# Wentworth season 6

The sixth season of the Australian television drama series Wentworth premiered on Showcase on 19 June 2018 and concluded on 4 September 2018. It was executively produced by FremantleMedia's Director of Drama, Jo Porter. The season comprised 12 episodes, and picks up days after the escape of Franky Doyle and Joan Ferguson. This season introduced three new characters portrayed by Leah Purcell, Susie Porter and Rarriwuy Hick.

## Plot

Several days have passed since the daring escape of Franky Doyle and Joan Ferguson. Kaz prepares to take on the role of Top Dog after Ferguson's demise. Sonia Stevens' life and Governor Bennett's career are at risk as Boomer investigates the events surrounding Sonia's apparent poisoning. Liz grows increasingly fearful for her life. Will experiences flashbacks of Ferguson's presumed final moments. Rita Connors enters Wentworth with a hidden secret that could alter everything. Joining her are Ruby Mitchell and Marie Winter.

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Aus. viewers |
| 59 | 1 | "Clean Slate" | Kevin Carlin | Pete McTighe | 19 June 2018 (2018-06-19) | 101,000 |
| Franky Doyle and Joan Ferguson are still missing. While Ferguson's fate remains unknown, Franky is still on the run and desperately attempts to come up with the evidence that she is innocent of the murder of Mike Pennisi. Liz fears for her safety when news has surfaced that Sonia was poisoned and is to make a full recovery. Jake discovers that Vera let Bea Smith wander into a restricted area of the prison in order to attack Joan. A new inmate, Rita Connors, arrives at Wentworth and immediately crosses Kaz when she takes the rap for recently transferred inmate, Ruby Mitchell, when she violently attacks Spike Baxter. |||||||
| 60 | 2 | "The Boxer" | Kevin Carlin | Marcia Gardner | 26 June 2018 (2018-06-26) | 87,000 |
| Sonia returns to Wentworth and is determined to take her revenge on Liz. However, she unintentionally kills Sharon Gilmour in the showers, mistaking her for Liz. Ruby continues to push Rita away while she sinks deeper into despair as she has constant memories of the past. Ruby is provoked into partaking in secret fighting matches, organized by several of the other inmates. Vera confides in Bridget about her pregnancy, while Jake's guilt of blackmailing Vera gets the better of him and he decides to back down. Franky stumbles upon crucial evidence that can clear her name. |||||||
| 61 | 3 | "Bleed Out" | Fiona Banks | John Ridley | 3 July 2018 (2018-07-03) | 105,000 |
| Franky is seriously wounded and seeks Bridget's help. Sonia convinces Liz to tell her solicitor that she was used by Don. Kaz discovers that Rita took the rap for Ruby for beating up Spike. The fight club continues and Ruby is injured during a match with Spike. Kaz agrees to a fight with Kosta before it is interrupted by the officers. Will confronts Kaz about being a secret "lagger". The police discover that Franky is innocent and she is finally set free. |||||||
| 62 | 4 | "Winter Is Here" | Fiona Banks | Andrew Anastasios | 10 July 2018 (2018-07-10) | 83,000 |
| Brothel owner Marie Winter arrives at Wentworth to serve her sentence for assaulting a doctor who advised cutting off her son Daniel's life support. Marie's arrival upsets Allie, one of her former prostitutes. Rita goes to great lengths to keep Ruby out of trouble and agrees to be Marie's bodyguard, upsetting Ruby. Sonia makes a deal with Vera to reopen the workshop in return for identifying Sharon's killer. Sonia frames Spike for killing Sharon. Will cracks under pressure as he confesses to Jake that he buried Ferguson alive. |||||||
| 63 | 5 | "Bitter Pill" | Roger Hodgman | John Ridley | 17 July 2018 (2018-07-17) | 71,000 |
| Vera undergoes her first pregnancy scan and is indecisive as to whether or not she is going to keep the baby. Kaz threatens Marie when she and Allie discover that she is using some of the inmates to smuggle drugs into Wentworth. Jake is injured while saving Liz from being electrocuted. Will is struggling with his sanity and begins having nightmares. Rita lands herself in trouble following a violent confrontation with Kosta and her gang. Sonia's workshop becomes a success in the press. Ruby continues to help Boomer study for her certification test. Liz fears she is going mad and reveals all to Kaz regarding Sonia. Marie is surprised to see Zara as a new inmate. |||||||
| 64 | 6 | "Angel of Wentworth" | Roger Hodgman | Andrew Anastasios & Marcia Gardner | 24 July 2018 (2018-07-24) | 82,000 |
| Marie and Zara become suspicious of Rita, while Rita comes up with a plan to get Zara out of the way. Boomer takes her exam and anxiously awaits the results. Will becomes frantic and confesses everything to Kaz about what he did to Ferguson. Vera, Will, and Kaz begin to suspect that Sonia was behind Sharon Gilmour's murder. Liz begins to think she is suffering from dementia. During the radio interview, Liz is ambushed by Sonia when she reveals that Liz is 'Witness X', putting her in a dangerous position with the other prisoners for lagging. Sonia is later informed that she will be released within 48 hours due to Liz's confession. Later, Kaz lets Sonia know that her days may be numbered once Spike is released from the slot. |||||||
