's one or two things that break my heart about this programme. One, being that it's only on for a few months once a year and I've just finished watching the last episode for the year tonight which means I have another year to wait and I feel very sad. The other thing is every year we seem to lose at least, one character who might get released from prison or escape. This usually happens because the actor wants to go on to new things, but with Bad Girls you get extremely attached to each character and you begin to feel like you know them. When I look back there have been many of my favourite character’s who have left this series and gone onto other things.

It hurts me to see characters leave. Not only for the fact that I miss them, but also that each character fits into the making of the programme. They bounce off each other and interact extremely well. It looks like they get on well with each other in real life. One thing I’ve noticed is you get involved with each character and annoyed at the nasty one’s. Although there probably nothing like that in real life their acting is so good that you would believe they were.

In the first episode called "Them And Us" it was totally different to what we see on our screens today. There are some officer's still in today's episodes of Bad Girls. There is the horrible and gruesome Fenner who we have just seen come to justice. He killed off my favourite inmate in episode 3 he killed Yvonne Atkins. He did this by locking her in a room where she had no air to breath and suffocated. This was particularly disturbing especially when it showed her face. There are many disturbing parts in Bad Girls which adds to the effect of the series.

In episode 1 there was also a different Wing governor Helen Stewart. The Julies have been in the series since episode 1 and if they left now there would be an empty whole in Lark hill. It just wouldn't be the same. The Julies are in charge of tea's, coffee's and snacks inside, but also have major roles and have brought extremely interesting story lines. The most recent one being that one of the Julies got breast cancer thank goodness she is all clear of that now. That’s what I mean the acting is so believable that you actually talk about it as though it is real life and it’s not it’s a programme, but you get carried away.

Shell was one of my all time favourite characters who I sadly miss since she was killed off in a fire. Her girlfriend was Denny who was also one of my favourites and another one that's left the show. Like I say you get attached to the characters and when they leave it hurts. I know that probably sounds weird, but there's something about Bad Girls. I've let it become a very big part of me and I've never ever been attached to a programme in the same way. Bad Girls does have a cult following and it has also won many awards. I’m not surprised though it certainly does deserve them.

For me when a series ends and I know I've got another year to wait it's like something’s ended in my life. I look forward to my Monday nights at 9p.m ITV and I usually treat myself to some goodies. One benefit though I suppose is that I don’t eat as many sweets when Bad Girls isn’t on.

Hard-hitting, original and controversial. Bad girls meets us where we're each at in our lives and brings something new to everyone. Nothing compares to Bad Girls I mean you have Prisoner Cell Block H, but that wasn't the same. It didn't have the same edge to it. It was a cult programme, but it was different and played to a different audience. I think Bad Girls meets today’s needs and today’s society. I think this is a young programme aimed at about 20 to 30 year olds though saying this my mum and dad love it and there 55. So really it does suit all age groups though I stress it is not suitable for younger people. Please don't let under 18's watch this due to the nature, swearing and sex that is portrayed on Bad Girls. Often I find that I look away when they show scenes of sex or strong violence I’m just not into that. I know it needs to be there because it’s a prison, but it does spoil it a little for me. Especially when I tell people at Church I like to watch Bad Girls they wonder why it appeals to me with all the violence and swearing. But, like I say that bit does spoil it a little and I know my mum and dad don’t really like that side of it.

Series 1 Them And Us introduces us to Lark hill which is where the prison is. Rehearsals for a VIP fashion show were underway and Sylvia Hollamby who is incidentally still in it today ignores an inmates cries that she is in labour. This inmate is found in a pool of blood the next morning and Sylvia denies the fact that the inmate cried out for help. This is Sylvia and she still is as ignorant and set in her ways today. Sylvia is the type of person who thinks she knows best and doesn't take kindly to advice. In the recent episode she has been sent on a racial course to try and teach her how to not be discriminate against ethnic minorities. This was a particularly funny part in the show where after the course she was almost trying too hard to be friendly with a Jamaican girl which showed a real issue as well as having it’s comedy effects. Sylvia is actually quite an hilarious character and produces a large amount of humour to the show. As much as she is irritating I still love her because she has this naivety about her and makes me laugh.

Nikki Wade was introduced as the ring leader in episode 1 and she herself had quite a large number of fans.

I think ITV bought into a brilliant winner when they bought Bad Girls. If you’ve never seen it then you don’t know what your missing out on. Bad Girls is also out on DVD and video I’m going to be buying the whole series so that I can watch it over and over again. You don’t get bored with Bad Girls, but I just wish you didn’t have to wait a year between episodes.