Hi,
Thanks for my first ever diamond and of course the continued rrc's. It's beginning to look a lo...
Hi,
Thanks for my first ever diamond and of course the continued rrc's. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! xx
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Porridge is a classic situational comedy that ran for 3 series between the years 1974 to 1977. It stars Ronnie Barker as quick-witted Norman Stanley Fletcher who's serving five years for breaking and entering and sees prison simply as an occupational hazard rather than a deterrent. The series follows his antics whilst he is in prison as well as the trials and tribulations of all those around him, including young Godber who is on his first prison stint.
The Porridge Christmas Specials DVD contains the Christmas Specials (you may have guessed) for 1975 and 1976 as well as a Britain’s Best Sitcom Featurette.
The Two Episodes are entitles No Way Out and The Desperate Hours and are both fantastic pieces of comedy, which utilise the festive season and the shows general feel to delivers some witty punch lines and brilliant scenes.
No Way Out sees Godber in his prison innocence looking forward to Christmas. Fletcher on the other hand is not in the Christmas spirit at all as he is well aware of Tommy Slocombe’s tunnelling as just wants a Christmas stay in the prison hospital so that no one can involve him in the escape plan.
In The Desperate Hours Fletcher and Godber are somewhat looking forward to Christmas after they have spent months brewing their illicit cell-brew liquor. Things however are about to get worse as somehow McKay discovers their brew and they become caught up in Reg Urwin’s attempt to take Mr Barrowclough hostage. Can Fletch be a hero and help a ‘screw’?
Ronnie Barker, as he is in most of the things he has been in, is utterly superb in his role. He really seems to be comfortable with the characterisation of Fletcher and therefore gives his all to the part he has to play. His relationship with Godber Richard Beckinsale is also very well shown, as the pair seem to spark off one another and grow with each other. Better still Beckinsale proves he can stand on his own without Barker's support, as his acting is also superb.
The rest of the cast, despite their somewhat minor roles at times also seem to have been perfectly picked for the characters that they play. Fulton McKay as Prison Warden Mr McKay is brilliant and draws more than a few laughs of his own on numerous occasions and Brian Wilde as the softer prison guard Mr Barrowclough also plays his part extremely well.
Being a comedy series it is of course the comedy elements to the series that make it what it is. Fletcher's love hate relationship with Mr McKay and his military way of running things always manages to draw out a laugh, as does Mr Barorwclough's somewhat more relaxed attitude and Fletcher's ability to use him like a puppet on more than one occasion. Fletcher's teasing yet fatherly relationship with young Lennie Godber is also funny at times but also manages to be quite touching as well, as it becomes quite clear that Lennie respects the way Fletcher has treated him. It is however his quick-witted comments and hair-brained schemes to try and make his life so much easier which are really the lifeblood of the series and make it so enjoyable to watch.
As well as the comic element however each 40 minute long episode (slightly longer than the average series episode) does have it's own storyline and therefore isn't simply a stream of slapstick gags to make the audience laugh. This not only makes the viewing more pleasurable but also because each episode has it's own storyline it means they can be watched as stand-alone pieces.
All in all I must say that I really did enjoy watching both of these Christmas Specials even though I watched them well out of the festive season. Each one was a real pleasure to watch and told a decent story as well as being tremendously humorous and entertaining. This DVD is definitely worth purchasing if you’re an avid Porridge or classic situational comedy fan.
Pictures of Porridge - The Christmas Specials (DVD)
At Christmas
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No Way OutIn his innocence, Godber is looking forward to Christmas, but Fletch just wants ... more
a quiet sojourn in the prison hospital. As he says: there's one big event round here, it's not the coming of the Lord - it's the tunnelling of Tommy Slocombe. Jus...
Another great comdey series that charted in the top ten of Britain's Best Sitcom's. This ... more
DVD features both the Christmas specials transmitted on Christmas Eve in 1975 and 1976. No Way Out: In his innocence Godber is looking forward to Christmas but ...
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![Porridge - The Christmas Specials [1975] [1976] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78503582.jpg "Porridge - The Christmas Specials [1975] [1976] [DVD]")
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