List of Bad Girls characters


Overview

;Notes

Series 1

Helen Stewart

Helen Stewart is Wing Governor of G-Wing, whose authority is seldom respected by the prisoners. After a personal struggle with her sexuality, the battle to stand as an authority figure in Larkhall, and the breakup from her fiancé Sean, she goes on holiday to clear her head. After a delay in her flight, Helen is replaced by Jim Fenner. She returns shortly after but leaves. She returns to work with prisoners serving life sentences, is sexually assaulted by Jim, and struggles with coming to terms with her sexuality. She falls in love with prisoner Nikki Wade. When Simon is demoted after Shell Dockley, Denny Blood, and Shaz Wylie escape, Helen becomes the new acting governor of Larkhall. Her feud with Jim comes to a head and she resigns before she is sacked.

Nikki Wade

Nikki Wade is serving a life sentence for killing a policeman who tried to rape her then-girlfriend Trisha. An out and proud lesbian, Nikki is an outspoken strong-minded inmate who clashes with Helen at the start of the series. Hated by Jim, Nikki is respected by most of the other inmates apart from Shell. The pair frequently clash over Shell's relationship with Jim and the fact that Nikki is not impressed or intimidated by Shell. After being dumped by Trisha, Nikki falls for Helen and escapes from Larkhall in the series 2 finale before the two have sex. However, Helen refuses to run away with Nikki and returns her to prison and briefly ends their relationship. Nikki organises a peaceful protest when some of the officers brutally restrain Femi Bada, a non-English speaking inmate who is separated from her kids, which escalates into a riot and Helen ends their relationship again, though she continues to help her with her appeal. At the end of series 3, Dr Thomas Waugh breaks up with Helen after realising she is in love with Nikki, and Helen reunites with her after she wins her appeal.

Shell Dockley

Michelle "Shell" Dockley is serving life for the kidnap, torture, and murder of the woman who stole her boyfriend. Shell appeared from the first episode in series 1 until series 3 when Shell, Denny Blood and Shaz Wiley escape. During her reign as top dog she bullies inmate Rachel Hicks, which results in her suicide. She also has an affair with Jim, which ends violently when she calls his wife to have her hear them having sex in her cell. When Yvonne Atkins arrives, she takes over as top dog as the women respect her and she is not afraid of Shell. She suffers a breakdown in series two, which is brought on by the sexual abuse she suffered as a child from her parents. Shell takes revenge on Jim by luring him into her cell and stabbing him. Although she attempts to claim self-defence, she is charged with assault and attempted murder, but she escapes with Jim's help. Shell and Denny make recurring appearances throughout the remainder of series 3. Shell returns in series 5 when she is found by Jim, Collin Hedges, and Ken Pearce at an erotic dance club where she is performing before being arrested and sent back to Larkhall. She is pregnant and re-enters into a relationship with Jim, which ends when Shell is transferred to a psychiatric hospital shortly after giving birth.
Shell was voted #8 on Virgin Media's "Top 10 TV Criminals".

Jim Fenner

Jim Fenner is the principal officer of G-Wing, later wing governor, and then acting governor, and is one of the main antagonists of the series. He is a prison officer who bends and breaks rules. At the start of the programme he is portrayed as only slightly corrupt as he still cared for his family, but by series seven, he has killed a few people. He is killed in series 7 by Julie Johnston.
In 1999, Ellis accepted the role without looking at the scripts. He told Yvonne Swann of the Daily Mirror that he had been in debt, welcomed the role, and that "it certainly put name on the map" as an actor.

Denny Blood

Danielle "Denny" Blood is the enforcer and occasional lover of Shell. She is initially portrayed as thuggish and cruel but later develops to be somewhat caring and kind, especially to her girlfriend Shaz. When Shaz is accidentally killed in a fire, Denny seeks revenge on Snowball Merriman, an inmate who causes the fire during her escape. Denny later bonds with Yvonne Atkins.

Rachel Hicks

Rachel Hicks is a 19-year-old girl who is serving more than a year in prison for possession of drugs. She has a baby daughter named Maddie, who is taken in by her mother after her arrest. Rachel's mother puts Maddie into foster care as she is unable to look after her and wanted her life back. Rachel kills herself in the middle of series 1 after being bullied.

Lorna Rose

Lorna Rose is a young prison officer who is blackmailed by Zandra Plackett and Shell to smuggle in drugs for them, which she is sacked for.

