Porridge

1974 • BBC
4.9
96 reviews
Eligible
Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

Complete Collection episodes (20)

1 Series 1, New Faces, Old Hands
9/5/74
Season-only
Norman Fletcher's hopes of having a cell to himself are ruined by the arrival of naive Brummie, Lennie Godber. It's Lennie's first stretch, and Fletch is going to have to teach him how to survive inside.
2 Series 1, The Hustler
9/12/74
Season-only
When gambling fever sweeps through Slade prison, there's no way that a loser like Ives is going to be left out of Fletch's game. They'll bet on anything, from which chicken will lay an egg next to a game of snakes and ladders. Only one thing's for sure - Fletch will always find a way to win.
3 Series 1, A Night In
9/19/74
Season-only
It looks like Fletch is stuck with Godber as a cellmate. He lays down some ground rules and then explains to Godber that the best way to cope with life inside is to see it as just a 'quiet night in'. The only trouble is, Godber has another 698 to go.
4 Series 1, A Day Out
9/26/74
Season-only
The rest of the working party are thrilled to have a day out, but Fletch is masking indifference - what's so exciting about digging a ditch anyway? When Mr Barraclough is left in charge of the motley crew, Fletch and the others are quick to take advantage.
5 Series 1, Ways and Means
10/3/74
Season-only
Who would want to spend eight hours a day sewing fishing nets? Not Fletch, who is hell-bent on a cushy job in the library. He needs to find a way back into McKay's good books and McLaren's rooftop protest might be just the opportunity.
6 Series 1, Men Without Women
10/10/74
Season-only
Fletch fancies himself as a bit of an agony aunt and is called upon by his fellow inmates to help out with affairs of the heart. When Fletch gets some shocking news from his daughter, it seems like he should have taken some of his own advice.
7 Series 2, Just Desserts
10/24/75
Season-only
There's an outbreak of petty pilfering from the inmates in Slade prison. Fletcher is disgusted - after all, stealing may be a job on the 'outside', but it's despicable when it happens 'inside'. When Fletch's tin of pineapple chunks goes missing, he is determined to find the culprit.
8 Series 2, Heartbreak Hotel
10/31/75
Season-only
Fletcher receives a visit from his daughter Ingrid, but is worried when she reveals she's dating a criminal. Godber, meanwhile, is devastated when he receives a 'Dear John' letter from fiancee Denise.
9 Series 2, Disturbing the Peace
11/7/75
Season-only
When Mr McKay leaves Slade Prison, Fletcher is delighted. After all, Barrowclough doesn't exactly rule with a rod of iron. Things are lookin up at last, until Mr McKay's real replacement arrives.
10 Series 2, No Peace for the Wicked
11/14/75
Season-only
It's Saturday afternoon and Fletcher looks forward to a quiet read. Although everyone else seems to have other ideas about how Fletcher should be spending his time.
11 Series 2, Happy Release
11/21/75
Season-only
Fletcher is in the prison hospital sharing a ward with old Blanco. His stay isn't as restful as he was hoping when he learns that another inmate has swindled him out of his belongings in a crooked card game.
12 Series 2, The Harder They Fall
11/28/75
Season-only
When Godber wins a place in the prison boxing championship, Fletcher eyes the chance for a bit of a flutter. Until genial Harry Grout takes an interest, that is. He soon learns that being a referee can be more dangerous than being a fighter.
13 Christmas Special 1975 - No Way Out
12/24/75
Season-only
Fletcher just wants a quiet Christmas, but his fellow prisoners have different ideas. He soon finds himself embroiled in a complex escape attempt involving smuggled passports and singing carols to cover up the sound of tunnelling. Fletcher's naïve cellmate Godber wants to believe every Christmas is special, but when the guards learn of the plot and Christmas is cancelled, his hopes are dashed. Now it's up to Fletcher to bring both sides together in the spirit of the season. If he can earn a few favours in the process, all the better.
14 Christmas Special 1976 - The Desperate Hours
12/24/76
Season-only
Its Christmas again in Slade Prison, and the ever entrepreneurial Fletcher is making illegal wine for his fellow inmates enjoy. Everything goes well until the pitiless Warden Mackay catches him in the act, and brings both Fletcher and his good-natured cellmate Godber before the prison Governor. Just when it seems things can't get worse, unstable prisoner Urwin takes Fletcher, Godber, Warden Barrowclough and the Governor's Secretary hostage at gunpoint. Now Fletcher must rely on his wits to diffuse a potentially fatal situation and restore peace and goodwill to the ever troubled HMP Slade.
15 Series 3, A Storm in a Teacup
2/18/77
Season-only
When a bottle of pills goes missing from the doctor's surgery, Harry Grout is worried that investigation of the theft by the prison authorities will jeopardise some of his activities.
16 Series 3, Poetic Justice
2/25/77
Season-only
Fletcher's new cellmate turns out to be the judge who sentenced him to five years in prison. While other inmates have scores to settle, wily Fletch realises that the judge has the ear of the Governor.
17 Series 3, Rough Justice
3/4/77
Season-only
Fletcher is worried that Judge Rawley might rob him of his main source of income - writing letters for illiterate inmates. How can he get out of this one?
18 Series 3, Pardon Me
3/11/77
Season-only
Old Blanco is doing time for murdering his wife, a crime for which he has always protested his innocence. Now he's up before the Parole Board and it looks as if he's finally going to be released.
19 Series 3, A Test of Character
3/18/77
Season-only
Godber is working hard for an extra qualification. Fletcher tries to persuade him that cheating would be a good way of ensuring success in the examination, but he isn't convinced.
20 Series 3, Final Stretch
3/25/77
Season-only
Godber is due to appear before the parole board, but a fight with another inmate puts his impending release in jeopardy. It's up to Fletcher to save the day.

