Is Hard Cell’s HMP Woldsley Prison Real? Let’s find out. – Laura Willis, a former event coordinator who now serves as the governor of a women’s jail, chronicles life behind bars. The inmates practise a musical directed by ex-EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison over the course of six weeks.
‘Hard Cell,’ a British comedy-drama TV series on Netflix, is created by Catherine Tate. It takes the guise of a mockumentary and depicts life at HMP Woldsley, an Essex women’s jail. Governor Laura wants to instil some creativity in detained individuals by having them perform a theatrical musical. But she has no idea what amusing hurdles she will face in order to keep things running properly.
Meanwhile, the quirky convicts quickly join in and begin rehearsals, all while dealing with their own delicate interpersonal relationships. The show’s realistic depiction of the prison system is placed against the genuine backdrop of HMP Woldsley, leaving viewers to wonder if it is a real jail.
Let’s investigate further, shall we?
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Is ‘HMP Woldsley’ a Real Prison as Shown on ‘Hard Cell’ Series?
HMP Woldsley is NOT a real jail, despite what the audience believes. To generate plausible graphics of a real-life correctional facility, the show was most likely shot in a studio or an old jail in London. Furthermore, many of the architectural features featured in the show are strikingly similar to real-life structures, such as the prison yard where the inmates play basketball, the cells where they live, and the cafeteria, which plays an important role in the plot.
The visiting room for the detainees’ family members has also been faithfully reconstructed. Furthermore, many of the issues that the characters experience are true to life in prison. Sanitation and hygiene issues, budget mismanagement, bullying and violence among convicts, and the unappealing food supplied in prison are just a few of them.
Female detainees faced various obstacles while incarcerated, according to a July 2017 report in Time magazine, including a lack of period care supplies, inadequate mental health treatments, and assistance for their children.
Charlee does not want to raise her newborn child in prison in ‘Hard Cell,’ due to the same issues described before. Furthermore, when the water supply is shut off due to a plumbing issue in season 1 episode 2, the inmates turn to desperate tactics for basic tasks such as bathing and excrement.
This exemplifies the survival instincts that people might develop while incarcerated. Aside from that, the show’s depiction of play rehearsals was inspired on a number of similar prison arts programmes that take place around the world for detained people in jails and prisons.
Cheryl Fergison, who plays herself in the act, will lead the musical production at HMP Woldsley. She also visits prisons to assist with rehabilitation and conducts theatrical workshops for jailed individuals in real life. Many components of the show, however, are exaggerated for comic effect. For example, the guards’ refusal to regulate the convicts’ disorderly behaviour and Laura’s laid-back demeanour as governor are not representative of genuine prison conditions.
To summarise, while the prison in ‘Hard Cell’ is not based on any existent prison, it is an accurate but fictitious replica of women’s correctional facilities. To create the scenario and the atmosphere for the show, the creators used their observations of genuine female penitentiaries.
not cowmilla #hardcell pic.twitter.com/zOAjx9Xi80
— Gail Platt’s Stinkhole (@katecrimed) April 12, 2022
Stream ‘Hard Cell‘ Comedy series on Netflix.
