1 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:25,400 When Porridge first hit our screens in the mid-'70s, 2 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:31,880 it pulled in audiences of 20 million and was hailed as a British sitcom classic. 3 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:38,720 Our map of Comedy Connections takes us on a 40-year journey to see how writers, director and actors 4 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:44,280 created a series where the "sit" and "com" were in perfect harmony. 5 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:49,520 People say Porridge was the best thing I did. I think they're right. 6 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,640 The reason it has endured well is it doesn't date. 7 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:59,680 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven - EIGHT. 8 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,800 Huh! Would you Adam and Eve it? "Go to jail"! 9 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:13,880 At the time, none of us thought this would be going 25 years later! 10 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,960 It was just impossible to believe. 11 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:22,400 - All right, Fletcher. Just don't let me catch you thieving! - I won't. 12 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,640 - You won't what? - I won't let you catch me, Mr Mackay! 13 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,400 The recipe of Porridge's success is easy to see with hindsight. 14 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,160 Two of TV's best writers gave great material to a talented director, 15 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,920 who brought the best out of a gifted cast. How could it fail? 16 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:47,440 Especially when, at the heart of Porridge, in the part of Norman Stanley Fletcher, 17 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,440 was a comic giant - Ronnie Barker. 18 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,880 To achieve that success, it needed Ronnie Barker, 19 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,680 and the reason why is because you needed 20 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:10,120 an actor of consummate skill in acting 21 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,360 and a total knowledge of comedy. 22 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,800 - That's from me. Bit mundane after cigars - but - I - knitted them! 23 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,240 Did you? Aren't they nice! Lovely! 24 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,760 I'll wear the other one when I get the bandage off, cos... 25 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,800 - They're mittens! - Eh? 26 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,240 Oh, yeah - look at that! Oh, yeah! 27 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,800 So how did it all begin? 28 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,440 In the early '60s, the BBC gave two friends - 29 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:49,800 trainee TV director Dick Clement and insurance salesman Ian La Frenais - 30 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:54,720 the opportunity to write a comedy series called The Likely Lads. 31 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,360 Two teas, love. One with, one without. 32 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,520 Sugar's on the table. 33 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,160 Steady! Some's gone into the cups(!) 34 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,320 Audiences appreciated The Likely Lads' grip on real life 35 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,360 and its lack of sitcom sofas. 36 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:16,840 But sofas became part of the furniture in the follow-up success, 37 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,240 Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? 38 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,280 It was an interesting time in TV - 39 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,120 people willing to try new things. 40 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:30,920 So we were lucky to be in the right place at the right time. 41 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:37,960 Meanwhile, Ronnie Barker had been playing second fiddle to Jimmy Edwards in More Faces Of Jim. 42 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:42,840 Then he emerged from the shadow, appearing in The Frost Report 43 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:47,120 with Ronnie Corbett and a pre-Monty Python John Cleese. 44 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:51,960 You stand before this court charged with arson, manslaughter, 45 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,880 robbery with violence, rape, treason 46 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:00,160 and three separate cases of murder. What have you to say for yourself? 47 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,760 I'm terribly sorry! 48 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:09,280 The success of The Frost Report marked Barker as a talent to watch and he was given his own show. 49 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:14,040 Hark At Barker saw the start of a long association with David Jason. 50 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,680 But it was the collaboration with Ronnie Corbett 51 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:22,440 that launched the BBC on a hunt for a suitable starring vehicle. 52 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,960 Seven Of One was designed to be pilots for possible series. 53 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,800 It WAS to be Six Of One, so I could then do Half A Dozen Of The Other. 54 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:38,320 But some wise executive added another script which put paid to that as a title. 55 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,080 I commissioned some writers I'd been working with. 56 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:47,840 Two from - cos there were seven programmes - so I got two from... 57 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:54,440 Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, cos I'd done Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? with them. 58 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:00,720 The first of the two pilots by Clement and La Frenais introduced the public to Fletcher 59 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:06,800 and to prison officers Mackay and Barrowclough. 