The prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.The prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.The prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.
- Won 4 BAFTA Awards
- 4 wins & 3 nominations total
Browse episodes
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe script allowed the prisoners to swear without offending viewers by using the word "naff" in place of ruder words ("Naff off!", "Darn your own naffing socks", "Doing next to naff all"), thereby popularizing a word that had been recorded at least as early as 1966. Ronnie Barker did not claim to have invented it. In a television interview in 2003 it was explained to him on camera what the word meant, as he said he hadn't a clue. The word was actually a piece of slang for heterosexual men which was popular among homosexual men. It was an acronym for "Not Available For F******".
- Crazy creditsThe closing credits listed the actors' names but not the corresponding names of the characters that they played.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom (1999)
Featured review
Genuine Classic British Sit-Com
One of the UK's greatest sitcom's,PORRIDGE has perpetually been repeated in innumerable re-runs on British TV since it's debut in the 1970's,and issued on Video and DVD to always eternal delight and acclaim,and deservedly so.The superb scripts by Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais contained possibly the cleverest plots,funniest dialogue and most vivid characterisations ever witnessed in any sitcom arguably both in the UK and US.It is very doubtful whether or not any comedy series has possessed such an outstanding cast,even in relatively minor roles;Peter Vaughan both funny and menacing as Harry Grout;Sam Kelly as the illiterate Warren;Christopher Biggins as the gay Lukewarm;Tony Osoba as the Scottish black orphan McLaren;Ken Jones as the sneaky scouse thief Ives;David Jason as the elderly Blanco;Michael Barrington as the ineffectual governor Venables;Brian Wilde as the gentle-mannered prison warder Barrowclough;Fulton Mackay as his harder,but not totally unlikable superior Mackay,and the brilliant Richard Beckinsale (who died so tragically young) as the naive Brummie Godber.Above all these very distinguished princes was a peerlessly outstanding king:Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher.It is the ultimate tribute that Barker was always unselfish in letting other talented performers get laughs in PORRIDGE,but his unending brilliance in the lead role of 'Fletch' was vital to the series' enduring appeal,which is still evident to this day.The premise of the series (the day to day existence in a prison) was perhaps not natural-sounding comic material,and indeed the show had sometimes a serious and thoughtful side to it amongst the innumerable laughs,which it handled with equal skill and intelligence.
Thanks to the immense talents involved,PORRIDGE will always be one of Britains most fondly regarded sitcoms/TV programmes.Ronnie Barker apparently thought PORRIDGE the pinnacle of his dazzling comic career,and that is truly saying something.Shows like this,THE TWO RONNIES and OPEN ALL HOURS ensure he will never be forgotten.
Thanks to the immense talents involved,PORRIDGE will always be one of Britains most fondly regarded sitcoms/TV programmes.Ronnie Barker apparently thought PORRIDGE the pinnacle of his dazzling comic career,and that is truly saying something.Shows like this,THE TWO RONNIES and OPEN ALL HOURS ensure he will never be forgotten.
helpful•153
- BJJManchester
- Mar 12, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Овсянка
- Filming locations
- HM Prison Maidstone, Maidstone, Kent, England, UK(HM Prison Slade: exteriors)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content