Franky Doyle
Frieda Joan "Franky" Doyle is a fictional character in the Australian prison cult soap opera, Prisoner (aka Prisoner: Cell Block H) (1979-1986). She was portrayed by Carol Burns, and she only appeared in the first 20 episodes of the soap opera during 1979. Frieda, also known as Franky, is a nicotine-stained lesbian biker who was imprisoned for armed robbery and murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at Wentworth Detention Centre, the fictional prison set in Melbourne. She was also in a forced romantic relationship with Doreen Anderson (Colette Mann). In Wentworth Prison Frankie's first name is sometimes given as Frieda, and sometimes as Francesca.
| Frieda Joan Doyle | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prisoner character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Carol Burns | ||||
| Duration | 1979 | ||||
| First appearance | 27 February 1979 | ||||
| Last appearance | 1 May 1979 | ||||
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From the first episode, Franky looked like the top dog to many viewers as she was bossy, vicious and had a short temper and had a hold over some of the girls. Many inmates were afraid to cross her because of her violent temper. Franky had the luxury of speaking the first word of dialogue in the show: "She bumped into me". This line was prompted by her stopping fellow inmate Sally Lee from running around the prison. She had a long-term feud with the real prison Top Dog Bea Smith and was later revealed she was illiterate.
Key Storylines
Bid For Top Dog
Franky was a lesbian biker, who was inside for life, for armed robbery and murder. She immediately took a liking to Karen Travers who was originally sharing her cell, but after a few sweet nothings from Franky, Karen requested a cell change.
Franky also had a fondness for Doreen Anderson, her best friend, who didn't really like Franky's advances either, except Doreen being a follower, accepted it. Upon learning that she and Doreen were split up into different cells, Franky immediately trashed the rec room and got locked up in solitary for it. While there, she received a visit from Miss Vera Bennett, during which Franky gave her the immortal nickname VINEGAR TITS.
Top Dog
Shortly after this, Franky becomes top dog while Bea is out on parole but when Bea comes back half of the women are on Bea's side and the other half are on Franky's side. She started a riot in the dining room because Bea is ready to take over from Franky. Before the riot in the dining room Bea said to Doreen " Doreen there's a spare seat over here. Doreen goes on Bea's side. Lynn and Karen are in the middle of the riot. Karen was in the dining room with Franky's side. The riot eventually ended with Bea laying into her, and Bill Jackson being stabbed. Franky was sent to Solitary.
Escape
Not long after these events, Franky is visited by her brother Gary, who tells her he plans to build a house in the country, eventually getting all the money from saving his wages. She is given the idea of possibly getting out in 3 or more years if she manages to behave herself from that point on. We learn that Franky is illiterate, and upon hearing this, Karen Travers takes on the task of helping her to learn to read. Franky also receives some bad news in the form of a telegraph, about her brother being in hospital, having been in a tractor crash. She can only read a few words, and when someone else reads it, she tells her that everything is fine, as the women are worried about her reaction.
When Franky eventually finds out the truth, it's too late for her to see her brother, as he has died. It is surprising she doesn't react violently, but she blames only herself for hiding the fact that she cannot read or write.
From this point on she sees no point keeping up the good behaviour, and eventually escapes Wentworth with Doreen and Lizzie Birdsworth. Lizzie's old ticker fails her, so the pair take her back to near the gates, and run for their lives.
On the run Franky and Doreen realise they can't go far without money, so they mug a kid for food, then decide to dress as nuns to collect money, after they realise they are hiding on the grounds of a convent. They get the idea to rob an old person at home, so still posing as nuns, they find a lady who lives alone and never has visitors. They invite themselves in with the intention of mugging her, but the lady reveals she knows exactly who they are, and that she's just happy to have company.
Death
Eventually Franky and Doreen are forced on the run again, after being spotted by a policemen. They are moments away from carrying out a robbery, and after being seen by a policeman, Franky manages to shoot the policeman in the arm before being shot dead by the same policeman herself, leaving Doreen screaming. Franky's final words were "Bloody Bastards!"
Behind the Scenes
- Upon learning of the decision to continue Prisoner beyond its original 16 episodes, Carol Burns asked to be written out of the show, fearing that an increased production schedule would affect the quality of her acting. In the DVD commentary for Episode 001, Ian Bradley explained that Carol often took a few minutes to gear herself up for a scene, such as trashing the rec-room, and considering time is a factor when making a TV show, he understood the decision.
- Also in the same commentary, it was revealed that given the original premise of 16 episodes, Carol, who was not a native of Melbourne, actually resided in a caravan in the channel 10 car park during filming.
- Carol Burns said she got the idea on how to play Frankie from real life situations, she gave one example saying shortly after being cast she was on a train and heard two kids going "piss off" to each other in a typical punk kid sort of way, to which she thought that is how an illiterate bikie would sound.