60 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,960 I suggested one episode could be a prison episode 61 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,600 but mine was much more jokey - a sort of Bilko in prison. 62 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:20,360 I talked to Dick and Ian and they wanted to do something deeper. 63 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:25,880 - A Happy New Year to you, Fletcher. > - Oh, yes - very witty, very droll(!) 64 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,360 Prisoner And Escort had a guy 65 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:35,800 who wanted to escape, so we knew that the character, mixed with Ronnie's kind of attitude, 66 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:41,640 was someone up to something, So that was the core comic thing. 67 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,160 - Don't come it with me! - I wouldn't, Mr Mackay, 68 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:50,080 or you'd wait till Hemel Hempstead and chuck me out the window. 69 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,160 - He wouldn't do that! - I suppose not. 70 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:57,960 He couldn't spell Hemel Hempstead - he'd wait till we got to Rugby. 71 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:03,000 CLEMENT: It's fair to say that the fact that it had great performances 72 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,320 by Brian Wilde and Fulton Mackay 73 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:14,000 gave you a head start. One had already established the bones of a different relationship 74 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,320 between Fletcher and each of those two prison officers. 75 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,200 He'd bring back the birch, him. 76 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,760 - What's he on about? - Mr Mackay runs group activities. 77 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:29,200 Oh, yeah? Like rock-breaking and compulsory potholing. 78 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:35,720 This is where another essential ingredient was added - the director Sydney Lotterby, 79 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:40,480 whose record included Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and The Liver Birds. 80 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:44,200 His skill at getting performances from artistes 81 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,640 is demonstrated by Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii. 82 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,320 - There, there, there, there! - Oh! 83 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:53,160 - Oh, there, there, there, there! - Oh! 84 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,680 - Ever so there, there, there! One for the road. - Oh! 85 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,120 Oh, there, there, there, there! 86 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:03,080 LOTTERBY: The thing about comedy - about ALL television - 87 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:08,120 is that the actor and the director - we are both, in fact, interpreters. 88 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:13,440 The person who's got all the business, of course, is the writer. 89 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:19,960 The creative team of writers, director and star that would make Porridge was now in place. 90 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:25,080 They also did a second Seven Of One pilot - I'll Fly You For A Quid - 91 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:28,120 about a Welsh family of gamblers. 92 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:32,160 That's all going at 13-2, plus his original stake, 93 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:35,880 that's 1, carry...5...that's 7, that's... 94 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:42,400 My God! £848.42! 95 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,240 Approximately. 96 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:46,440 Less tax. 97 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:49,120 No - I've allowed for that! 98 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:53,160 It was make-your-mind-up time, as they said in the '70s. 99 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:59,760 How different the history of TV comedy might have been if the BBC had followed Barker's instincts. 100 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:06,320 It wasn't my favourite episode. The Welsh one, I thought would make the best series but I was talked round. 101 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,360 The BBC agreed to a series based on Prisoner And Escort 102 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:14,200 but it would be 18 months before it started recording, 103 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:21,640 and Clement and La Frenais tested the waters at ITV with a series called Thick As Thieves. 104 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:25,680 It starred Bob Hoskins as an ex-con who returns home 105 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:29,800 to find best mate John Thaw has moved in with his wife. 106 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,240 Cut yourself shaving? 107 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:34,680 Every time you raised your voice! 108 00:08:34,680 --> 00:08:38,720 - There's TCP in there. - No, we keep it in the bathroom. 109 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:41,000 Oh, DO we?! 110 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:47,440 - ITV were... - It didn't quite work. - There's something about ITV, they didn't do that stuff as... 111 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:54,440 The BBC always did the half-hour comedies better than ITV, but this SHOULD have worked. 112 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:58,080 We liked it. We were high on Thick As Thieves then. 113 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,440 Confronted by the reality of six Porridge half-hours, 114 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:07,800 getting laughs from incarceration looked like being hard labour, 115 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,240 though the setting had one big advantage. 116 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:16,760 The best situation comedy has always been in a confined environment, 117 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:24,160 and there's nothing more confined than prison, so all those were valid reasons, but we had to overcome... 