Last year the BBC commissioned a load of pilots and remakes of classic sitcoms, which resulted in people asking one particular question: “Why?”
Did anyone really like these? Some people must have done because one of those pilots has now been given the full series, namely a sequel to Porridge, but even before the pilot was aired people hated it, so it’s pretty shocking that this, or indeed any of the pilots got recommissioned. The series follows Norman Stanley Fletcher’s grandson, Nigel Norman Fletcher (Kevin Bishop) serving in Wakeley Prison for computer hacking. This episode sees Fletch helping his fellow inmates with some letter-writing.
If this show has one thing going for it, it’s that the original writers, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, are still writing it, but they will never been able to fill the gap left by the late Ronnie Barker.
Porridge is on BBC One at 21.30, and the entire series will be released on BBC iPlayer at 22.00.
