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PORRIDGE DVDs and Videos
- available from Amazon.co.uk -

'Porridge' was one of a whole raft of outstanding BBC situation comedies from the 1970s. With writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, producer Sydney Lotterby, and starring Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale, Fulton Mackay, and Brian Wilde, and a superb supporting cast, including a young David Jason playing an old lag, 'Porridge' could hardly fail.

Barker's Norman Stanley Fletcher, popularly known as 'Fletch', was one of the great comedy creations. Fletch was an avuncular figure, who tried to keep his young cellmate Lennie Godber (Beckinsale) on the straight and narrow. Fletch was a wily old cove, who always tried to keep one step ahead of the ever suspicious Mr Mackay (Fulton Mackay), and easily had the gullible, innocent Mr Barrowclough (Brian Wilde) in his pocket.

Set at the H.M. Prison Slade, with its foreboding edifice, 'Porridge' came out of a half hour comedy play, 'Prisoner and Escort', which was one of seven half hour comedy plays, all starring Ronnie Barker, in 1973. 'Open All Hours' also came out of one of these plays.

The first-ever episode of 'Porridge' was screened by the BBC on September 5th, 1974, and was last screened (repeats apart!) on March 5th, 1977. There was the 1978 spin-off, 'Going Straight', which featured a very young Nicholas Lyndhurst as Fletch's son. The 1979 feature film was also one of the best examples of British sitcoms working in an expanded format. 1979 also saw the untimely death of Richard Beckinsale, and there have been no real attempts to revive 'Porridge' or 'Going Straight' since.

- Paul Rance.




Porridge - Series 1 [1974]
BBC Worldwide Publishing
DVD - October 1, 2001
 
Usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks

amazon.co.uk
Porridge - Series 2 [1975]

Porridge: Series 3 [1976]

Porridge Movie [1979]


Going Straight - The Complete Series
BBC Worldwide Publishing
DVD - October 4, 2004
Usually dispatched within 24 hours

Porridge Videos
Porridge - A Day Out / Ways And Means / Disturbing The Peace Porridge - A Night In / The Harder They Fall / A Storm In A Teacup Porridge - No Way Out [1975] Porridge [1979] Porridge, Series 1-3

 

Regular Cast List (actors listed first)
Ronnie Barker Norman Stanley Fletcher
Fulton Mackay Mr. Mackay
Richard Beckinsale Lennie Godber
Brian Wilde Mr. Barrowclough
Peter Vaughan Harry Grout
Sam Kelly 'Bunny' Warren
Tony Osoba Jim MacClaren
Christopher Biggins Lukewarm
David Jason Blanco
Ken Jones Ives
Brian Glover Heslop
Ronald Lacey Harris
Michael Barrington The Governor
Felix Bowness 'Gay' Gordon
Patricia Brake Ingrid Fletcher

 



 

Porridge/Going Straight Episode List

Porridge, Series 1
September 5th-October 10th, 1974

Porridge, Series 2
October 24th-November 28th, 1975

Porridge, Series 3
February 18th-March 5th, 1977

Going Straight, Series 1
February 24th-10th April, 1978

New Faces, Old Hands
The Hustler
A Night In
A Day Out
Ways And Means
Men Without Women

Just Desserts
Heartbreak Hotel
Disturbing the Peace
No Peace for the Wicked
Happy Release
The Harder They Fall

A Storm in a Teacup
Poetic Justice
Rough Justice
Pardon Me
A Test of Character
Final Stretch

Going Home
Going to be Alright
Going Sour
Going to Work
Going, Going, Gone
Going off the Rails

 

More Transmission Details
Number of episodes: 21

Length: 19 x 30 mins; 1 x 45 mins; 1 x 40 mins
Pilot: Prisoner and Escort 1st April, 1973 - BBC2 Sunday, 8.15pm
Series One - BBC1 Thursdays, 8.30pm
Series Two - BBC1 Fridays, 8.30pm
Special (45 mins) 24th December, 1975 - BBC1 Wednesday, 8.25pm
Special (40 mins) 24th December, 1976 - BBC1 Friday, 8pm
Series Three - BBC1 Fridays, 8.30pm

 

Little Britain Audio


A page of classic British sitcom DVDs & Videos - Likely Lads, The Office, Men Behaving Badly, Are You Being Served?, 'Allo, 'Allo!, To The Manor Born, Red Dwarf, and loads more. Just click here.


 

 

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