118 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:29,560 the real horror of it, because prison is a deeply depressing place. 119 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:36,960 The breakthrough came when they met former jailbird Jonathan Marshall 120 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:43,480 who'd written a book about his time inside. This gave Clement and La Frenais the key to their character 121 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,880 and how he could handle the daily, grinding tedium. 122 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,120 Fletcher would survive on little victories. 123 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:52,640 I get a bit depressed at times... 124 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,720 We both remember that key phrase, 125 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:02,120 that it was the kind of minutiae of everyday existence, 126 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:09,320 the way that people like Fletcher, who are survivalists, look for an edge, or victory over "the man". 127 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,440 You see yourself as working-class, 128 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:19,280 - do you? - Yeah. At least, I used to until I went up to Glasgow once - now I see myself as MIDDLE-class. 129 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:27,080 Those victories were won against the man who embodied the system. 130 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:34,280 Bringing the character of Prison Officer Mackay to life was his namesake, actor Fulton Mackay. 131 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:41,680 Mr Mackay's battles with Fletcher gave the series most of its conflict and plenty of big laughs. 132 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:44,080 Do everything by numbers? 133 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:51,280 I refuse to rise to your bait, Fletcher. 134 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:55,320 And it is naive of you to assume that I would. 135 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,280 Even with your old lady - numbers? 136 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:05,800 - IN SCOTTISH ACCENT: - I'm about to make passionate love to you. Stand by your bed! 137 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:12,120 Wait for it, wait for it! Two, three - knickers down! 138 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:19,400 Before entering Slade Prison, Fulton Mackay had played a host of straighter roles, 139 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,920 including one where the Doctor arrived a little too late. 140 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,760 Fulton Mackay was in the running to play Doctor Who 141 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,440 when Jon Pertwee hung up his hat. 142 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,480 But the prison gates opened as the TARDIS door shut. 143 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,520 On his release from Slade, Mackay was to play Local Hero's beach bum 144 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:48,320 and appear with the Muppets as the lighthouse-keeper in Fraggle Rock. 145 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:54,520 Fulton's whole body language, 146 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,240 everything he did, the way he moved 147 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:02,440 and his little twitches - you can't WRITE that. 148 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:07,480 That's when an actor takes over a role and says, "This is now mine. 149 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,960 "This is my suit of clothes and I'm wearing it." Fantastic! 150 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:18,360 - Never turn your back on them! - I've always thought the way to encourage trust was to SHOW trust. 151 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:24,080 Mackay's cohort, Barrowclough, was a whole boxful of soft centres 152 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:30,440 and a gift for Brian Wilde who had worked with Barker in the 1964 film The Bargee. 153 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:34,200 Then he played Foggy in Last Of The Summer Wine. 154 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:39,560 I'm all right. It's just that I get these murderous tempers! 155 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:42,040 No, on the whole, 156 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:48,240 you really shouldn't say anything to me that you couldn't safely say to John Wayne. 157 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,360 Meanwhile, back in the clink, cast members were still being recruited. 158 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:58,920 An important piece of the jigsaw - finding Fletcher's cellmate. 159 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:04,320 We wanted to create a character who had never been to prison before. 160 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:10,600 That way, the audience could learn about...the routine things 161 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:13,040 that prison life involves. 162 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,080 So cast as Fletcher's cellmate - 163 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:20,600 step forward Lennie Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale. 164 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,880 You WAS expecting me? They informed you? 165 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:26,760 - They informed me. - Only temporary. 166 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:33,440 - You're too right, only temporary! Single cell, this is - it's mine. - It's not MY fault. - I'm just saying. 167 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:39,960 Richard Beckinsale first starred on TV as Geoffrey Scrimshaw, the boyfriend of Paula Wilcox, 168 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:42,480 in two series of The Lovers. 169 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:49,680 He then played student Alan Moore in the bedsit sitcom Rising Damp and took on Leonard Rossiter. 170 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:54,920 - Shake hands. - Get him out of here! - Why? - It's morbid. 171 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,320 I have to study anatomy, or how can I set bones? 