A captive audience
We look back to the start of classic comedy Porridge as Ronnie Barker sentenced the nation to laughter
THE prison doors slammed shut behind Norman Stanley Fletcher and a comedy classic was set free.
Ronnie Barker was the seen-itall-before habitual criminal serving a five-year stretch with Richard Beckinsale as his impressionable young cellmate Lennie Godber in Porridge.
Their fellow inmates included Christopher Biggins as prison cook Lukewarm, Ken Jones as ‘Orrible Ives and David Jason as Blanco.
The first serving of Porridge was dished up on the BBC on September 5, 1974. The idea was developed from 1973 BBC2 comedy play Prisoner And Escort, which was part of the Seven Of One series presenting Ronnie Barker playing a different character each week.
Porridge was written by Dick Clements and Ian la Frenais, who managed to mine comedy gold from the disparate characters banged up together, without ignoring the unpleasant facts of prison life.
Fulton Mackay played the strict prison officer Mr Mackay at HMP Slade, while Brian Wilde was the gentler Mr Barrowclough, showing the extremes of the prison system. The only regular female role was Fletcher’s daughter Ingrid, played by Patricia Brake.
Ronnie Barker later said he knew very early the comedy would be a hit saying: “I knew with Porridge from the first episode. It was in front of an audience which is a wonderful sounding board as to how well it’s going. My wife was in the audience for that and she said afterwards ‘This is going to be a big success’ and she was right.”
Ronnie was also the voice of the judge at the start of each episode sentencing his own character Fletcher to prison. Actor Maurice Denham later played the same judge .... who found himself joining Fletcher in jail on charges of corruption.
Porridge ran for three series – with two Christmas specials – and ended in 1977 with Godber being released on parole and going on holiday with Fletcher’s daughter Ingrid.
Spin-off Going Straight followed and a film version of Porridge was released in 1979 with Fletcher forced to organise a charity football match between the inmates and a celebrity team.
Ronnie Barker later adopted his Porridge persona to announce his retirement from performing saying: “Witness all ye now here present that I, Ronald William George Barker, known to the world of the footlights as Ronnie Barker, have now stepped from the spotlight after 40 years.”