"Then you take it one day at a time. And you find a reason to get up tomorrow, any reason Bea. Just find one."
Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth (Inmate #EB-072416) was a former inmate of Wentworth Correctional Centre.
Liz before her time at Wentworth was a former housewife who couldn't get along with Celeste Donaldson, Oliver Donaldson's mother. One day whilst she was drunk at her birthday she ran down Celeste with a tractor. Liz was arrested and sent to Wentworth for 11 years.
Liz was the prisons peer worker while she worked under Meg Jackson and was replaced for drunken behaviour by governor Erica Davidson. Liz deals with her alcholism several times throughout the years and remains sober until her death.
Liz is sent back to Wentworth and placed into protection after she lagged Bea's location when Bea killed Brayden Holt, Liz blames Bea for this and says to her that she ruined any chance of her living on the outside.
Liz is asked by the police to get a confession out of Sonia Stevens for immediate freedom when she gives evidence. But Liz decides life on the outside seems pretty good, but perjury is committed at the trial Liz is sent back to Wentworth with the possibility of a 15 years sentence over her head.
Liz's stress from the trial and the fear of being ousted as Witness X, Liz is diagnosed with early onset dementia. The dementia progresses to the point where Liz asks Sue "Boomer" Jenkins to consider ending her suffering.
Liz is smothered by a pillow after suffering a stroke after the devastating Siege of Wentworth. Liz ultimately suffers Locked-In Syndrome following the stroke.
Time At Wentworth
Liz is a prisoner at Wentworth Prison. She struggles with alcoholism which adversely affected her relationship with her family. One day when she was under the influence and dancing around with her kids. She was drinking out of a lemonade bottle that she mixed herself. Her son drank some out of the bottle while she wasn't looking and passed out from alcohol poisoning. After the incident Liz made an attempt to be sober, but after the pressure and stress of organising her Mother-in-Law's birthday party, she relapsed. Her moment of weakness ended in her accidentally killing her Mother-In-Law.
She has an important role at Wentworth. She is the Peer Support person at the prison, a job she takes pride in. When Bea Smith arrives at Wentworth, Liz gives her a run-down on prison customs between the women. ("ask before taking anyone's things, but let Franky have any items she wants" for example) She also warns Bea to never push the emergency alarm button, ever. Despite of her key role, she suffers from crippling self doubt, and this trait led her to drink before she was in prison.
Liz is also a sort of social worker for her fellow prisoners. If someone had an issue, they were supposed to go to her, and she would offer advice, or even just a chat. Liz tried her best to keep things calm whenever trouble broke out at Wentworth, as it frequently did. She tried to be the voice of reason, during the riot by trying to get both Franky Doyle's gang and Jacs Holt's gang to back down, before being told by Jacs to "stay out of this one, Liz".
Her back story is shown in Episode 4 when the prisoners are asked to speak to the press about their experience in prison making them want to be better people. Liz is asked to organize the event and is disappointed when, on the day of the speech day, she finds Doreen and Boomer with a cache of home brew alcohol. After sending the girls away she opens the brew and nearly drinks some, but doesn't end up doing it. The speech event goes well but Liz is nervous about public speaking and the event brings back memories of how she sabotaged her Mother-In-Laws birthday party. She remembers her husband calling her "pathetic" and the feelings of inadequacy come up again. She runs out of the event and comes back drunk, obviously drinking from Doreen and Boomer's alcohol stash. This ruins any chance of parole, despite her good work as a Peer Support person.
Franky is being monitored by the governor, who knows Franky is responsible for the smuggling of contraband into the prison. Franky takes advantage of the garden project, organising a male inmate from Walford prison to import drugs in return for oral sex from Boomer. The inmate informs Franky of a new product called "Pink Dragon", which he adds will "cost her". Franky and the inmate meet in the garden shed, where the drugs are located. The male inmate implies she will have to perform sexual favours for him in order to earn the drugs. As he tries to rape her, Franky grabs a garden fork and stabs the man in the genitals. His screams alert the guards of the situation. Liz informs the governor of the whereabouts of the missing drugs, which results in Boomer being sentenced to seven additional years in Wentworth when the drugs are discovered in her cell.
The identity of the lagger is unknown to Franky, who becomes paranoid, originally accusing Doreen and later attempting to strangle Bea before Liz confesses. Franky and Liz have an emotional discussion, in which Franky admits that Liz is the only one to ever care about her. Before leaving H Block, Franky warns Liz not to come back to Wentworth. After her release, Liz tries to reunite with her estranged daughter Sophie Donaldson but is too ashamed to meet her family. Still, Liz saves her daughter from being assaulted by her boyfriend. Liz is sent back to prison after she helps Bea's plot to kill Brayden Holt by receiving the pistol used to kill Holt.
