Porridge - The Complete Series Box Set
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Contains all series 1,2 and 3
And the Christmas Specials.

Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

This is my all time favourite comedy.

Time line:
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It all began on the 1st of April (aptly enough) in 1973 when a pilot aired on the BBC called ‘Prisoner and Escort’. It followed Norman Stanley Fletcher being escorted to Prison by Mr McKay and Mr Barrowclough.
Fletch had stolen a lorry load of ‘booze’ and was being transferred from Brixton to the ‘Wilds’ of Cumbria. Along the way he manages to Pee in the fuel tank causing the van to ‘conk’ out. He spends the cold night running around the fells thinking he has escaped from Barrowclough only to find he has run round in a circle.
But from this point on McKay dislikes fletch whist ‘Barra’ sees him as a likeable rogue.

A year and a half later Series 1 was launched and the rest is history.

Setting:
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"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".

Slade Prison: (Actually, Frontage of Maidstone Prison)
Here we find an eclectic band of the oddest and funniest criminal characters your will never see again,

Fetch played by Ronnie Barker
Was a career thief with a heart of gold, a light fingered angel as he was once described. Just wants to serve his time and get out. Quick witted and devilishly clever and pulling ‘fast ones’ and driving the neurotic Mr McKay round the bend.

Godber played by the magnificent Richard Beckinsale
Was a one time house breaker who on his first robbery, the flat next door to his fiancée, Denise, got caught by a burly lorry driver and in his own words “came home unexpectedly and kicked me head in”. He is taken under Fletch’s wing and between the two of them make the entire series simply wonderful.
(Sadly he died suddenly in 1973 of a heart attack, at home, aged only 31)

Mr McKay played by Fulton Mackay
Was the no nonsense Scottish prison officer who holds no grudges and treat everyone with equal contempt. If he is unhappy he makes everyone down the line feel his wrath. Mellowed near the end of the show and even seemed to have a little respect for Fletcher having seen how he looked after Godber.

Mr Barrowclough played by Brain Wilde
Was the kindly prison officer lacking in any kind of self confidence. He always gave the benefit of the doubt and often had his wallet or watch pilfered. A likeable and kindly face in a hostile environment.
His wife kept leaving him for the milkman but sadly kept coming back.

Bunny Warren played by Sam Kelly
Was the illiterate idiot who was often the but of many jokes and never understood any of them. He was on slightly smarter than Mr Hislop who would make a brick wall look clever.
Bunny was an innocent thief, whose wife kept his picture on top of the telly,
Bunnys wife: “You know the one where those coppers where arresting you, I cut them off the picture but left the police dog on because I know how fond of animals you are” !!

‘Jock’ McClaren played by Tony Osoba
Was the black Scot with more than a few chips on his shoulder in fact he had a whole sack of spuds on his. He had been treated badly his whole life and punched first rather than be punched first. He was used ostentatiously for black related jokes and used when a hard man was needed for the plot.

Ives, aka Horrible Ives played by Ken Jones
He was hated by prison officers and prisoners alike and was often found lurking around and he was always up to something. At one point he became Harry Grouts runner, but this didn’t stop everybody hating him.
He started nearly ever sentence with the words “ Ear Listen” and was often referred to by Fletch as that Scouse git.

Lukewarm played by Christopher Biggins
Worked in the kitchens and shared a cell with ‘Old Blanco’ whom he treated like an old uncle. Just as well really as Lukewarm was gay. He seemed to be the only gay in the prison! A wonderful gentle character who starred in many, many scenes with Fetch and Godber. The butt of many gay jokes, well it was an unenlightened 1973 onwards.

Old Blanco played by David Jason
Originally convicted for the murder of his wife but as it turned out after being pardoned he in fact did not kill his wife!
He killed her lover instead!
A great character and superbly played by Jason

Harry Grout played by Peter Vaughan
‘Genial’ Harry Grout actually ran Slade prison although the Governor thought he did?
His job inside was to look after the swimming pool which was an easy job, as the prison had no pool! A typo error apparently.
His bodyguards where Samson and Delilah, who got their names, Samson for his incredible strength and Delilah for her striking resemblance to Hedy Lamarr.

Governor Venables played by Michael Barrington
The most weak knee’d, lily livered, ineffectual governor ever to have run a prison. More interested in animals than the men and had a liking for tropical fish.

The Pilot Episode:
Prisoner and Escort
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There’s more than petrol in the prison van by the time Fletchers fiddled with it. A great start and launch pad for a Classic comedy series.

Series 1
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1. New Faces, Old Hands
Fletch, Godber and Hislop are processed upon their arrival at Slade prison. Fletcher tries to convince the MO he has flat feet and is asked if he is a ‘Practising Homosexual’, to which he replies “What with these feet”!

2. The Hustler
Horrible Ives Grasses on fletch and the boys gambling den is found by McKay. But it was all part of Fletch’s plan to have Ives grass on him so that he would be put into a single cell.

3. A Day Out
One of my favourite episodes.
Fletch, Godber, Ives and a few others get to dig sewer trenches on a deserted road but fletch manages to sneak off and have a pint.

4. Ways and Means
Fletch convinces McClaren to climb on the prison roof so that Fletch can save him but things go awry.

5. Men without Women
Fletch pulls a fast one and manages to get compassionate leave, spends the weekend with his beloved Isabel, has a Sunday lunch and watches the match before returning to prison.

