Porridge (2016 TV series)

*Porridge*
Porridge
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Dick Clement; Ian La Frenais;
Written by	Dick Clement; Ian Le Frenais;
Directed by	Dominic Brigstocke
Starring	Kevin Bishop; Dave Hill; Mark Bonnar; Dominic Coleman;
Composer	Max Harris
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	7 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Tarquin Gotch; Steven Canny;
Producer	Richard Webb
Production location	Dock10
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	28 minutes
Production company	BBC Studios
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	28 August 2016 –; 10 November 2017

Porridge is a British television sitcom, starring Kevin Bishop, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais and broadcast on BBC One. The show is a sequel to the original 1974 series of the same name, which both Clement and La Frenais wrote. The sitcom focuses on prison inmate Nigel Norman Fletcher (Kevin Bishop), the grandson of Norman Stanley Fletcher, who is sent to Wakeley Prison to serve a five-year sentence for cyber crimes.

Initially produced as a one-off special as part of the BBC's Landmark Sitcom Season in 2016, a full series followed the following year with the first episode broadcast on 6 October 2017.

Premise

The show's main focus is on its central character, Nigel Norman Fletcher, a talented computer-specialist, who is sent to the fictional Wakeley Prison in Hampshire to serve a five-year prison sentence for cyber crimes, the proceeds of which he used to support his now-ex-girlfriend's lifestyle. Much like his grandfather, Norman Stanley Fletcher, Nigel has his own personal opinions of criminal life that he likes to voice, though he considers himself to be an "uncommon criminal" as he has some regret of the actions he committed, and often seeks to avoid being caught up in illegal schemes that could endanger his well-being or add time to his sentence. Each episode's plot usually focuses on events that Fletcher becomes involved in.

Like his grandfather, Fletcher has friends in prison, including his cell-mate, Joe Lotterby - a senior-but-veteran, old-time criminal who knew his grandfather and his old cell-mate Lennie Godber, and has a somewhat cynical view on life as a result of his previous sentences in prison - and contends with two prison officers: Mr. Meekie and Mr. Braithwaite, both similar in nature to the characters of Mr. Mackay and Mr. Barrowclough from the original series respectively.

Cast

Kevin Bishop as Nigel Norman Fletcher
Dave Hill as Joe Lotterby
Mark Bonnar as Mr Meekie
Dominic Coleman as Mr Braithwaite
Harry Peacock as Dougie Parfitt
Ricky Grover as Scudds
Jason Barnett as Shel
Harman Singh as Aziz
Colin Hoult as Barry
Daniel Fearn as Ullett
Rory Gallagher as Loomis
Pippa Haywood as Governor Littlewood
Zahra Ahmadi as Dr. Marsden
Caolan Byrne as Culhane

For the one-off special, Colin McFarlane portrayed the character of The Judge, who sentences Fletcher for his crimes. As a nod to the original series, the narration given in the opening titles is voiced by McFarlane.

Joe Lotterby tells Fletcher that he served time at Slade Prison during the 1970s alongside Norman Stanley Fletcher. In the 1979 film version of the original series, a character named Lotterby, played by Zoot Money, works in the kitchens at Slade alongside Godber.^[2] Both characters are named after Sydney Lotterby, the producer of the original series.

Production

In March 2016, it was announced that a sequel pilot to Porridge would air as part of the BBC's Landmark Sitcom Season, starring Kevin Bishop as Norman Stanley Fletcher's grandson and written by the original writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.^[3]

In October 2016, BBC One commissioned the show for a full series which went into production in January 2017.^[4] The BBC later confirmed there were no plans for a second series.^[5]

Episodes

Seven episodes of Porridge, all written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, were produced for the BBC. The show began airing on 28 August 2016 and ended on 10 November 2017. All episodes had a running time of 30 minutes.

Reception

A review for The Guardian described the series as "a throwback, nostalgic at best, but more likely just lame".^[6]

References

^ "A Fresh Helping of Porridge is Served Up at dock10". Dock10. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
^ "Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
^ "Kevin Bishop to star in brand new Porridge for BBC One". BBC Media Centre. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
^ "BBC commissions more Porridge and Motherland and a series of A Brief History Of Tim". BBC Media Centre. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
^ Guide, British Comedy (22 February 2018). "New version of Porridge ends after one series". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
^ Wollaston, Sam (7 October 2017). "Porridge review – send for the sitcom police!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

External links

Porridge at BBC Online
Porridge at IMDb

[1] "A Fresh Helping of Porridge is Served Up at dock10". Dock10. Retrieved 20 September 2021.

[2] "Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

[3] "Kevin Bishop to star in brand new Porridge for BBC One". BBC Media Centre. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2017.

[4] "BBC commissions more Porridge and Motherland and a series of A Brief History Of Tim". BBC Media Centre. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2017.

[5] Guide, British Comedy (22 February 2018). "New version of Porridge ends after one series". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 19 July 2023.

[6] Wollaston, Sam (7 October 2017). "Porridge review – send for the sitcom police!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

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