Fans of prison drama Wentworth would have noticed a familiar face pop up this season. Although, perhaps it wasn’t the most expected of familiar faces.
Stefan Dennis, best known for playing Paul Robinson in Neighbours since 1985, has been appearing as Michael Armstrong – a lawyer who makes the famously devious Paul look positively charming.
The character has been a joy for Stefan to play.
“It’s not that he feels he’s above the law,” Stefan, 59, tells TV WEEK. “But he feels he’s well and truly got the law to bend whichever way it suits him and his client best.
“He knows exactly how to do that – and gets paid a lot of money to do it.”
Stefan appears in Wentworth.
And Stefan is loving the change of pace.
“I want to keep Paul [Robinson] fresh,” he says.
“I want to keep the fun of acting him alive. The way to do that is to get other gigs and do other stuff, which is why I’m popping up in other stuff… like Wentworth!” he says.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Stefan has ventured into the Wentworth world. In the early ’80s, he landed a small part in Prisoner, the series that inspired Wentworth.
“I was in Prisoner three times, actually,” he recalls. “The last time, I played a 16-year-old runaway who fell in love with Doreen [Colette Mann].”
Stefan is relishing his role on Wentworth.
Stefan’s character Peter Richards made his debut in Prisoner as a boy on the run after acting as a getaway driver in a robbery. After attempting to hide from the authorities, Peter was discovered by Doreen in the roof of a house that was being renovated by the inmates, which later resulted in a romance between the pair.
Much like Wentworth, Prisoner gained a cult following both within Australia and internationally after its premiere in 1979. However it’s popularity with audiences later began to dwindle, with the series airing its last episode in 1986.
Wentworth airs Tuesday, 8:30pm, on Showcase on Foxtel.
