Porridge
Seen it?1974 | 3 seasons | 30 min | Comedy
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It was critically acclaimed and it's still drawing plenty of interest, though it had a short run with a modest audience. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Arrested Development, start here.
- The mood
- Light and funny.
- The pace
- 3 seasons: a few weeks of evenings, short, snackable episodes, about 9 hours in all.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1974: an older pace and style.
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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
Critically acclaimed
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Ran for 3 seasons and reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 129K people sought it out in the past year
Season by season
The show overall is a Sunday Safe Bet. Here's how each season stacks up; Series 3 is the high point.
Series 11974 · 6 episodes · 8.2 out of 10Saturday- Series 21975 · 6 episodes · 7.6 out of 10Sunday
Series 31977 · 6 episodes · 8.5 out of 10Friday
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Created by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
- Ronnie BarkerNorman Stanley Fletcher
- Richard BeckinsaleLennie Godber
- Fulton MackayMr. Mackay
- Brian WildeMr. Barrowclough