Porridge
Doing time at HMP Slade
Porridge is a British sitcom written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, following the daily life of habitual criminal Norman Stanley Fletcher as he serves a five-year sentence at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland. Ronnie Barker stars as the wily, world-weary Fletcher, who navigates prison life with cynical wit while taking his naive young cellmate Lennie Godber under his wing. The pair are pitted against the stern principal officer Mr Mackay and the softer, more sympathetic Mr Barrowclough. Born from a 1973 pilot in the anthology series Seven of One, the show is celebrated for its warm characters and sharp scripts, and is regularly ranked among Britain's finest sitcoms.
Start a quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 5 September 1974
- Last aired
- 25 March 1977
- Created by
- Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
- Channel
- BBC One
- Series
- 3
- Episodes
- 20
- Set in
- HMP Slade, Cumberland
- Quizzes
- 3
Porridge quizzes
How well do you know Fletcher's time inside HMP Slade? Test yourself on this prison classic.
The inmates and officers of HMP Slade, from Godber to Grout. A quiz for true fans.
Memorable moments and storylines from Fletcher's sentence at Slade.
Porridge cast and characters
Norman Stanley Fletcher
Played by Ronnie Barker
"Fletch", a habitual criminal from Muswell Hill in north London serving five years at Slade. A wily old lag, he gets through his sentence by scoring small victories over the system and the screws.
Lennie Godber
Played by Richard Beckinsale
Fletcher's naive young cellmate from Birmingham, serving two years for his first offence. Fletch takes him under his wing, and he later becomes engaged to Fletcher's daughter Ingrid.
Mr Mackay
Played by Fulton Mackay
The stern Scottish senior officer and former army drill sergeant whose mission in life is to catch Fletcher out. He almost never manages it.
Mr Barrowclough
Played by Brian Wilde
A timid, kind-hearted prison officer who believes in rehabilitation rather than punishment. The inmates, Fletcher above all, take shameless advantage of his good nature.
'Genial' Harry Grout
Played by Peter Vaughan
Slade's top dog, a gangster feared by prisoners and some officers alike. He runs the prison's rackets, from a drugs ring to fixed boxing matches.
Blanco Webb
Played by David Jason
An elderly inmate who always insisted he was innocent of murdering his wife. He is finally granted a pardon in series three.
'Bunny' Warren
Played by Sam Kelly
A slow-witted friend of Fletcher and Godber who was caught burgling because he could not read the sign saying 'Warning: burglar alarm'. He is self-conscious about being unable to read his wife's letters.
Lukewarm
Played by Christopher Biggins
A calm, openly gay inmate who works in the prison kitchens alongside Godber and spends his free time knitting. He is a trusted friend of Fletcher but rarely gets involved in his schemes.
Jim McLaren
Played by Tony Osoba
A young inmate from Greenock whom Fletcher nicknames 'Jock'. Angry and hostile when he arrives, he becomes one of Fletch's regular allies.
Porridge facts and FAQs
- When was Porridge on TV?
- Porridge ran on BBC One from 5 September 1974 to 25 March 1977. It began as a pilot called "Prisoner and Escort", shown on BBC Two on 1 April 1973 as part of the Ronnie Barker anthology Seven of One.
- How many series (seasons) and episodes of Porridge are there?
- There are three series of Porridge and 20 episodes: three series of six plus two Christmas specials, "No Way Out" (1975) and "The Desperate Hours" (1976). The 1973 pilot is not included in that count.
- Who wrote Porridge?
- Porridge was written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who also wrote The Likely Lads. To research it they talked to a former prisoner, whose phrase "little victories" gave them the idea of an inmate who beats the system in small ways.
- Where was Porridge filmed?
- Porridge was not filmed in a real prison, because the Home Office refused permission. The opening titles used the gatehouse of the old St Albans prison in Hertfordshire, other exteriors were shot at hospitals near Watford and Ealing, and cell scenes were recorded at BBC Television Centre, with the landings built inside an old water tank at Ealing Studios.
- Where is Porridge set?
- Porridge is set in HMP Slade, a fictional Category C prison in Cumberland in the north-west of England. Fletcher is a Londoner and Godber comes from Birmingham, so both are a long way from home.
- What is Porridge about, and why is it called Porridge?
- Porridge is a British sitcom about Norman Stanley Fletcher, a habitual criminal serving five years, and his young cellmate Lennie Godber. The title is 1950s slang for doing time in prison, taken from the porridge once served for breakfast in British jails.
- Who are the main characters in Porridge?
- The main characters in Porridge are Fletcher (Ronnie Barker), Godber (Richard Beckinsale) and prison officers Mr Mackay (Fulton Mackay) and Mr Barrowclough (Brian Wilde). Other regulars include Harry Grout (Peter Vaughan), Warren (Sam Kelly), Lukewarm (Christopher Biggins), McLaren (Tony Osoba) and Blanco (David Jason).
- Is there a Porridge film or sequel?
- Yes, Porridge was followed by the sequel series Going Straight in 1978 and a feature film in 1979, which was shot at the real HMP Chelmsford. In 2016 the BBC revived it with Kevin Bishop as Fletcher's grandson, written by Clement and La Frenais.
Awards and recognition
BAFTA Award for Best Situation Comedy (1975 and 1977)
Placed seventh in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll (2004)
Adapted into a 1979 feature film and the sequel series Going Straight