Bad Girls series 3

Bad Girls returned to ITV with its third series on 20 March 2001 and ended on 3 July 2001. It consists of 16 episodes.

Storylines
The third series picks up directly from the series two finale. Shell has led Fenner into her trap by luring him into her cell and stabbing him with a broken bottle she smuggled back from Bodybag's anniversary party. Fenner almost loses his life, while Hollamby has Shell transferred to the mental health wing where she comes face-to-face with an old enemy. Helen manages to get Nikki back into Larkhall where Helen puts an end to their relationship. Shell and Denny escape and wreak havoc in London, as they pay Hollamby a surprise visit at her home. Things seem to be going well for Crystal, who has recently been released from prison and is now engaged to Josh, but things are set to get worse as Shell and Denny arrive at her house. Maxi and Tina Purvis and Al MacKenzie (aka The Peckham Bootgang) arrive on G-Wing and make their presence known to the prisoners and officers alike. Josh has just become a prison officer, but he's in for a shock when he sees that Crystal is back on the wing. Nikki is set for her appeal, and if she wins, will she find Helen waiting for her?

Main

 * Simone Lahbib as Helen Stewart
 * Claire King as Karen Betts
 * Mandana Jones as Nikki Wade
 * Debra Stephenson as Shell Dockley
 * Linda Henry as Yvonne Atkins
 * Jack Ellis as Jim Fenner
 * Alicya Eyo as Denny Blood
 * Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Crystal Gordon
 * Nathan Constance as Josh Mitchell
 * Isabelle Amyes as Barbara Hunt
 * Lindsey Fawcett as Shaz Wylie
 * Kim Oliver as Buki Lester
 * Kerry Norton as Maxi Purvis
 * Victoria Bush as Tina Purvis
 * Pauline Campbell as Al McKenzie
 * Lisa Turner as Gina Rossi
 * Paul Opacic as Mark Waddle
 * Tracey Wilkinson as Di Barker
 * Helen Fraser as Sylvia Hollamby
 * Victoria Alcock as Julie Saunders
 * Kika Mirylees as Julie Johnston

Special guest

 * Kate O'Mara as Virginia O'Kane

Recurring

 * Michael Higgs as Dr. Thomas Waugh
 * Kate Steavenson-Payne as Charlotte Myddleton
 * Philip McGough as Dr. Malcolm Nicholson
 * Roland Oliver as Simon Stubberfield
 * Kim Taylforth as Marilyn Fenner
 * Eugene Walker as Officer Blakeson
 * Danielle King as Lauren Atkins
 * Ivan Kaye as Charlie Atkins
 * Geoffrey Hutchings as Bobby Hollamby
 * Wendi Peters as Pam Jolly
 * Helen Schlesinger as Tessa Spall
 * Jane Lowe as Monica Lindsay
 * Steven Webb as David Saunders
 * Anthonia Lanre-Ajose as Femi Bada
 * Helen Grace as Caroline Lewis
 * Victoria Pritchard as Trisha

Guest

 * Petia Pavlova - Prison Inmate
 * Sally Watts - Betty Wheeler
 * Sarah Crook - DC Johnstone
 * Ian Dunn - Trevor
 * Nick Burnell as Mr. Meadows
 * Marlene Sidaway as Mrs. Barker
 * Martin Crewes as Guy Cullen
 * Carl Brincat as Ian Ravenscroft
 * Tim Faraday as DS Hamilton
 * Clare Moody as Amanda Hunt
 * Dan Fredenburgh as Greg Hunt
 * John Rowe as Judge Shuttlewood
 * Dione Inman as Clerk of Court
 * Tom Cotcher as Mr. Jones
 * Bob Barrett as Mr. Levi
 * Adam Croft as TV reporter
 * Paula Bacon as Fiona
 * Andrew Grainger as Chris Bisset
 * Hugh Lee as Mike
 * Nick Clark as Newsreader
 * Sarah Neville as Mrs. Warner
 * Maxwell Hutcheon as Mr. Casey
 * Sam Halpenny as DS Culver
 * Rory MacGregor as PC Waterhouse
 * Joanne Mitchell as Jude Longley
 * Sara Lloyd as Jo
 * Jane How as Lady Myddleton
 * Mark Pegg as PO MacFarlane
 * Joy Elias-Rilwan as Interpreter
 * Juley McCann as Sheila
 * Rachel Bavidge as DST Officer
 * Shola Adewusi as Fatima Ibraham
 * Selva Rasalingam as DC Patel
 * Amanda Gordon as Dionne Clarke
 * Maureen Beattie as Marion McLoughlin
 * Danielle Lydon as Claire Walker
 * David Henry as Gordon Alexander
 * Bernard Gallagher as Judge Hardy
 * Beth Fitzgerald as Sally Ann Howe
 * Anna Maria Ashe as Newsreader
 * Alberto Banderas as Spanish policeman

Awards and nominations

 * EMMA Awards (2001) – TV Actress (Alicya Eyo ― Nominated)
 * National Television Awards (2001) – Most Popular Actress (Debra Stephenson – Nominated)
 * National Television Awards (2001) – Most Popular Drama (Won)
 * TV Quick Awards (2001) – Best Actress (Debra Stephenson – Won)
 * TV Quick Awards (2001) – Best Loved Drama (Won)

Release
The third series of Bad Girls was originally released on VHS format in the UK, consisting of 5 volumes. The DVD was released on 25 March 2002. A re-release DVD is expected to be released in 2011, both as a single and also in a boxset along with series four. Series three was released in the series one-four boxset on 9 October 2006.

In Australia, series three was released on 8 September 2003 in the same cover packaging as the UK DVD. A second release was made when it was released in the series one-eight boxset, "The Complete Collection", on 10 November 2010. It was also released separate for the complete boxset on 9 March 2011.