| 65 | 7 | "The Edge" | Sian Davies | Pete McTighe | 31 July 2018 (2018-07-31) | 77,000 |
| Sonia comes up with a plan to set Kaz up against the other women which eventually backfires. Will begins to have terrifying visions of Ferguson and turns to Marie for comfort. Liz is finally diagnosed with dementia. Sonia begins to realize that her time is running out when she is attacked by Spike, and is later charged for Gilmour's murder due to her confessing to Liz. Liz becomes confused and thinks Don is in the prison and heads to the roof with Sonia following close behind. Kaz finds them both on the roof and a fight ensues, with Kaz pushing Sonia to her death and taking responsibility for it, finally starting to live up to her position as "top dog". |||||||
| 66 | 8 | "Lovers and Fighters" | Sian Davies | John Ridley and Marcia Gardner | 7 August 2018 (2018-08-07) | 91,000 |
| Allie is informed that Ruby could die of a brain aneurysm if she continues to fight. Upon release from the slot, Kaz decides to let the fight club continue, claiming half the profits for the Red Right Hand. Marie discovers that Ruby was with her son the night he was attacked and is intent on getting information from her. Rita reveals to Marie that she is Ruby's sister. Later, Ruby confesses to Rita that she king-hit Marie's son after he raped one of her friends. Vera becomes the target of a stalker and is convinced that it is Jake, however it is later revealed to be someone else when Vera discovers a pair of leather gloves on her bed, while Jake was with Will at Wentworth. |||||||
| 67 | 9 | "Shallow Grave" | Fiona Banks | John Ridley | 14 August 2018 (2018-08-14) | 91,000 |
| Liz's condition is worsening and is rapidly taking control of her life. Marie enlists the help of Allie in extracting information from Ruby about the death of her son Danny. Marie and Zara are convinced that Rita is the "rat". Vera discovers that Jake had a role in Nils Jasper’s death. Will continues to have tormenting visions of Ferguson taunting him, and confesses all to Vera. Will, Vera, and Jake go to where Ferguson is buried and discover a decayed corpse inside the makeshift box as an unseen onlooker takes incriminating photos of the trio. |||||||
| 68 | 10 | "Fractured" | Fiona Banks | Pete McTighe | 21 August 2018 (2018-08-21) | 103,000 |
| Vera, Will, and Jake are blackmailed with the photos of them at Ferguson's grave. Boomer receives good news from Sonia's solicitor that Sonia had organized to have an appeal set up for her. Liz confuses Zara with Boomer, accusing Boomer of bashing Cherry Li and Boomer is slotted when the weapon is found in her cell. Allie informs Ruby that a friend of hers could be next on Marie's list in the search for the person who murdered her son, Danny. Marie offers Liz the opportunity to take her own life, which is stopped by Kaz. Kaz then decides to punish Marie by switching the pure heroin Marie has with a stash laced with rat poison. |||||||
| 69 | 11 | "Indelible Ink" | Kevin Carlin | John Ridley & Marcia Gardner | 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) | 82,000 |
| Vera and Will confront Derek Channing, who tells them he is on the hunt for Ferguson for revenge. Channing later tries to blackmail Vera after convincing himself that she is working with Ferguson but winds up being blackmailed himself with incriminating information obtained by Marie. Rita discovers that Marie has obtained enhanced CCTV photos of the person who killed Danny, showing the tattoo on Ruby's neck and convinces her to remove it. Believing that Liz framed her, Boomer reveals Liz’s dementia to the other prisoners. Later, Zara makes the connection that Ruby killed Danny. Allie tells Marie that Kaz was the one who planted rat poison in her cell, prompting Marie to later start a brutal fight with Kaz. Vera is again contacted by the stalker, instructed to leave the money by Bea Smith's grave, however the bag is filled with pamphlets. The following morning, the police arrive at Ferguson's burial site, having received a tip-off from the stalker. |||||||
| 70 | 12 | "Showdown" | Kevin Carlin | Pete McTighe | 4 September 2018 (2018-09-04) | 102,000 |
| The police arrive at Wentworth to question all staff about Ferguson's escape. The stalker is revealed to be Brenda Murphy and she demands the money from Vera or she will give the photos to the police. Meanwhile, Rita uses her police connections to get them to drop the assault charges against Boomer and to transfer Ruby to a different prison. Zara is determined to kill Ruby and forces Liz to pass on a note to Marie, which she forgets. Rita finally reveals to Ruby she is still a cop and takes her place in the fight and brutally beats Zara to death. Jake discovers that Vera is pregnant, but she tells him that he will have no part in the baby's life. Later, Murphy arrives to collect the money from Vera, but she is gunned down by a delusional Channing, believing she is Ferguson. Will and Jake take this opportunity to pin everything on Channing, putting them all in the clear. Rita's actions wind up severing her lifeline with the outside world, much to Marie's delight. Rita’s handlers also abandon their agreement to transfer Ruby. |||||||