Dominic McAllister

  • Portrayed by Joe Shaw
  • Appears in: Series 1–2
Dominic McAllister is a young prison officer who is less corrupt than most of the officers. He leaves at the end of Series 2, when he met a girl whilst on holiday in Greece and fell in love with her.

Julie Saunders & Julie Johnston

The Two Julies appear in all eight series. They are ex-prostitutes who are often given jobs in the prison. They receive an additional 8-year sentence for scalding Johnson's teenage daughter's pimp. Despite often being involved in comic storylines, the pair had their share of drama, including Saunders surviving breast cancer and Julie J murdering Jim Fenner as revenge for his murder of their friend Yvonne Atkins. While Saunders uses her real name, Johnston's real name is Sonya Dawson.

Sylvia Hollamby

Sylvia "Body Bag" Hollamby is the longest serving prison officer on the show with Johnston and Saunders, being the only other characters to last all eight series. She is known to be cold and miserable, with her disdain for the prisoners evident in her actions.

Zandra Plackett

Zandra Plackett is a drug addict serving ten months in prison for credit card fraud. She ends up in prison after taking the blame for something her lover, Robin Dunstan, did. Zandra dies from a malignant brain tumour.

Monica Lindsey

  • Portrayed by Jane Lowe
  • Appears in: Series 1, 3
Monica Lindsey is an elderly woman who is worried about her son Spencer, who has Down's Syndrome and dies while she is fighting for her appeal. She is released at the end of Series 1, but returns for one episode in Series 3 running a house for paroled prisoners.

Crystal Gordon

Crystal Gordan is a religious prisoner whose morals are exploited by other prisoners to push their own agendas. While in G-Wing, she meets and falls in love with prison technician Josh Mitchell. Upon release, she moves in with Josh.
Crystal returns to prison after harbouring Shell and Denny when they escape from prison. While in prison the second time, she becomes pregnant but claims that she is still a virgin and that the pregnancy is the result of a miracle. When the child is born, she names it Zandra and moves into the Mother and Baby Unit. After another baby dies on the MBU, she loses her faith and starts running "anti-Bible classes". Owing to a sample mix-up by Di Barker, Crystal is accused of being on drugs until Charlotte Myddleton organises a second test – the mix-up was a plot by Di to break up Crystal and Josh's relationship.

Yvonne Atkins

Yvonne Atkins is the top dog of G-Wing. She finds out that one of the prisoners, Snowball Merriman, is dating her son, Ritchie. Later in Series 5 she is murdered by Jim Fenner.

Series 2

Di Barker

Diane "Di" Barker is a prison officer who lives at home with her elderly mother and is caring towards the prisoners, although has a strained relationship with her mother, which sometimes turns abusive. She tries to seduce various male officers without much success: Dominic, Josh Mitchell, Neil Grayling, Mark Waddle, Barry Pearce, and Jim. While Di is more sympathetic and moral than Fenner, she has a dark side to her personality, especially when it comes to the men she wants. When Fenner is murdered in Series 7, Di is the prime suspect after their divorce. She is later charged with Jim's murder and is, presumably, sent to prison.

Malcolm Nicholson

Malcolm Nicholson is Larkhall's senior medical officer in series two and three before being fired by Helen's serious concerns about his inability to diagnose the mental illness of "Podger" Pam Jolly. He is replaced by Thomas Waugh.
In series five, Nicholson returns. In series 6 he lazily assumes an outbreak of vomiting caused by hooch is just a viral infection. In series 7, he helps Jim get a vasectomy and when Sylvia comes into a large inheritance, Malcolm is conveniently there to help. The two marry and go off on their honeymoon. A provision in Sylvia's lesbian aunt's will dictates that the estate is not to be given to her but to several charities of choice if she remarries. When Sylvia explains this to Malcolm, he becomes enraged, ties Sylvia down to a chair, and attempts to kill her with an empty syringe. Just before Malcolm puts the needle in, Phyl Oswyn and Bev Tull appear on the balcony having discovered diamonds and a gun in their hotel suite and now escaping from their owner. Phyl shoots Nicholson and frees Sylvia before running away. Bev is captured by the Spanish police and is returned to Larkhall. Sylvia returns the favour to Bev and Phyl by providing them both with alcohol back in prison.