About this show

Classic sitcom set in HM Slade Prison starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. Habitual offender Norman Stanley Fletcher is doing five years of porridge at HM Slade Prison. He whiles away the time sharing his wealth of experience with his fellow inmates, particularly naive, young first-timer Lennie whom Fletch takes under his fatherly wing. Classic sitcom written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Winner of 9 awards including 5 BAFTAs, and an Emmy nomination.

Ratings and reviews

4.9
96 reviews
Mark Wilson
May 5, 2019
I love this show, it's a classic along with Open All Hours, Ronnie Barker at his best, cheers me up watching these TV shows.
18 people found this review helpful
gleann nicolas
September 25, 2020
As long as someone always knows what's going-on, anyone articulate nowadays, you will see them before anyone else right? In this case porridge is always remembered as reminding us inside the nick, Fletcher was putting on the lights to hard times. This comedian never left the cell block a matter just got to work on having a right laugh with the authority that be! Made me feel a lot better, thanks to current state. The ones pressed to made cons was on the other hand no way around hardship of living within a poor story believable altogether to go home with. Today people have awoken to resist beyond their forefathers mistakes and with what was going-on. The actual artist that took it straight into prison then they can be seen whom just saw everything other than the battle was against the employed to do other within a depressive state. Work shy or consciously stood up for what they were and/ or forsaken to be them real selves and that is your call watching through? I mean will we ever see a change in local government tactics or when there don't have anyone other to slave about or either get the economy going and on cheap labour. People don't do anything other than workout the past and grow into a new level of conscious. How can there be justice towards when the person is cleaner. Without any laughter inside social isolation, then who knows what would happen probably that we would all end up on the streets nowadays homeless. Retrospectively-speaking from the North of England it is brilliant how porridge saved the cons heritage from prison, you must chill out first and just read however!
Gary James
January 2, 2021
Best comedy off all time 🤣 But I think they should put it on blue Ray like all comedy like this one