Introducing Our New Co-Host: Director Tim Burns We're thrilled to announce that Matt Batten will now be joined by a new co-host on Talking Prisoner—none other than independent filmmaker Tim Burns! With a portfolio of cinematic gems that encapsulate Australian culture and history, Tim is no stranger to compelling storytelling. His cult classic film, "Boronia Boys, perfectly captures the essence of Australian suburbia in the late 2000s. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. His creative...

Welcome to Episode 55 of Talking Prisoner, where your host, Matt Batten, has a profound conversation with Buddhist prison chaplain, Susan Shannon. Susan's remarkable career spans over four decades, with her most striking experiences centred around her work on death row at San Quentin Prison. In this episode, we delve deep into Susan's life story, from her childhood years to her conversion to Tibetan Buddhism. Susan reveals her unexpected love for the hit TV show, The Sopranos, and shares a...

Welcome to Episode 56 of Talking Prisoner where your host, Matt Batten, enjoys a sit-down with Lynne McGranger, best known for her role as Irene Roberts on the long-running soap, Home and Away. With nearly three decades on the show, Lynne proudly holds the title of longest-serving female cast member. Before capturing our hearts as Irene, Lynne graced several other Australian TV shows such as The Flying Doctors, Skirts, Street Angels, Seven Deadly Sins, and Sky Trackers. In this episode, Lynne...

Talking Prisoner EP 54 Interview with Governor Eddie Mullins Mountjoy Prison   Welcome to Episode 54 of Talking Prisoner where our host, Matt Batten, has an enlightening conversation with Governor Eddie Mullins of Mountjoy Prison in Ireland. In this episode, Eddie shares his life's journey that led him to the prison service in 1991 and his eventual ascension to the role of governor.   Our conversation delves into various aspects of prison life, including the rehabilitation process, the...

Welcome to Episode 53 of Talking Prisoner, where we shine the spotlight on the creative genius behind Prisoner's hauntingly beautiful theme song, 'On the Inside'.   Our special guest today is none other than the legendary Allan Caswell, a luminary in the Australian country music scene with a Golden Guitar, multiple chart-topping hits, and over 900 songs to his credit. Although he never made an on-screen appearance in Prisoner, his contribution to the series' atmosphere and mood through 'On...

Welcome to this special episode of Talking Prisoner. Today, we're thrilled to host our guest, Louise Siversen, as we discuss her new theatre production, 'Under Ms Archer,' currently playing at St. Martin's Theatre in South Yarra.   Under Ms Archer is a unique blend of drama and comedy that brings a 21st-century woman face-to-face with a medieval man, sparking a culture war that takes no prisoners. In this episode, Louise and I delve into the genesis of the show, the inspiration behind it, and...

Talking Prisoner Cell Block H  EP 52 Interview with Susan Guerin Barbara Fields Welcome to Talking Prisoner Episode 52! Join hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten as they sit down with Susan Guerin, famous for her role as the memorable inmate Barbara Fields in Prisoner. Susan contributed her talents to 26 unforgettable episodes in 1982, ending her journey with the series finale of the year. Beyond Prisoner, Susan has made notable appearances in Sara Dane, Cop Shop, and the TV movie, Robbery...

Welcome to Episode 7 of Talking Prisoner Presents, where hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten had an engaging conversation with the legendary Australian TV actor, Shane Withington. Boasting a career spanning over four decades, Shane is best known for his roles as Brendan Jones in A Country Practice and John Palmer in Home and Away. In this insightful interview, Shane shares his childhood experiences and the origins of his passion for acting. As an avid sailor, he also recounts some...

Interview with Betty Bobbitt and Anne Phelan Welcome to this special episode of Talking Prisoner. This interview has never been made public,  This episode is devoted to the memory of Betty Bobbitt and Anne Phelan. Betty played Judy Bryant between 1980 to 1985 in 429 episodes and Anne played Top Dog Myra Desmond. It was shot as a promo for the charity event on January 21, 2000, at The Forum theatre in Melbourne. Anne was on the organizing committee of the 21st Anniversary reunion party for...

Corals Soapbox EP 5 Welcome to Episode 3 of Corals Soapbox. Coral Drouyn has worked on some of Australia’s most iconic TV Shows and been responsible for some of the biggest storylines on many of our much-loved TV shows such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, Streetsmartz, The Gerry Connolly Show, Pacific Drive and of course Prisoner. Coral worked on Prisoner as a script writer, Script Editor, Story Liner and Story Editor, and created some of the biggest characters ever to appear on...

Talking Prisoner Presents EP 5 Interview with Mat Stevenson Welcome to Episode 5 of Talking Prisoner “Presents”. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Home and Away legend mat Stevenson. Matt has appeared in many Australian TV shows including Blue Heelers, All Saints, Offspring, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Home and Away from 1989 to 1994 and played Adam Cameron. We discussed Mat’s life growing up as a child and his love for acting coming from his bike rides to look at the...

Talking Prisoner Corals Soapbox EP 4 Welcome to Episode 3 of Corals Soapbox. Coral Drouyn has worked on some of Australia’s most iconic TV Shows and been responsible for some of the biggest storylines on many of our much-loved TV shows such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, Streetsmartz, The Gerry Connolly Show, Pacific Drive and of course Prisoner. Coral worked on Prisoner as a script writer, Script Editor, Story Liner and Story Editor, and created some of the biggest characters...