172 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:04,360 - If they make you a doctor, I'll write to the Medical Council! - It's someone to talk to, 173 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:09,160 and it's musical. # Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones... # 174 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:10,920 That's not funny! 175 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:18,960 Godber started prison life working in the kitchens but rose rapidly to be Fletcher's sidekick 176 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,480 and perfect bottom-bunk occupant. 177 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:26,960 How different it might have been if the BBC followed Barker's instinct. 178 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:32,000 I didn't know his work. Indeed, I'd suggested a guy called Paul Henry 179 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:37,040 as Godber to the director. He's a chap I'd worked with a year before. 180 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:44,920 But the director said no. He thought that Richard had such warmth and charm and...innocence. 181 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,760 Keep your nose clean, do your porridge. 182 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,880 - I'm only here due to tragic circumstances. - What? 183 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,960 I got caught. 184 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,280 He and Ronnie hit it off immediately 185 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:04,640 and there was a father-son thing which worked extremely well. And Lennie was enormously sympathetic. 186 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:11,160 - You stop that! - What! - That! Drawing attention to other people's peculiarities. 187 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:17,760 I was saying to Jackie, too many youngsters poke fun at people cos they got short legs or long legs. 188 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,200 Who's Jackie? 189 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,840 Jackie - him in the hobby shop. 190 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,080 Little fat poof with the ears like jug handles. 191 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,800 - LA FRENAIS: - Fletcher became the reluctant mentor of this guy 192 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,880 who he didn't want in his cell but was put in his cell 193 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:35,560 and who also didn't know anything. 194 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:40,680 So the audience got a sense of the rules, what you do or don't do. 195 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:47,520 It's the one place where you can get freedom. Dreams is your escape. No locked doors, no barriers. 196 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,040 Dreams is freedom. 197 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,560 - Freedom? - Yeah. 198 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,520 No locked doors, is there? 199 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,040 Hey, yeah. ..Hey, yeah - you're right, Fletch! 200 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:05,560 The Porridge team now had to find a cast of supporting characters to ensure this prison worked. 201 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:08,960 Out came the form book and the names selected were... 202 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,720 Sam Kelly as Bunny Warren... 203 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,760 I'd read books if I could read. 204 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,560 'Never knew what his real first name was.' 205 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:23,000 And he was in for burglary 206 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,560 because he couldn't read the sign that said "Burglar Alarm"! 207 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,480 Christopher Biggins as Lukewarm... 208 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,520 - Reading a book? - Oh, don't YOU start! 209 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:38,800 Go on knitting your balaclava - there might be another war. 210 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:46,920 BIGGINS: Lukewarm was the iron hoof, in the Cockney slang - the poof. 211 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:51,040 This character - an extension of myself - was always knitting. 212 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,160 Tony Osoba as Mad Dog McLaren... 213 00:16:54,160 --> 00:17:00,200 Never knew my father, ma that didn't want me, orphanage, and I'm black with a Scots accent. 214 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:02,640 What d'you want - happy-go-lucky(?) 215 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,280 - It could be worse, son. - Could it? 216 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:11,120 No, I don't suppose it could, really. 217 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:13,800 OSABA: The scripts were just easy - 218 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:19,360 easy to learn, easy to do. You felt, "This just works beautifully." 219 00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:25,400 And playing Fletcher's daughter, Ingrid, with a voice that could strip paint, Patricia Brake... 220 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,680 ..Are you wearing a bra? 221 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,600 - I don't need to. - What d'you mean? 222 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,120 Haven't for ages. My breasts are firm and pliant. 223 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:37,560 Please, Ingrid! 224 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:43,200 This isn't St Tropez - it's Slade bleedin' Prison! 225 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:47,760 There's 600 men in here who'd go berserk at the sight of a shin, 226 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:50,280 never mind unfettered knockers! 227 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,840 I knew it was special in rehearsal. 228 00:17:52,840 --> 00:18:00,160 If something makes YOU laugh that you're in, you know it's good. 229 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,920 Paul Henry might've missed the boat as Godber, 230 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:09,160 but national acclaim came his way as Benny in Crossroads. 231 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:13,000 A casting idea of Barker's that did pay dividends 232 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,640 was a young actor who played characters much older than he was. 233 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:23,200 As the geriatric lifer Blanco Webb, shuffle forward David Jason. 