Start of first series of Porridge

Image: Fulton MacKay, Ronnie Barker, Brian Glover and Richard Beckinsale in episode one 'New Faces Old Hands'.

The first series of Ronnie Barker's much loved sitcom Porridge was broadcast on 5 September 1974. Barker starred as Norman Stanley Fletcher, "an habitual criminal who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard" serving time in HMP Slade. It was written by Dick Clements and Ian la Frenais, who managed to mine comedy gold from the disparate characters banged up together, while not ignoring the unpleasant facts of prison life.

Fletcher shared a cell with the impressionable Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale. Other prisoners were played by a fine cast, including Brian Glover, Christopher Biggins, Tony Osoba, David Jason and Peter Vaughan. Fulton McKay played the strict prison officer Mr McKay, while Brian Wilde was the gentler Mr Barrowclough, showing 2 extremes of the system. The only regular female role was Fletcher's daughter Ingrid, played by Patricia Brake.

The characters of Fletcher, Mr McKay and Mr Barrington were first seen in the pilot, Prisoner and Escort, which aired as part of Barker's Seven of One series the previous year.

Porridge ran for 3 series until 1977, with two Christmas specials. In the final episode Godber is released on parole, and goes on holiday with Ingrid. Brake and Beckinsale were back with Barker in Going Straight, which followed Fletcher's life after his release. There was also a Porridge feature film. Porridge is frequently voted among the top sitcoms of all time and its enduring popularity ensures it is still repeated today.