SYLVIA HOLLAMBY

Age: 53 In Service: 12 YEARS-with several career breaks for parenting and sickness Grade: Senior Officer Previous Occupation: Traffic warden Personal Background: Husband, Bobby, an ex-prison officer, runs a funeral parlour where Sylvia sometimes helps out. They have three children: Constance (30), who is married with one child, called Constance; Gayle (28); Bobby Darren (21). They live in Streatham

Sylvia is the cynic in the prison office, the epitome of the 'never listened, never learned' officer. She has no respect for expert opinion whatsoever and despises the fact that Helen seems to want to be the 'prisoners' friend'.                  Sylvia always thinks the worst of people and their motives and, no matter what, always feels hard done by. Although she constantly moans about her job, the truth, however, is that she loves it. It's an easy life for her:sitting around in the office, being served tea by the prisoners and bad-mouthing other folk.                  Prison would be just fine for Sylvia if it weren't for the prisoners-and, of course, a few of her officer colleagues as well. She has no sympathy for any of the inmates, regarding them all  as guilty psychopaths who will never change their ways. She cares not a jot that they're banged up. If it were up to her, that's where most of them would stay. To Sylvia, happiness is door-shaped.                  Very occassionally, Sylvia shows some redeeming characteristics: a genuine loyalty to Jim Fenner and shedding a tear at the birth of Zandra's baby. But, generally, Sylvia does an excellent job at keeping any kindness in check and the spirit of Thatcherism alive.