234 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,720 We all know you didn't kill your old lady, 235 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:31,200 so some other bloke did and you've paid the penance for it, 236 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,400 but I don't want you going out harbouring any thoughts of revenge. 237 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:39,920 No. I know him what did it. It were the wife's lover. 238 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:45,320 - But I shan't look for him. He died years ago. - That's all right, then. 239 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,840 That I do know. I killed him. 240 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:56,560 I had no idea who David was. Ronnie said, "I know who can do this part." 241 00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:00,880 So I looked at David Jason and thought, "He's so young! 242 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:04,720 "He can't do this." He said, "HE can do it." 243 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,760 David Jason had a glorious comedy future ahead of him. 244 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,800 He had form and most of it was linked to Ronnie Barker. 245 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,280 As well as appearing in Porridge, 246 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:20,320 he appeared with Ronnie in Hark At Barker as a 100-year-old gardener 247 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:26,760 and as a hitman in The Odd Job, hired by a suicidal Barker to bump him off. 248 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,800 Leave it to me. When you're least expecting it... 249 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:40,520 - Y-Yes, that sounds reasonable. - Think nowt of it. - Thanks. - Right. - Well, I suppose... 250 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:49,000 The relationship continued when Jason appeared again with Barker 251 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,520 as Granville in Open All Hours. 252 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:55,920 Porridge, meanwhile, went from strength to strength. 253 00:19:55,920 --> 00:20:00,880 Its smooth running meant everyone got time off for good behaviour. 254 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:05,280 It was an incredibly smooth process. It doesn't happen that way. 255 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:11,240 - It was too easy. - Nothing went wrong. - We'd record the programmes... 256 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:16,320 - What time? - Eight o'clock. - We'd be in the bar by 9.15. 257 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:20,920 Mr Mackay is a strict Glasgow Presbyterian, you know. 258 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:25,520 Sex is only allowed up there when Rangers beat Celtic! 259 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:31,440 'I found Fletcher a very appealing character to play. He was crooked,' 260 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:36,000 always looking for a swindle and trying to trick the authorities, 261 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,720 but he respected fairness, I think. 262 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:42,280 A cheeky character - he made me laugh. 263 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:47,960 7.30 - slop-out, supper, 7.45 - lights out. Any questions? 264 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,480 - Any point? - None whatsoever. 265 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:55,840 Clement and La Frenais' writing was always very, very funny. 266 00:20:55,840 --> 00:21:00,680 Very little alteration required. I would add the odd gag, 267 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:05,880 but it was practically the finished article on the first read-through. 268 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:12,280 Their scripts are always so good there's not much to do, which is great for a director. 269 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:18,440 And if you've got good actors, all you do is let them get on with it, 270 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,360 make sure you don't get in the way. 271 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:28,480 And as you'd expect from a prison comedy, Clement and La Frenais liked to give themselves a stretch. 272 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:33,000 The episode, A Night In, was set entirely in one cell. 273 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,000 Dear God, thank you for getting me through another day. 274 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:41,840 Thank you for the letter from Denise and the liquorice allsorts. 275 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:47,360 Please look after Denise, and the same applies to me mam, dad - 276 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:53,520 - wherever he is - Auntie Vi, Uncle Donald, Uncle Les and Auntie... - Here! 277 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:58,160 Is this a prayer or a dedication on the Jimmy Young Show?! 278 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:02,840 It was a great challenge to have just two people talking in a cell. 279 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,680 It was lit very dark - it was at night. 280 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,200 It was just very atmospheric and very good 281 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:16,640 and it was the first BAFTA it won, so that's a reason why it was my favourite too! 282 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:23,160 Despite its huge audiences, Porridge came to an abrupt stop after a mere 21 episodes, 283 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:29,000 bringing to an end if not Her Majesty's, then everybody else's pleasure. 284 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,880 We only did three series. That was my fault. 285 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:37,400 I didn't want to get stuck with being identified as Fletcher. 286 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:45,080 I've seen actors stay too long in one character. Harry H Corbett as Steptoe - it happened to him. 287 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:50,120 After Porridge, Barker returned to another of the Seven Of One pilots, 288 00:22:50,120 --> 00:22:52,840 corner shop sitcom Open All Hours. 