The POs struggle to restrain Fenner who is still ranting and raving, but after he makes a lunge at Kris, they redouble their efforts and he is led away to the hospital wing. Dr Nicholson is reluctant to refer Fenner to the local hospital for fear of him being sectioned and instead, writes him a sicknote and refers him to a friendly psychiatrist. Di, quite rightly, is concerned about how this latest incident will affect Fenner’s career but, ever desperate to hang onto her man, agrees to take him home and look after him.
Selena visits Mrs Yate’s house, to reason with her. But could she just be making things worse? Mrs Yates has already thrown Kris’s letter away and now refuses to have any more to do with her. Kris is angry when she hears about Selena’s visit and scornful when Selena suggests that they should start telling everybody that she is innocent. Selena thinks that if Kris protests it will increase her chance of being able to appeal against her sentence, Kris isn’t convinced – as far as she’s concerned she hasn’t got a chance in hell of ever getting out.
Phyl suffers humiliation at the hands of Frances when she is forced to dig the drugs up from the garden. At least she does have the consolation of a full night’s sleep and her old cellmate, Bev, back. Meanwhile, Frances goes to speak to Al and warns her to stop dealing, or else.
A prisoner arrives on the G Wing convicted of brutally murdering a relative. But everyone is surprised when this killer turns out to be a softly spoken Muslim lady called Janan. At first, the Julies and Tina are sceptical when Janan proclaims her innocence, but when they hear her story they change their minds. Janan explains that her husband’s family blamed her when she failed to become pregnant and that her husband became violent when his mother suggested that he could be infertile. Her husband and his uncles came around to the house and one of the uncles tried to strangle her. She stabbed him with a meat skewer to get him to stop. The family lied in court and accused Janan of murder. The Julies try to persuade Janan to appeal but the situation is useless – her husband’s family will never tell the truth and anyway, lawyers cost money. The situation takes another twist when the seemingly docile Janan climbs up onto the roof of G Wing to protest against her sentence.
Says Meera Syall: “I grabbed the chance to play this character in Bad Girls, as it is incredibly different to previous roles I have taken. And it gave me the chance to sink my teeth into some serious drama. Janan’s story is sadly not unusual within many cultures but the way she deals with her life is inspirational.”
PO Paula Miles once again overhears Hollamby making racist comments to an inmate and goes straight to Frances, demanding to know when something will be done about Hollamby’s behaviour. Hollamby is hauled over the coals by Frances who orders her to go on a race relations course.
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Frances makes an initial attempt to talk Janan down but is unsuccessful. Janan is determined to stay on the roof until she receives justice and threatens to jump if Frances tries to interfere. Frances orders Di to keep the protest a secret and to allow business on the wing to carry on as normal, Di is concerned – protocol dictates immediate lockdown in this type of situation. Frances however is more concerned about the rest of the inmates kicking off if they hear that one of their number is up on the roof. Di waits until Frances is gone before phoning the story through to ‘The Sun’.
Hollamby, still stinging from her confrontation with Frances, spots a way of getting her nemesis into trouble by informing the Julie J and Tina about Janan’s protests. Julie and Tina immediately track down Julie S to the laundry room and the three plan to gather food and blankets to pass up to Janan. Darlene overhears and greedily contemplates the prospect of cramming her face full of Jammy Dodgers. She blackmails the others into allowing her to help. Once in the store room, the Julies and Tina gather supplies while Darlene fills her face. A PO enters the room and demands to know what is going on, Darlene responds by knocking him out – the four inmates are now left with no choice but to join Janan on the roof.
Frances orders the POs into their riot gear and they storm the roof but Janan calls their bluff by stepping onto the edge of the roof. Frances is forced to order the POs into retreat.
Five days later, the prison is besieged by protesters and the national press are greedily lapping up the drama. Janan, the Julies, Tina and Darlene have suffered freezing cold and wet conditions and are now completely out of food. Tina is weak and hungry and beginning to crack, however, she manages to talk herself into a second wind and joins the others in taunting the assembled screws below. Unfortunately, Tina is a bit too enthusiastic and she loses her balance and slides off the roof. Luckily, the barbed wire breaks her fall somewhat and she lands on a garden bench. The POs are relieved to find that she is conscious and still breathing.
Fenner arrives back at work and the PO on air-lock duty doesn’t blink twice before handing over his keys. Carefully avoiding the other POs, Fenner sneaks onto the wing and heads straight for Kris’s cell. He beats Kris up and then urinates on her. A terrified Kris manages to make a break for the cell alarm. Downstairs, Selena looks up in concern when Kris’s cell alarm starts to sound and dashes upstairs where she is shocked by what she sees. Fenner is now trashing Kris’s cell while Kris cowers in the corner. When Fenner sees Selena, he kisses her but she manages to pull away and drag Kris to safety before locking the door on him.
Concerned by what she has seen on the news and read in the newspapers, Janan’s mother-in-law, Ishrat, arrives at the prison and speaks to Frances. She tells Frances the truth – that Janan killed her husband’s uncle in self-defence – and begs to be able to speak to Janan. Ishrat calls up to Janan and promises to tell the truth in court.
Dr Nicholson now has no choice but to refer Fenner to the local hospital and there is now no doubt that he will be sectioned under the mental health act. Frances and a tearful Di look on as he is strapped down to a stretcher and wheeled away to a waiting ambulance.
