About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Porridge (TV series)

Encyclopedia : P : PO : POR : Porridge (TV series)

Porridge is a British BBC television sitcom (1974–1977), written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais and starring Ronnie Barker. In a 2004 BBC poll of the 50 greatest British sitcoms, it was voted number 6. It is set in the fictional "Slade Prison" in Cumberland (now Cumbria). "Porridge" is slang for a spell of imprisonment.

Contents

History

H.M. Prison Slade (in reality the former St Albans prison)
Enlarge
H.M. Prison Slade (in reality the former St Albans prison)

Porridge originated from an idea used in a 1973 series, in which Barker starred, called Seven of One. Each of its seven 30-minute episodes saw him playing a new character in a different setting.

In the second instalment, "Prisoner and Escort", a prisoner called Fletcher (played by Barker) was being escorted from London to Slade prison by warder Mr Barrowclough (Brian Wilde).

After a long train journey, Fletch asks to relieve himself at the tiny station where the prison minibus is waiting to take them to the prison. He relieves himself into the petrol tank, and when the van stops in the middle of the moors, Mackay strides off to the prison for help. Fletch encourages Barrowclough to spend the night in an abandoned cottage. Here, Fletch escapes and spends the night running around the moors. He eventually discovers a second empty property and hides within it. Fletch finds that he is not alone, and prepares to attack his companion. Only then does it become obvious that the other resident is Barrowclough, and that the cottage is indeed the same one from which he had set off. Back at the prison, Mackay tells Fletch that the petrol tank was fuller that when last checked, and that it was 'definitely not 5-star'. Thus started the humorous conflict between Mackay and Fletch.

A year later, when the BBC were looking for a premise for a sitcom in which Barker could star, this episode was chosen. (The first Seven of One programme was also developed into a series: Open All Hours.)

Television

Basic premise

Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher
Enlarge
Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher
The central character of Porridge is Norman Stanley Fletcher, described by his sentencing judge (whose voice was also provided by Ronnie Barker) as "an habitual criminal". Fletch's cellmate is Lennie Godber, a naïve inmate serving his first prison sentence, whom Fletch takes under his wing. Mr Mackay is a tough warder whose bark often turns out to be worse than his bite, and with whom Fletch often comes into conflict. Mackay's subordinate, Mr Barrowclough, is more sympathetic and timid — and therefore prone to manipulation by his charges.
Each episode begins with a narration by the judge:
"Norman Stanley Fletcher, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court, and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are an habitual criminal, who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard, and presumably accepts imprisonment in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for these offences — you will go to prison for five years."

The prison exterior shown in the title sequence (and some episodes) is that of Maidstone Prison, which was also featured in the BBC comedy series Birds of a Feather.

Cast

-->

Episode list

Each episode 30 minutes except where stated.
Fulton Mackay as Mr Mackay
Enlarge
Fulton Mackay as Mr Mackay

Going Straight

In 1978, a follow-up series to Porridge was made, entitled Going Straight. This featured Fletch having been paroled and attempting to remain on the straight and narrow. It also featured Richard Beckinsale returning as Godber, in a relationship with Fletch's daughter, Ingrid. The series lasted six episodes, and generally was not as well received as its predecessor, although Ronnie Barker maintained that, in his opinion, Going Straight was up to the same standard. The death of Beckinsale in 1979 prevented further episodes being made.

Episode List

Life Beyond the Box

In 2003, a spoof documentary, Life Beyond the Box, was produced . It detailed how Fletch's life had panned out in the 25 years since his release. Although the majority of the programme featured the surviving cast members (in character), Ronnie Barker appeared in the last few minutes as Fletcher.

Film

The last "episode" of Porridge was made in 1979 as a feature film, shot entirely on location and without an audience. All the regular sitcom warders and inmates were involved, with the exception of Lukewarm and Harris. There was also a new governor, played by Geoffrey Bayldon.

In the film, Fletch and Godber are forced by another inmate to escape from prison and then have to try to break back in before they're found by the police. The lack of continuity (Godber had been released in the final series episode; suddenly he was back in the same prison and in the same cell with the same cellmate again) was clearly apparent but not regarded as important.

Three one-off characters made an impact in the film. Rudge, played by Daniel Peacock, was a young, timid prisoner in the Godber mould, seen arriving for his three-year stretch for shoplifting at the beginning of the film. He came into his own when he showed his outstanding football skills during the game which led to the breakout. Oakes, played by Barrie Rutter, was the violent armed robber who arrived in the same van as Rudge and was sprung for the breakout, unwittingly taking Fletcher and Godber with him. Beal, played by Christopher Goodwin, was a new prison officer who subscribed to the firm approach to the job, but proved easy to manipulate into recommending a celebrity football match.

Essential viewing for prisoners

Porridge was immensely popular with British prisoners. Erwin James, an ex-prisoner who writes a bi-weekly column for The Guardian newspaper, stated that:

"What fans could never know, however, unless they had been subjected to a stint of Her Majesty's Pleasure, was that the conflict between Fletcher and Officer Mackay was about the most authentic depiction ever of the true relationship that exists between prisoners and prison officers in British jails up and down the country. I'm not sure how, but writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais [...] grasped the notion that it is the minor victories against the naturally oppressive prison system that makes prison life bearable."

He also noted:

"When I was inside, Porridge was a staple of our TV diet. In one high-security prison, a video orderly would be dispatched to tape the programme each week. If they missed it, they were in trouble."

Contributions to the English language

The script allowed the prisoners to swear without offending viewers by using the word "naff". It was used in place of ruder words ("Naff off!", "Darn your own naffing socks", "doing next to naff all"). Ronnie Barker claimed he invented the word but there is evidence that he may have borrowed it from Polari: the BBC's 100 Greatest Sitcoms episode on Porridge said it was an acronym for a heterosexual man, "Not Available For Fucking." A genuine neologism was "nerk", which was used in place of the more offensive "berk" (Cockney rhyming slang, short for "Berkeley Hunt"). Also the term "scrote" (presumably derived from scrotum) was used to describe a nasty, unpleasant person.

Novelisations

Novelisations of the three series of Porridge were issued by BBC Books, as well as an adaptation of Going Straight.

Ronnie Barker never claimed he invented the word "naff". In a television interview in 2003 it was explained to him on camera what the word meant, as he hadn't a clue.

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: