The fourth series of Bad Girls was broadcast on ITV from 28 February 2002, concluded on 13 June 2002 and featured 16 episodes.
Storylines
Yvonne Atkins (Linda Henry) is being framed for Virginia O'Kane's (Kate O'Mara) murder, there is a game of cat and mouse between her and Jim Fenner (Jack Ellis) while the real culprits - Maxi Purvis (Kerry Norton) and Al McKenzie (Pauline Campbell) continue their reign over G-Wing. But it's not long before Yvonne is ruling the roost again, when Denny Blood (Alicya Eyo) returns and tricks Al into confessing to Virginia's murder.
New inmates Roisin Connor and Cassie Tyler are imprisoned for fraud and in a lesbian relationship complicated not only by their being behind bars, but by Roisin's being a married mother-of-two. The stress of G-Wing mounts for Karen Betts (Claire King), especially when she and Fenner split, but the stress is no longer her problem when she is demoted to basic officer and he is promoted to Wing Governor by Neil Grayling (James Gaddas), the new Governing Governor of Larkhall, who developed an attraction to Fenner. Grayling is trying to keep his sexuality a secret, so he and desperate Di Barker (Tracey Wilkinson) participate in a sham marriage, although Di believes she can change his sexuality, which pushes Grayling away.
The bitter hatred between Maxi and Shaz Wiley (Lindsey Fawcett) grows and ends in tragedy following a brutal fight. Crystal Gordon (Sharon Duncan Brewster) gives birth in the four bed dorm to a daughter but soon loses her faith in religion when another baby in the prison dies. Rhiannon Dawson, Julie Johnston's (Kika Mirylees) daughter arrives on the wing and the Julies are soon facing an additional sentence when the truth about Rhiannon's relationship with her boyfriend, Damion, is revealed. The series tackled domestic violence within the relationship of Di and Barry Pearce and teenage junkie Buki's battle for the right to see her disabled son, Lennox.
Yvonne and Karen find themselves at war when Yvonne's son, Ritchie, is revealed to be having a relationship with Karen. This is later revealed as a decoy, as his real girlfriend is new devious inmate, Snowball Merriman (Nicole Faraday), whom Ritchie is helping to escape from Larkhall. The fourth series ended with the prison library being obliterated as part of an escape plan by Snowball, resulting in a fire that left several inmates trapped and fighting for their lives.
Main cast
Claire King as Karen Betts
Linda Henry as Yvonne Atkins
Jack Ellis as Jim Fenner
Alicya Eyo as Denny Blood
Sharon Duncan Brewster as Crystal Gordon
Isabelle Amyes as Barbara Hunt
Lindsey Fawcett as Shaz Wylie
Paul Opacic as Mark Waddle
Kim Oliver as Buki Lester
Kerry Norton as Maxi Purvis
Victoria Bush as Tina Purvis/Julie O'Kane
Pauline Campbell as Al McKenzie
James Gaddas as Neil Grayling
Kellie Bright as Cassie Tyler
Siobhan McCarthy as Roisin Connor
Nicole Faraday as Snowball Merriman
Tracey Wilkinson as Di Barker
Helen Fraser as Sylvia Hollamby
Victoria Alcock as Julie Saunders
Kika Mirylees as Julie Johnston
Guest cast
Recurring cast:
Nathan Constance as Josh Mitchell
Alex King as Ritchie Atkins
Michael Elwyn as Rev. Henry Mills
Andrew Lancel as Barry Pearce
Jade Williams as Rhiannon Dawson
Maria Charles as Noreen Biggs
Eugene Walker as Officer Blakeson
Guest cast: