Fenner makes an attempt to apologise to Helen for the events of the night before. Helen is livid and makes it clear that if she could prove that he sexually assaulted her, she would have him sacked. Helen has absolutely no idea what to do, especially when she hears that Karen is considering moving in with Fenner—there’s no way she’ll hear a bad word against him now. In desperation, Helen turns to Nikki who is absolutely horrified. Although she promises not to get involved, she jumps on the first opportunity to get Fenner alone and, in a menacing voice, reminds him that Shell isn’t the only G-Wing inmate who’s handy with a broken bottle. Helen is furious, she can’t believe that Nikki would jeopardise her appeal by threatening Fenner. Nikki is unrepentant—violence is the only thing creeps like him understand.
A fly-on-the-wall TV documentary crew invades Larkhall to make a series—creating havoc in the process and raising the question, ‘Can the documentary camera really tell the truth?’ Fresh vegetables appear in the canteen and more worryingly, make-up appears on Hollamby’s face. Shell takes the opportunity to don extra-sexy gear, profess her innocence, make allegations about Fenner, and flirt with the soundman, Chris. Buki however is greatly disturbed by the presence of the film crew and is found in her cell after a violent display of self-harm—and it’s all caught on camera by the documentary crew, along with her shocking revelations about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her care-worker.
The producer, Fiona, is annoyed when Helen orders her out of a lifers’ meeting, but not as annoyed as Julie S when she learns that unless she signs a disclaimer to allow her son, David, to appear on camera, she won’t get a visit. Gina is angry too, about Fiona lording it over everyone. In fact, the only two people who are happy about the crew’s presence are Shell and Stubberfield. Shell is continuing to flirt with Chris in exchange for the promise of ‘presents’, and Stubberfield is hamming it up for the camera—it’s just a pity that none of the inmates know who he is!
Fenner’s mind goes into overdrive and he works out a way to exploit the circus the documentary crew have caused. With great difficulty, he approaches Shell and tells her that he has a plan to help her escape. All she has to do is go along with his plan to discredit Helen by making entries about how lax the lifers’ regime is in her diary. Fenner makes impressions of the crew’s van keys and his own gate and door keys. He tapes them to a pew in the chapel and tells Shell where to look. Despite being ordered to keep the plan to herself, Shell reveals all to Denny who in turn, asks Shaz if she wants to tag along.
Shell asks the Julies to create a diversion during the following day’s service. When Shell gives them the nod, they rip the furry cover off the sound boom. It is thrown from inmate to inmate until the chapel is in complete chaos, giving Shell the opportunity she needs to grab Fiona’s jacket and escape down the chapel corridor, followed by Denny, followed, to Shell’s irritation, by Shaz. They both hide in the back of the van as Shell drives it through the prison gates. Shell experiences a bout of road-rage and, after a collision with another car, the van comes off worse. Shaz injures her ankle when she jumps from the van, but in an emotional moment, encourages Denny to go on without her. Shell and Denny catch a taxi and head for Kings Cross.
Fenner returns from planting the diary, a bar of soap, complete with key impressions, and one of Chris’ business cards in Shell’s cell. He prepares to act shocked when he is informed that Shell has escaped, but soon finds that there’s no need to fake it when he hears that Shaz and Denny are missing too.