Series 2
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1. Just Deserts
The mystery of the disappearing tin of Pineapples. Fletch is miffed when the tin goes missing from his cell, ‘Gentlemen we have a thief among us’ he tell his cellies.

2. Heartbreak Hotel
Gober get dumped by his fiancée, Denise, but then falls for Fletchers daughter, Ingrid.

3. Disturbing the Peace
A new P.O. arrives, Napper Wainwright and he is a right B/tard, so the prisoners have a food fight to get back McKay, better the devil you know.

4. Happy Release
Whilst in hospital Fletch help Blanco get hie meagre belonging back from Norris whilst setting him up to dig up the pitch at Leeds United ground.
A great episode this one.

5. The Harder they Fall
Godber has taken up boxing and he must take a dive but his opponent is also taking a dive, the only question is who will hit the canvas first?

6. No Peace for the Wicked
Fletch tries to get some peace and quiet but is constanly disturbed and finally cracks and throws the chaplain over the balcony.

Series 3
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1. A Storm in a Teacup
Simply brilliant episode this one.
Harris has nicked some pills from the MO and Grouty tasks Fletcher with finding them and putting them back, chaos ensues.

2. Poetic Justice
The Honorable Mr. Justice Stephen Rawley comes to share a cell with Fletcher but he is only the Judge who sentenced him!

3. Rough Justice
The boys hold a Kangaroo court to find the judges stolen watch with ‘Horrible Ives’ as the suspect, very funny this one.

4. Pardon Me
Blanco is old, very old and if he goes on hunger strike he will probably die so the governor pardons him thanks to Fletchers cunning plan. But then there is a twist in the end, great.

5. A Test of Character
The boys try to steal the test papers to help Godber pass his History exam but Bunny, who can’t read nicks the wrong papers.
Great sketch with the planets.

6. Final Stretch
Godber is finally going to leave and Fletcher is actually going to miss him. McKay puts in a new lad having seen, finally that Fletcher is really OK.
Good, if a little sad, ending to the series.

Xmas Specials
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The Christmas Specials contains 2 Christmas episodes along with the episode of the BBC Britain's Best Sitcom on Porridge in full (approx 1 hour).

No Way Out (Christmas Eve 1975)
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In his innocence, Godber is looking forward to Christmas, but fletch knows that if, ''there's one big event around here, it's not the coming of our lord, it's the leaving of Tommy slocombe".
And this Christmas, he is determined to stay well clear of the tunnelling Tommy slocombe, his dodgy mates and their even dodgier plans for escape.

After Fletcher whinges about his cartilage, the doctor decides to put an end to fletchers' fakery once and for all. He arranges for fletch to go to hospital for an x-ray on his so called 'dodgy knee'
But Grouty turns up before fletch can leave and coerces fletch to bring back into the prison a passport for Tommy slocombe.
After returning with the passport both McKay and Mr Barrowclough get 'mugged' in the recreation area whilst breaking up the carol singing. The carol singing was a cover for the digging. When this happens the choir is disbanded and so the tunnelling has to stop.

Fletch tries to drop MacKay in it (the tunnel that is) but in the process falls into the tunnel himself, winning himself the stay in hospital he was looking for all along.

The Desperate Hours (Christmas Eve 1976).
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The wine tasting in the toilet with the 2 star and the 5 star hooch goes well when no one looses their eyesight but later in their cell Mackay discovers the illicit liquor they've been brewing since July and they're up before the Governor.
However, whilst they're waiting to see him, things suddenly take a turn for the better... they get caught up in the psychotic Reg Urwin's (with a 'U'), attempts to take the governor hostage but ends up with Mr Barrowclough (he's after a 'copter and 10,000 in used notes).

Revelations about Barrowclough are made during this episode regarding the Governor's secretary, who'd have thought he'd have it in him. The governor misses the kidnapping due to having the trots after eating Lennies 'gluelash', hence ending up stuck on the bog.
Fletch disarms Reg and It ends peacefully enough.

BBC Britain's Best Sitcom.
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This is a must for fans of Fletch, Lennie and co.
It's great to see cast members reminisce and see them as they are now, for example Sam Kelly (Bunny Warren) and Tony Osoba (McClaren.)

It is remarked on several occasions how Ronnie would give up a joke if it was funnier for another actor to say it, the only other actor I have ever heard of that would do this was Leonard Rossiter of rising damp fame. Both shows where huge hits.
The programme is presented by Johnny Vaughan.

Buy this if you want to enjoy a good laugh or just to marvel in the sublime comedy of a great and everlasting comedy.

There is the usual racial jokes, sexual innuendos (this was the 1970’s) and of course genius comic timing to compliment the superb writing of Clement and Ian La Frenais.
It was successful because of not only the writing, not only the comic genius of Barker and Beckinsale but because of all of the supporting cast.

From Mr McKay, Mr Barrowclough etc but the secondary cast of Reg Urwin 'with a U', The Honorable Mr. Justice Stephen Rawley, Cyril Heslop, Banyard the defrocked dentist, Ingrid, fletchers daughter, and many others.
This is a program that will never fade with time.

Picture and sound quality are excellent and the small amount of extras is just about enough.

Extremely, highly, recommended.

Hope you enjoyed,

Greg.