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An Unofficial Site for Prisoner Cell Block H
by March

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A-Z
Bitparts

A is for Agnes Forster

She was a dotty old woman who managed to rub almost everyone up the wrong way, and her working day seemed to consist of little more than fussing her cat and falling asleep.

Agnes Forster arrived in a tatty old car, and immediately got off on the wrong foot by parking in Erica's space, leaving Erica to carry her heavy bag in for her. And she was so preoccupied making her new office homely, she didn't bother looking through the Prisoner files she'd been given.

At this point we also got our first glance of Butchie the cat, who she brought in, doing little more than fussing him and giving him milk all day. After promising to arrange a visit for Lizzie Birdsworth to see her 'granddaughter' Josie before her operation, she spilled some of this milk over the details, and threw out the note without looking at it. And consequently, when no visit was arranged, she was promptly called a "lazy bitch" by Lizzie.

On another occasion, Vera found Agnes slumped over her desk, and raised the alarm. But when Jim investigated it turned out she had only fallen asleep. Having a soft spot for old ladies, he didn't report her.

When Doreen went to see her with a request for an overnight visit with Kevin, Agnes didn't seem to pay much attention to her request. Bea went to tell her exactly what she thought of her, but Erica walked in mid-rant and punished Bea for insolence. Erica ended up agreeing to arrange the meeting herself, but when she phoned Agnes about it, she had to explain who she was!

Doreen found out she was pregnant by Vince Talbot, and went to Agnes to ask her to arrange an abortion. Agnes was horrified, tried to talk her out of it, then told Doreen's bloke Kevin about it. Later on, when Kevin told Doreen he was leaving her, Meg found her trying to cut her wrists with a piece of broken mirror. But Agnes got the situation all wrong and thought she was supposed to have arranged a day release for her. She accused Meg of not keeping her informed, and Meg replied by pointing out the reports that would have told her all she needed to know, had she bothered to read them.

The opinionated Agnes even refused to let Dr Weissman use her room for a meeting with Kay White, because she thought psychiatrists were a waste of time.

Eventually, when she failed to turn up at a classification meeting, Meg and Vera both said she should be retired off.

By now, Bea had told the women to boycott Agnes and go directly to Erica with any problems, and Erica told Ted Douglas that Agnes should go. Meanwhile, Agnes had been talking to Jim, and decided she should resign. When this happened, Jim accused Erica of victimising the old lady. Erica offered to arrange a transfer for Agnes, but she refused it. She told Jim not to worry about her, before packing up Butchie the pampered puss and leaving.

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