Wentworth fans in limbo over rumours the show is ending
The future of Australiaâs hugely successful drama series Wentworth is up in the air, with Foxtel admitting it has no immediate plans to film another season.
Fans of the prison show have been demanding answers for weeks, their anxiety fuelled by persistent social media claims that the show is to wrap up after production finishes on the latest season.
âDiscussions between Foxtel and Fremantle Media regarding future seasons of Wentworth continue,â a Foxtel spokesperson said.
Season seven of the series will end production in Melbourne on July 27, and screen in 2019. It was filmed back-to-back with the 12-episode season six, which premiered on June 19.
âBeyond production of season seven, I donât know any more than you do. Itâs gossip at this stage,â a show source told The New Daily.
âIâm a bit in the dark. It all comes down to what comes out of the talks and negotiations between Foxtel and Fremantle.â
Wentworth star Sigrid Thornton said on Tenâs Studio 10 on Monday that âmy lips are sealedâ about buzz of the showâs demise.
âI canât tell you how sworn to secrecy Wentworth cast members are.â
Thornton said fans of the show âwill sniff out a rumour before the rumour is even anywhere. We have to be very very carefulâ.
The news of the showâs uncertain future comes less than two weeks after Wentworth won Logies for Outstanding Drama Series and Most Popular Drama Program.
Accepting the Logie for Most Outstanding Actor via link from London, the showâs Pamela Rabe called Wentworth âedge-of-your-seat dramaâ and âgripping stuff that just keeps you coming back for more and moreâ.
The show has âlegions of invested fans around the worldâ, said Rabe, who won for her âcorkerâ role as Wentworthâs governor-turned-prisoner Joan âThe Freakâ Ferguson.
âStrong roles for strong women,â she said. âKeep them coming.â
The furore over whether the drama will be put into permanent lockdown kicked off when an unofficial fan handle on Instagram called on fans to âsave Wentworthâ and asked supporters to tag networks âto pick up this incredible showâ.
The post led to a frenzied reaction from fans, and a Twitter account purporting to be that of a Wentworth insider claimed on July 11 that the show will end after season seven.
âI canât reveal who I am but I hope you believe me,â said the user, who suggested they work on the show.
âIâm the one out of a job in two weeks.
âI just wanted to share/clear rumours up.â
Other users were sceptical, with one saying, âYou could very well be fake.â Said another, âBrand new account? Come on, you can do better than that.â
But the Twitter post was enough to have experienced entertainment journalists weighing in on the topic, with some insisting the show is ending.
Finances and funding are the bottom line, according to The New Daily contributor Scott Ellis, who checked out the set on Monday and quashed claims from reporter Peter Ford it was being dismantled.
The show is a contemporary revival of acclaimed 1970s prison drama Prisoner and debuted in May 2013.
Screened in 140 territories worldwide, it has won six Logies, four AACTAs and four Astra awards. Current and past stars include Danielle Cormack, Kate Atkinson, Nicole da Silva, Celia Ireland and Kate Jenkinson.
Actor Leah Purcell, who plays inmate Rita, posted to Instagram on July 13 that she had just shot a âfive and a half hourâ action scene.
Ahead of season six, Foxtel threw a launch event on April 11 at the showâs set in Melbourneâs western suburbs.
Invited media were frisked by the showâs Bernard Curry (Jake Stewart) and Robbie Magasiva (Will Jackson), had mug shots taken and were passed through a security screen manned by Jacqueline Brennan (Linda Miles).
That attention to detail is typical of Wentworthâs production and quality, Thornton told The New Daily: âItâs extraordinary in every way.â
