34 Facts About Sylvia Hollamby

Sylvia Violet Hollamby is one of the longest-running characters in the award-winning prison drama series Bad Girls.

Sylvia Hollamby constantly complains about her job and is usually most happy if sitting down with a cup of tea or reading a magazine rather than working.

Sylvia Hollamby believes that there should be closed visits, thus curtailing the drug problems that constantly blight prisons including Larkhall.

Sylvia Hollamby is not a fan of the "touchy feely prison warding" that was a feature of the progressive policies unsuccessfully implemented by governors such as Grayling; in her mind, "a con is a con is a con and they don't get any special treatment".

Sylvia Hollamby despises all the prisoners and is extremely harsh on all the new arrivals.

Sylvia Hollamby can't stand religious prisoner Crystal Gordan's constant guitar playing and singing.

Sylvia Hollamby is happy when the prisoners are forced to have closed visits.

Sylvia Hollamby makes digs at posh Monica Lyndsey, making derogatory references to her affluent background.

Sylvia Hollamby is demoted from Senior Prison Officer to Prison Officer, because she allows Shaz Wiley and Denny Blood to lock her in their cell and enter the canteen kitchen.

Sylvia Hollamby is determined to make Shell pay for nearly killing Fenner.

Sylvia Hollamby is furious when Shell is allowed back on G-Wing, so has her transferred to the mental health wing.

Sylvia Hollamby makes Shell share a cell with "Mad" Tessa; however, Tessa appears to become infatuated by Shell.

When Sylvia Hollamby sees her plan is not working, she tells another mental patient, "Podger" Pam, that Shell has stolen her medication and then lets Pam into the shower where Shell is.

Shell and Denny laugh hysterically at this, knowing that Sylvia Hollamby loves her authority and, that night, they tie Bobby and Sylvia Hollamby up.

Sylvia Hollamby becomes terrified, as she realises Shell is on the other end of the phone.

Sylvia Hollamby is overjoyed when she discovers Denny and Shell were never found in the sea, and believed to be dead; she and Bobby holiday in the same place where they "died".

Sylvia Hollamby is less afraid of Denny, and warns her she will get revenge on her and that she will wish she was as "dead as Dockley".

Sylvia Hollamby is briefly promoted to Wing Governor, and, on the day when inspectors arrive at Larkhall, she discovers Maxi Purvis dead; not wanting the inspectors to see, she hides the body in the prison chapel, but it is later discovered.

Sylvia Hollamby immediately has her transferred to another prison; however, she has done this as more of a punishment for Shaz's girlfriend, Denny.

Denny runs to attack Sylvia Hollamby and is sent down the block; Sylvia Hollamby then throws toilet roll at her and tells her to do the same as Maxi.

Two new inmates, Bev Tull and Phyl Oswyn - who have tricked Denny into believing Bev is a medium and has contacted her dead girlfriend, Shaz - trick Sylvia Hollamby into thinking they can contact Bobby, as long as she pays them with gin.

Sylvia Hollamby later develops feelings for the Rev Henry Mills ; however, Henry falls in love with prisoner Babs Hunt, who is due for release.

Sylvia Hollamby constantly makes racist remarks about Jamaican prisoner Darlene Cake.

When Frances sparks a war with Phyl over drugs, Sylvia Hollamby is forced to take Phyl's breakfast to her.

Sylvia Hollamby then tells Sylvia she wants to speak to Frances.

Sylvia Hollamby then develops feelings for Dr Malcolm Nicholson; at the wedding of Fenner and Di Barker, she catches the bouquet and asks Nicholson if he believes in fate.

Sylvia Hollamby finally gets some good news when she discovers that her Aunt Margaret has died and left her a palatial, antique-stuffed house in Hampstead in her will.

Just as they are about to exit the hotel, Sylvia Hollamby appears on the balcony screaming, leading to a startled Bev to drop the diamonds, and she is violently arrested.

Joy then orders Sylvia Hollamby to take Phyl down to the cellar to fix the boiler and electricity as they are not working.

Sylvia Hollamby subsequently falls down the steps to the cellar, knocking herself unconscious and blocking the door, leaving Phyl trapped.

Sylvia Hollamby disapproves of her openly homosexual son Bobby Darren's relationship with a man, which causes a further rift between her and her son.

Sylvia Hollamby suffers a Scrooge-like dream when the ghost of Natalie appears to her and shows her that she is just as hated as she was; she shows Sylvia how happy everyone, including her son, would be after hearing she was dead, she then takes Sylvia down to the sewers, where her own decomposing corpse is, but the corpse Sylvia sees is that of herself.

Sylvia Hollamby later makes peace with her son and gives the prisoners a happy Christmas, but tells them not to get too used to her good nature, as it's "business as usual" tomorrow.

Sylvia Hollamby has become one of the most popular characters on the show, and, despite the character's bigoted views, she has become somewhat of a gay icon.