Season 3
In season 3, Liz is held in the protection unit after lagging on Bea when she hunted down Brayden. When Bea returns to prison, Governor Ferguson has her released into the general population where she is beaten up by Boomer. In response, Bea instigates a prison riot and forces Governor Ferguson to make concessions to the prisoners. Liz is initially angry at Bea for ruining her chances of reconciling with her family. Liz later receives a visit from Sophie but Sophie is still bitter towards her mother for leaving her. Later, Liz is present when Bea punishes Boomer for beating her up by burning her hands under an ironing machine.
Later, Liz's daughter Sophie arrives in Wentworth prison after a hit-and-run accident. During the biggest part of the season, the relationship between the two of them will be tense and negative but will calm down in the last episodes.
Season 4
In seasons 4 the main concern of Liz was to be her relationship with inmate Sonia Stevens, who involved her in many dangerous events.
Season 5
In Season 5 while Liz is trying to get Sonia to reveal more details on the murder of Helen, she lies under oath in court about the events. Liz is told she could serve an additional 15 years in prison for perjury. In the final episode of season 5, Birdsworth poisons Sonia with liquid nicotine.
Season 6
Ep 5
Spike tells Liz that when she gets out she is going after Sonia
Liz visits Spike in the slot as she says that she is there as her peer worker and Spike tells her to leave her alone and says why would she kill Sharon when she loved her, as Liz tells her she knows that she didn't kill Sharon, and Spike asks who did then and Liz tells her that it was Sonia who did it and Spike realises that Sonia was hanging around her unit before the raid. Spike tells Liz when she gets out of the slot she is going to kill Sonia.
Liz walks through the hall as Sonia runs into her and says that she has good news, the police have agreed to let her change her plea and the governor has allowed the media to come in and see the workshop, Liz reacts as Sonia tells her she could be a little more supportive as Sonia's plan begins.
The girls are helping Boomer study for her test as Ruby is asking Boomer about safety in the workshop and what dangers could there be, Liz walks in and Boomer asks why she is so happy and Liz says that she just is as Liz tells Boomer that she might end up with more responsibility in the workshop as Sonia won't be around forever.
Liz is trying to take toast out of the toaster as Jake walks into the unit and asks what she is doing, he realises that she is about to get hurt and he runs over to her as Vera is walking past, Jake and Liz are knocked back by the electricity and Vera rushes over to him and calls out to him as he slowly wakes, Liz and Jake end up in medical as his wrist is being strapped up Radcliffe says that Jake has a sprained wrist and is fine and Liz will be ok with a minor burn. Liz thanks Jake and calls him a hero as she saved his life, Vera says that she could've killed him with her actions as Liz is taken back to bed,
Vera is speaking with the media on the garden project as she tells them over 30 of the women are working on the project, as Sonia is giving an interview and says that she is giving those women hope and skills for the workforce, as she spots Lucy walking into the room she walks over to her and is stunned by what she is wearing, Sonia tells her to get to work as Lucy wants money and Sonia says that she will get it later. A reporter asks Lucy what she thinks of working on the project and she puts her thumb down and Sonia says that Lucy is one of the disabled girls who works in the workshop much to Lucy's dismay. As Sonia then says about Boomer she is another one of her stories as she is "practically unemployable" and disabled. Linda walks through the unit as she looks for Liz who is half dressed as Linda asks her if she is going to kill the kettle as well, she tells her that she is supposed to be at work unit but she might want to get changed. Sonia is still talking with the media as Liz shows up and the reporters are asking her questions, with Vera watching on Liz is asked what she thinks of Sonia and Liz calls her an angel.
Ruby and Boomer are sitting on the lounges and Ruby is reading Boomer a question on three types of communication in the workplace and Boomer says shouting, screaming and sticking the rude finger up. Kaz walks into the unit and she asks Boomer and Ruby where Allie is and Boomer says not to ask her as she is "dumb". Kaz walks over to Liz's cell and sees her and asks what is wrong. Liz tells her that Sonia killed Sharon thinking that Sharon was her and that is why she poisoned her as she feared Sonia was going to kill her first, but it didn't work. Liz tells Kaz that she thinks she is losing her mind as she tells Kaz that she put her hairbrush in the fridge. Kaz tells Liz that it is going to be ok as she kisses her on the forward and hugs her..
Season 7
The start of season 7 shows Liz drawing a map alongside Boomer to help her remember her way around the prison, as her battle with early onset dementia is taking its course, Liz is seen wondering around multiple times and at one stage is helped back to the unit by Marie, as Boomer was told to go to the governor's office. Liz tells Rita that she knows Boomer is training Ruby and is later seen in the visitors centre at Rita's wedding. Liz continues to tick things off of her bucket list, including doing the tango, prisoners don't know how to tango, but at night time during night lock up Jake makes a dream come true and tangos with Liz.
Liz in episode 3 admits she'd love a good sex session, and Boomer at first laughs but then realises she is serious and talks with Linda to make it happen, at first refusing but then signing off on paperwork.