Welcome to Episode 6 of Talking Prisoner Presents. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with the amazing Karina Arroyave who has had a career spanning over 30 years and has appeared in many Tv shows and Movies such as The Equalizer, Lean on Me, As the World Turns, New York Undercover, The Practice, Law and Order, Chicago Hope, Judging Amy, Empire, 24, NYPD Blue, 187, Blue Bloods, Bull, Law and Order Special Victims unit, Orange is the New Black, The Blacklist and so many more. We...

Welcome to Episode 3 of Corals Soapbox. Coral Drouyn has worked on some of Australia’s most iconic TV Shows and been responsible for some of the biggest storylines on many of our much-loved TV shows such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, Streetsmartz, The Gerry Connolly Show, Pacific Drive and of course Prisoner. Coral worked on Prisoner as a script writer, Script Editor, Story Liner and Story Editor, and created some of the biggest characters ever to appear on Prisoner. Coral...

Welcome to Episode 50 of Talking Prisoner. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Brett Popplewell who is the head of Production scripted at Fremantle Media. Brett has a career in Film and Television spanning over 30 years and has performed the role of Executive producer and line producer on Emmy award winning shows such as Salems lot, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, The Starter wife. Brett also worked as a Producer and Assistant Director on shows such as Water Rats, E-Street, The...

Talking Prisoner Presents Sons and Daughters EP 4 Interview with Tom Richards David Palmer Welcome to Episode 4 of Talking Prisoner Presents. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Tom Richards who played David Palmer in Sons and Daughters. Tom has appeared in many other Australian TV Classics such as Homicide, Division 4, Ryan, Bluey, The Sullivans, The Box, Chopper Squad, Cop Shop, Bellamy, Richmond Hill, The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, Water Rats, Big Sky, Murder Call...

Corals Soapbox Ep2 Welcome to Episode 2 of Corals Soapbox. Coral Drouyn has worked on some of Australia’s most iconic TV Shows and been responsible for some of the biggest storylines on many of our much-loved TV shows such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, Streetsmartz, The Gerry Connolly Show, Pacific Drive and of course Prisoner. Coral worked on Prisoner as a script writer, Script Editor, Story Liner and Story Editor, and created some of the biggest characters ever to appear on...

Welcome to Episode 48 Part 1 of Talking Prisoner. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Lisa Crittenden for her first ever exclusive interview about her career. Lisa appeared in 91 episodes of Prisoner. Lisa has an extensive list of credits to her name such as Australian classic TV shows and Movies, such as Power Without Glory, The Sullivans, Holiday Island, Bellamy, The Restless Years, A Country Practice, Carson's Law, Whose Baby, Rafferty's Rules, High Tide, Coverstory, Every...

Welcome to Episode 48 Part 1 of Talking Prisoner. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Lisa Crittenden for her first ever exclusive interview about her career. Lisa appeared in 91 episodes of Prisoner. Lisa has an extensive list of credits to her name such as Australian classic TV shows and Movies, such as Power Without Glory, The Sullivans, Holiday Island, Bellamy, The Restless Years, A Country Practice, Carson's Law, Whose Baby, Rafferty's Rules, High Tide, Coverstory, Every...

Welcome to Episode 48 Part 1 of Talking Prisoner. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Lisa Crittenden for her first ever exclusive interview about her career. Lisa appeared in 91 episodes of Prisoner. Lisa has an extensive list of credits to her name such as Australian classic TV shows and Movies, such as Power Without Glory, The Sullivans, Holiday Island, Bellamy, The Restless Years, A Country Practice, Carson's Law, Whose Baby, Rafferty's Rules, High Tide, Coverstory, Every...

Welcome to Episode 3 of Talking Prisoner “Presents” Neighbours. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with David Clencie who played Original Neighbours cast member Danny Ramsey, David was also the very first person to say the very first word on Neighbours in Episode 1. David has appeared in many well known Australian TV shows such as A Country Practice, Cop Shop, The Sullivans, I Can Jump puddles, Starting Out, Stingers, Blue Heelers and Neighbours. We discussed David’s life growing...

Talking Prisoner Cell Block H EP 45 Part 2 Interview with Pepe Trevor Lexie Patterson Welcome to Episode 45 Part 2 of Talking Prisoner. Hosts Ken Mulholland and Matt Batten sat down with Pepe Trevor for part 2. Pepe is an actress, journalist, award winning author and artist and has appeared in many Australian classic TV shows and Movies including, The Sullivans, Skyways, All the Green Years, I can jump puddles, Cop Shop, Every move she makes, Kelly, Colin Carpenter, Say a little Prayer,...

Corals Soapbox EP 1 Welcome to Episode 1 of Corals Soapbox. Coral Drouyn was the Script Writer/Script Editor/Storyliner and Story Editor on Prisoner. Coral has been involved in the entertainment industry since a young child and is also an actress and singer. Coral is a huge part of the Australian TV industry working on shows such as Neighbours, Home and Away, Blue Heelers, Streetsmartz, Pacific Drive, Chuck Finn. In this episode Matt dropped a surprise question on Coral about the character...

Welcome to Episode 47 of Talking Prisoner. Host Matt Batten sat down with Patrea Smallacombe. Patrea has worked as a Script Writer, Script Editor, Story Editor and Storyliner. She wrote and co-wrote 10 episodes of Prisoner and was a part of the Storyline team from 1982-1983. She has worked on other Australian TV shows, including The Young Doctors, Neighbours and A Country Practice. Patrea moved to the UK in 1987 where she continued to work on high profile shows, such as Emmerdale, Children's...