Read more about the article Pamela Rabe’s Big TV Comeback

Pamela Rabe’s Big TV Comeback

It’s been more than two years since Pamela Rabe’s Wentworth character, Joan “The Freak” Ferguson was buried alive in the season-five finale. That’s a long time to come to terms with The Freak’s death.

And yet even the most cynical Wentworth fan will admit that every time the lights get low and the music drops, they’re half-expecting the character to come back from the dead.

So haunting was Pamela’s portrayal of the governor-turned-prisoner that Wentworth fans remain convinced The Freak is unkillable. Turns out, maybe they’re right.

“Well, is she gone?” Pamela asks with a laugh on the phone to TV WEEK, her voice still carrying hints of the menace that made Joan so unforgettable.

“I have no idea. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to say anything about it or I’d have to kill you.”
Pamela is joking – we hope – but for now, secrets around the future of Wentworth remain tightly guarded. But if the acclaimed show has taught us anything, it’s never say never.

“She was buried alive in the box, and who knows what will become of her? Who knows if she’s really gone?” the 60-year-old teases.

It’s clear, just listening to the actress talk about Wentworth, that the TV WEEK Logie Award-winning show still holds a special place in her heart.

 

 

Pamela Rabe in “The Hunting”, Video by sbs.com.au

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime job,” she says. “I know that – I think we all knew that.”
So even if The Freak is no more, she’s still very much alive in Pamela’s head, and the women she left behind remain in her thoughts.

“I have such admiration for the producers, directors and actors,” the actress says. “Particularly the writers for crafting with such care. And delivering narratives that place women front and centre – women of all shapes and sizes and moralities.”

With the season-seven finale having just aired, and another batch of episodes on the way next year, Pamela is tipping some familiar faces might bid farewell.

“People come, people go, people die, people get released – Wentworth is great because there’s a constant refreshing of characters and stories,” she explains.

“But there’s also a threat of constant danger for the few who’ve been there from the beginning.”

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Read more about the article Diva Magazine: A Tale of Two Freaks

Diva Magazine: A Tale of Two Freaks

MAGGIE KIRKPATRICK AND PAMELA RABE TALK ABOUT THE LEGENDARY CHARACTER, PRISON OFFICER JOAN “THE FREAK” FERGUSON

Slipping on those famous leather gloves and stalking the corridors of Wentworth Detention Centre, Prisoner’s Joan Ferguson instantly became not only an iconic television villain but also a rare occurrence of a lesbian character in early 80s television. Making her debut in episode 287, broadcast in Australia in June 1982, officer Ferguson – nicknamed The Freak – quickly got to business at the female jail, performing questionable body searches, involving herself with gambling rackets and taking a shine to new inmate Hannah Simpson. Indeed, until the final episode – number 692 – aired in December 1986, there was very little untoward activity that she wasn’t involved in, until finally getting her comeuppance. But that’s not the end of this “sadistic, corrupt, bull-dyke screw”, as the character was originally pitched to actor Maggie Kirkpatrick. The series gained a new lease of life when sold overseas, following the success of exports such as Neighbours and Home And Away. Kirkpatrick travelled the world as the fanbase grew, also appearing alongside Paul O’Grady’s drag alter-ego Lily Savage in a West End musical production of Prisoner: Cell Block H – as the show was renamed in the UK.

Pamela Rabe & Maggie Kirkpatrick in Birmingham July 2018Photo by Paul Schnaars / Screen Star Events

Yet that still wasn’t the end for Ferguson. In 2013, a reimagining of the series, Wentworth, began in Australia. Swiftly becoming one of the best drama series of recent years, a familiar name joined the ranks of Wentworth Correctional Centre. Joan Ferguson returned to screens, The Freak reborn and reimagined by actor Pamela Rabe. She’s been so successful in the role that she’s been nominated for, and won, several awards – including having recently picked up a Logie for Most Outstanding Actress. (more…)

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Read more about the article You’ve Got Blackmail

You’ve Got Blackmail

Twist and bombshells keep the shocks coming

The pressure has been building for weeks and a series of explosive storylines are set to ignite in this week’s tense and explosive Wentworth finale.
The gritty Aussie prison drama never fails to deliver – and the dramatic end to season six is no exception. It even took the cast by surprise.
“The whole episode – as a fan and as an actor in it – is unreal.” Leah Purcell 48, who plays Rita Connors, tells TV WEEK.

After teasing it out – and ramping up the tension – across the season, Vera’s (Kate Atkinson) blackmailer is finally revealed in a jaw-dropping twist.
Is it Joan “The Freak” Ferguson (Pamela Rabe)? Is she still alive and tormenting her? The chilling revelation leaves the governor stunned. We also learn Vera has been keeping another secret of her own. Will (Robbie Magasiva) and Jake (Bernard Curry) are equally dumbfounded. And the shocks continue in the moments that follow the unmasking, especially as Will is just seconds away from confessing his involvement in The Freak’s disappearance to the investigating officers.

The deadly post-reveal twist cleverly paves the way for the trio to potentially extricate themselves from the criminal predicament they’ve found themselves in. But they might not be in the clear just yet. (more…)

Continue ReadingYou’ve Got Blackmail