Liz in episode 4 ticks the sex session off of her bucket list but it comes with tragic circumstances with the hooker dying of a heart attack, and Liz being rushed back to her unit and becoming pretty unresponsive, she ends up in medical after having an episode and attacking Kaz, Kaz stays with Liz all night in medical.
Liz continues her new medication through episode 5 and due to her psychotic episode she believes she is the one who attacked and killed Kaz, but is cleared when evidence suggests she would've needed rational thoughts to move the camera and 6 and she appears to be responding well to her treatment and tells Boomer that she will get into contact with her son Artie. Liz also tells Marie that Drago did give her a note 3 months ago, and after Marie leaves Liz realises she messed up and tells Rita and Ruby, Liz then asks Linda Miles why Boomer hasn't returned and Linda tells her that Boomer is spending the night in the lockup at Frankston.
In episode 8 Liz is informed by Miller that he has to take her off her medication and is informed her symptoms could return in as little as a week, because someone had reported him to the board. Liz receives a letter from Artie who wants to visit so Liz talks to Jake again and says that she needs to see Miller, she tells Jake that the pills had helped her and that some arsehole reported him to the board, without knowing it was Jake who reported him., later on Liz finally meets Artie after a very long time of not seeing him, but she keeps quiet about her dementia. Liz later protects Boomer in the yard after May starts hitting Boomer with her shoe. She later tells May that she should get to know Boomer better.
In episode 9, Liz's condition has deteriorated rapidly and when she gets a surprise visit from Franky she doesn't recognise her at all, and tells Franky she preferred the old top dog and that Kaz was dead, something Franky already knew. After Liz has her meeting with Franky she seeks the help of Dr Miller and asks him to up her dose as she has another visit with her son Artie. Liz has one final heart breaking meeting with her son and she tells him that she has dementia and not to visit her in the prison again. Liz is later taken to the strip search room and fails to do so, and Liz thinks Officer Deng wants to put her in the psych unit, Liz freaks out and at the same time Marie's attempted breakout is happening and Liz is taken into the same room with the officer who had been knocked out and the door closed.
In episode 10 Liz survives the siege, by helping Vera alongside Boomer deliver her baby. Liz is later found in her unit unresponsive and is taken to medical where she is diagnosed with Locked In Syndrome after suffering a severe stroke. Boomer sacrifices her chances of upcoming parole and freedom as she honours Liz's request and she smothers Liz with a pillow.
Liz's last lines are "Not now Booms."
Season 8
Is mentioned by Boomer during Vera's visit to the prison and she says "she wishes Lizzie could see this.." and is mentioned again by Lou during the dining room scene and a scene in the shower.
Liz is mentioned again in Episode 8 when Jake tells Joan that Miller is responsible for her death.
Trivia
- Anne Charleston, who plays Liz Birdsworth's mother-in-law, was also a reoccurring actress on Prisoner Cell Block H. She previously played Lorraine Watkins, a policewoman and Diedre Kean in the original series.
- Liz is quite different to the original character of Lizzie, most notably in her much younger age and not having a heart condition. She does share a trait as the original however, being an alcoholic.
- Boomer, Liz, Vera and Will are the only characters to appear in every episode until the end of Season 7. Starting Season 8, Boomer, Vera and Will are the only characters to appear in every episode, due to Liz' death.
Appearances
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Place Like Home | Fly Me Away | The Girl Who Waited | The Things We Do | The Velvet Curtain | Captive | Something Dies | Mind Games | To the Moon | Checkmate |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 2) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born Again | Whatever It Takes | Boys In The Yard | The Danger Within | Twist The Knife | The Pink Dragon | Metamorphosis | Sins of the Mother | The Fixer | Jail Birds | Into The Night | Fear Her |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 3) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Governor's Pleasure | Failing Upwards | Knives Out | Righteous Acts | Mercy | Evidence | The Long Game | Goldfish | Freak Show | A Higher Court | The Living and the Dead | Blood and Fire |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 4) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Blood | Poking Spiders | Prisoner | Screw Lover | Love and Hate | Divide and Conquer | Panic Button | Plan Bea | After Life | Smitten | The Eleventh Hour | Seeing Red |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 5) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scars | The Bitch is Back | Nothing but the Truth | Loose Ends | Belly of the Beast | Happy Birthday, Vera | The Pact | Think Inside the Box | Snakehead | Mere Anarchy | Coup de Grace | Hell Bent |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 6) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Slate | The Boxer | Bleed Out | Winter Is Here | Bitter Pill | The Angel of Wentworth | The Edge | Lovers and Fighters | Shallow Grave | Fractured | Indelible Ink | Showdown |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in Wentworth (season 7) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Wedding | Payback | Atonement | Karen | Ascension | Mother | Bad Blood | Protection | Under Siege Part One | Under Siege Part Two |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
| Elizabeth 'Liz' Birdsworth in special episodes of Wentworth | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look Back At Wentworth | Wentworth VS Prisoner: Family Feud | Behind the Bars | |||||||
| Appears | Appears | Appears | |||||||