Skip to main content
Porridge poster

Porridge (1974)

First aired September 5, 197430m/ep3 seasons · 18 epsEnded
8.1

52 votes

Comedy
Official Site

Overview

Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film also titled Porridge. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland. "Doing porridge" is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons. The series was followed by a 1978 sequel, Going Straight, which established that Fletcher would not be going back to prison again. Porridge was voted number seven in a 2004 BBC poll of the 100 greatest British sitcoms.

Created By

Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais

Top Billed Cast

Ronnie Barker

Ronnie Barker

Norman Stanley Fletcher

Richard Beckinsale

Richard Beckinsale

Lennie Godber

Fulton Mackay

Fulton Mackay

Mr. Mackay

Brian Wilde

Brian Wilde

Mr. Barrowclough

Seasons

Status

Ended

Language

English

Type

Scripted

Last Air Date

March 25, 1977

Networks

BBC One

Shows Like Porridge

Recommended for You

User Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

It's hard to believe that there were only ever twenty episodes of this classic British comedy ever made. Ronnie Barker ("Fletch") is fantastic as the habitual criminal sent to Her Majesty's Prison "Slade" - perched in the northern reaches of England - for five years. His cellmate is the honest, but supremely naive "Godber" (Richard Becksinsale) and the series depicts their antics surviving the authoritarian regime of "Mr. Mackay" (the outstanding Fulton Mackay) in his uniform, and "Grouty" (the comically menacing Peter Vaughan) on the inside. Dick Clement and Ian la Frenais have created a wond…

Read full review →

Explore More

More Comedy ShowsReleased in 1974English Language Shows