Bad Girls/Sylvia Hollamby

Sylvia Hollamby
Bad Girls
Actor	Helen Fraser
First Appearance
Series Billing

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Basic Information

Popularly known as "Bodybag", Sylvia Hollamby is a jaded, cynical, bad tempered and constantly moaning prison officer at Larkhall. She is often mean towards inmates and resistant to the initiatives and bright ideas of the prison management. This attitude earns her little respect from the inmates on G-Wing - and this has occasionally translated into prisoners on the wing physically harming her, scamming her out of large quantities of cash and generally ensuring she has as unpleasant a time of it as possible.

Despite her long service in the service, her attitude seems to override her experience. After being scammed into handing over her keys to Shaz Wyllie and Denny Blood, she is forced to confess her lapse in judgment to Governor Karen Betts, who demotes Sylvia from her position as Senior Prison Officer, stripping her of her pips. Neil Grayling, in an effort to antagonise Jim Fenner, appoints Sylvia as the G-Wing Governor, only for her to fail miserably and be demoted again.

Sylvia's husband Bobby retired from the Prison Service to become a funeral director. Following the escape of Shell Dockley and Denny Blood, Sylvia and Bobby are cruelly tortured in their home by the pair, culminating with Shell forcing Sylvia to put Bobby in a coffin, bolt it shut, cover it in petrol and set it alight while she watches. The police happen to be outside at the time and help put the fire out, but Shell and Denny are long gone. In order to pay off debts, Bobby Hollamby is encouraged by Sylvia to apply for a job as a prison officer at Larkhall. After getting refused for the position by Neil Grayling, Bobby commits suicide by gassing himself in his hearse.

Following Bobby's death, Sylvia pursues other men. First, she attempts to seduce Rev Henry Mills, the prison chaplain, and then later Dr Malcolm Nicholson takes an interest after she is left with an enormous inheritance from her late sister.

Sylvia has three children: Constance, Gayle and Bobby Darren, the latter of which has a closeted gay relationship with Governor Neil Grayling. Eventually, Sylvia finds out about Bobby Darren's homosexuality and doesn't accept it until the Series 8 Christmas Special when she is visited by various Larkhall ghosts in a pastiche of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Quotes

- "Happiness is door-shaped" - "Cooperation? That's rich, coming from Madame Stalin" - "A miracle, my eye!" - "We have plenty of problems, they're all sitting out there" - "My Bobby says I'm a fool..." - "Your husband probably has an account with the florist by now, what with all them funerals he has to attend"