'Wentworth' Kate Jenkinson and Bernard Curry
A picture of Kate Jenkinson (left) as Allie Novak and Bernard Curry (right) as corrections officer Jake Stewart in Season 4 of "Wentworth" TV series. Facebook/Wentworth

“Wentworth” season 5 now has an official release date and it is going to be on April 4. Aside from the show’s air date, returning cast members have been announced too.

Fans will be delighted to know that Kaz Proctor (Tammy MacIntosh) will be back next season. She is expected to play a pivotal role in the show. Foxtel has announced that she will replace Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) as the prison’s top dog.

Proctor is known as a supporter of Bea. Next season, this Red Right Hand leader is tasked to ensure that everything goes well in the prison while other inmates are mourning the death of their former top dog.

Allie Novak (Kate Jenkinson) will also return for “Wentworth” season 5. In the promo video for the upcoming instalment, the character is seen offering flowers to what seemed to be the grave of Bea. As the same clip implies, she is going to revenge the death of her lesbian lover.

Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe), who will also be back to reprise her role, was the one person responsible for Bea's death. It looks like she will have to pay the price when season 5 comes. In the promo video, Novak is seen holding a chain while she and all the other inmates are looking at Ferguson, also known as the Freak. It seems the new season is going to be about the inmates against Ferguson.

Aside from other cast members mentioned, Nicole da Silva (Franky Doyle), Kate Atkinson (Vera Bennett) and Sigrid Thornton (Sonia Stevens) will also be back next season. Celia Ireland (Liz Birdsworth), Katrina Milosevic (Sue "Boomer" Jenkins) and Shareena Clanton (Doreen Anderson) will also coming back as listed on the Foxtel website.

Robbie Magasiva (Will Jackson) Bernard Curry (Jake Stewart) and Socratis Otto (Maxine Conway) are joining season 5 too. While fans are hoping that Cormack will still appear in the fifth instalment despite the death of her character in the last episode of season 4, her name is not listed on the Foxtel website.

Bea’s demise in the show was previously confirmed by the series producer. “This decision was particularly hard as it meant also saying goodbye to Danielle Cormack,” Jo Porter said. Porter assured that her demise will open the gates for new storylines. “Wentworth” season 4 previously aired on SoHo. Season 5 premieres on April 4 at 8:30 p.m. EST on Showcase.

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