## Production

On 9 May 2017, it was announced that FremantleMedia had renewed Wentworth for a sixth season, set to air in 2018.
FremantleMedia's Director of Drama, Jo Porter, said "Getting to a sixth season is something none of us take for granted. Key to this is the unwavering dedication to the show by the incredible Wentworth audience both in Australia and around the world. Like us they are drawn to our exceptional cast who embody the diverse, complex and intriguing characters who populate the intense world of Wentworth and its high stakes and compelling stories."
Foxtel's Head of Drama, Penny Win, mentioned, "As Foxtel's longest-running original drama (originally created by Channel 10 as "Prisoner" in 1979), Wentworth continues to set a high bar for our local production slate. With season five premiering in Australia on Foxtel, there is much yet to unfold. My lips are sealed about the sixth season details. Marcia Gardner and the writers excel in setting up intriguing story arcs and crafting finely scripted narratives for the wonderfully talented Wentworth cast."

## Reception
### Ratings

| No. | Title | Air date | Overnight ratings | Overnight ratings | Ref(s) |
| No. | Title | Air date | Viewers | Rank | Ref(s) |
| 1 | "Clean Slate" | 19 June 2018 | 101,000 | 1 | |
| 2 | "The Boxer" | 26 June 2018 | 87,000 | 2 | |
| 3 | "Bleed Out" | 3 July 2018 | 105,000 | 1 | |
| 4 | "Winter Is Here" | 10 July 2018 | 83,000 | 2 | |
| 5 | "Bitter Pill" | 17 July 2018 | 71,000 | 2 | |
| 6 | "Angel of Wentworth" | 24 July 2018 | 82,000 | 1 | |
| 7 | "The Edge" | 31 July 2018 | 77,000 | 2 | |
| 8 | "Lovers and Fighters" | 7 August 2018 | 91,000 | 2 | |
| 9 | "Shallow Grave" | 14 August 2018 | 91,000 | 1 | |
| 10 | "Fractured" | 21 August 2018 | 103,000 | 1 | |
| 11 | "Indelible Ink" | 28 August 2018 | 82,000 | 3 | |
| 12 | "Showdown" | 4 September 2018 | 102,000 | 1 | |

### Accolades
#### AACTA Awards

* Nominated: Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama – Leah Purcell
* Nominated: Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama – Celia Ireland
* Nominated: Best Television Drama Series – Wentworth

#### Equity Ensemble Awards

* Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – Wentworth

#### Logie Awards

* Nominated: Most Outstanding Actor – Robbie Magasiva
* Nominated: Most Outstanding Actress – Leah Purcell
* Nominated: Most Outstanding Supporting Actor – Bernard Curry
* Nominated: Most Outstanding Supporting Actress – Celia Ireland
* Nominated: Most Popular Drama Program – Wentworth
* Won: Most Outstanding Drama Series – Wentworth

#### Screen Producers Australia

* Nominated: SPA Award for Drama Series Production of the Year – Wentworth

## Home media

| Title | Release | Country | Region |
| Wentworth: The Complete Season 6 | 3 October 2018 | Australia | 4/B |
| Wentworth Prison: Season Six | 15 October 2018 | UK | 2 |
| Additional |||||||
| Distributor Roadshow Entertainment (Australia) Network (United Kingdom) Set details 12 episodes 554 minutes 1.78:1 aspect ratio DVD Audio English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (regions 2 & 4) Blu-ray Audio English: DTS-Master Audio 2.0 (Region B Australia) Subtitles English SDH (DVD & Blu-ray Australia) Discs 4-DVD set (region 2 UK) 4-DVD set (Region 4) 3-Blu-ray set (Region B Australia) Rating ACB: MA15+ BBFC: 18 |||||||