Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1767 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-10-01
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 175 minutes

Special Features
4:3 Full Frame
DVD 9
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English
Dolby Digital Mono
Exclusive Interview With Ronnie Barker
Scene Selection
Artist Profiles
None

Synopsis
This collection presents the entire first series of the classic 1970s comedy Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale (Kate's father) as prison inmates. Lennie Godber (Beckinsale) is the new kid on the block, and, luckily, tough guy Norman Stanley "Fletch" Fletcher (Barker) is looking out for him. Episodes include: "New Faces, Old Hands," "The Hustler," "A Night In," "A Day Out," "Ways and Means," and "Men Without Women."

Customer Reviews

Comedy at it's very best
From a dark dingy prison comes a show you can watch endlessly - and actually feel a warmth towards the main character - a common thief!

That takes good writing, but most importantly great actor's - enter Barker and Beckinsale - a perfect combination. They work so well off of each other, a great testimony to Ronnie as he had the same ifinitey with David Jason in Open all hours.

Life lessons with a smile - excellent.

Sit back - get comfortable and prepare to laugh!

Another one of my absolute favourite British sitcoms
Ronnie Barker's performance as fletcher in Porridge is in my opinion in the ultimate comedy league of acting that has been matched but not bettered. If I had never heard of Ronnie Barker and saw and episode of THE TWO RONNIES, OPEN ALL HOURS and PORRIDGE continuously one after the other, I honestly don't think I would be sure that it was the same person, he was that good, a comedy perfectionist that my own generation depressingly seems to lack. Seriously, where are the future RONNIE BARKERS?, LEONARD ROSSITERS? and JOHN CLEESES? etc., nowhere to be seen, partly because people don't need to have any real acting talent to feature in a modern sitcom.

Although Ronnie Barker's performance in OPEN ALL HOURS was outstanding, I personally will always prefer Porridge but probably because I just like darker sitcoms overall. If there was such a thing as a book called THE ART IN HOW TO MAKE A FUNNY AND TIMLESS SITCOM, then Porridge would definitely be mentioned. Below I have written what a part of this book might say.

THE WRITING MUST BE OUTSTANDING, PUT A SARCASTIC, WITTY AND HUMEROUS CHARACTER IN THE LEAD ROLE BUT MAKE SURE IT IS NOTHING LESS THAN A PERFECT PERFORMANCE BY THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS THIS ROLE. ADD SOME REGULAR CHARACTERS BUT MAKE SURE THEY ARE TRULY UNFORGETTABLE ONES AND THAT WHOEVER PLAYS THESE ROLES ARE AT THE VERY LEAST GREAT ACTORS. DON'T USE BAD LANGUAGE, TRY AND KEEP SMUT TO A MINIMUM AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, FILM IT IN A BLAND AND TIGHT SPACE, THIS WAY THE WRITING AND PERFORMANCES WILL ALWAYS STANDOUT TO THE VIEWER MORE THAN THE SURROUNDINGS. IN ADDITION TO THIS, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU TRY AND SPEND SOME TIME WATCHING ONE OF THE CLEVEREST BRITISH SITCOMS THAT THERE WILL EVER BE, FOR EXAMPLE, PORRIDGE. ENJOY.

I'd Give it 10 Stars if I could
Easily one of the top TV comedy series of all time, Porridge is just about perfect: the scripts, acting, direction and flow of each and every episode just work so well. The shows have now been re-issued on four DVDs, with one DVD devoted to the Christmas specials.

Ronnie Barker is of course brilliant, but is ably supported by the late Richard Beckinsale, Fulton Mackay and other minor characters played by excellent actors, for example, Peter Vaughan is brilliant as `Grouty'. Even actors who only appear in one show, such as the guy who plays `Napper' Wainwright', are good.

The show is funny, of course, but there are moments of pathos which show you what prison does to people.

This is a series which repays repeated viewings to make you appreciate how good it was/is. Going Straight was a sequel to Porridge, and is very much worthwhile, too, even if it lacks this show's classic status.