289 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:58,360 He teamed up once again with Sydney Lott and his protege David Jason. 290 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:02,720 David Jason was, as always, a delight to work with. 291 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:07,760 His timing and sense of comedy are superb, and a riot off camera. 292 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:11,800 I've never laughed so much as I did with David. 293 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:15,160 - Who's it for? - 11. - You wrote 111. 294 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:19,000 I've started st-stuttering in writing now! 295 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:25,600 Even though Ronnie Barker wanted to move on, that didn't cut much ice with the BBC, 296 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:30,640 and in their efforts to revive Fletcher, they resorted to drink. 297 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:36,280 The BBC invited us to a thank-you lunch which went on till 5 o'clock, 298 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:41,320 and after the seventh or second - I lost count - large brandy, 299 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:46,040 we walked out having agreed to do a sequel called Going Straight. 300 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:50,000 # I'm going straight, I am 301 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:54,400 # Straight as an arrow... # 302 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:58,360 I'd agreed to do one series of Going Straight, 303 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:05,240 but it didn't seem to please the public. They missed the threat and discipline of prison. 304 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:10,280 When I decided to work, I worked out all my qualifications. 305 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,160 Know what they boiled down to? 306 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:19,840 One driving licence. 45 years on this earth, that's all I got! One driving licence. 307 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,440 Even that's got two endorsements. 308 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,480 Fletcher was always a winner inside. 309 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:32,080 When he went outside, for Going Straight, he was a bit of a loser. 310 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:37,600 - They're all right. - They don't go in this room. 311 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,840 They will do when they're personalised. 312 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:43,480 All you need's a family photo. 313 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:48,560 That's all you need. Just a little ornament, like that. Perhaps a... 314 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:55,840 Going Straight marked the first sitcom role for Nicholas Lyndhurst 315 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:58,840 as Fletcher's gormless son Raymond. 316 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:05,680 The series had an impeccable pedigree. All the collaborators from Porridge were involved again, 317 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:10,520 but despite a plot which saw Godber marrying Fletcher's daughter, 318 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:15,240 it showed the public thought Fletcher belonged behind bars. 319 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:21,840 I think the reason it didn't work was the public wanted more Porridge and it wasn't the same. 320 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,360 But there was more. In 1979, 321 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:30,880 Porridge followed in the footsteps of many '70s sitcoms, making the transition to the big screen, 322 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,560 although it never measured up to the original. 323 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:41,200 For the American market, they had to reintroduce characters that were already well-known in this country. 324 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:47,120 So, in a way, for me, 20 minutes of the film was...wasted, 325 00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:53,520 because they had to reintroduce Mr Mackay and Mr Barrowclough, which was a shame, really. 326 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:59,760 Luckily, there was more to life after Porridge than repeat fees, though they're still coming in. 327 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:04,120 Sam Kelly made a good impression, appearing in The Two Ronnies, 328 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:07,360 and starred as Hans Geering in 'Allo 'Allo. 329 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:10,080 CUCKOO! CUCKOO! 330 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:20,000 Tony Osoba kept Charlotte Coleman in line in Educating Marmalade. 331 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:26,360 Patricia Brake recreated June Whitfield's part of Eth in the TV version of The Glums 332 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:31,440 before become really glum, after appearing in the doomed Eldorado. 333 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:37,600 Christopher Biggins became successful in panto, playing... 334 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,120 Christopher Biggins. 335 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:43,080 What about the stars of Porridge? 336 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,880 Richard Beckinsale never fulfilled his glorious early promise. 337 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:53,920 In 1979, he died during the filming of the sitcom Bloomers, at the age of 31. 338 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:59,880 His daughters Kate and Samantha carry on the Beckinsale acting tradition. 339 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:05,440 # For he's a jolly good fellow For he's a jolly good fellow... # 340 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:12,320 Fulton Mackay continued to deliver meticulous performances up to his death in 1987. 341 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:19,360 But it's for his creation of Mackay, the scourge of Slade, that he's most fondly remembered. 342 00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:25,640 # For he's a jolly good fellow For he's a jolly good fellow... # 343 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:31,280 Sydney Lotterby retired from TV in January 2003, 344 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:35,880 after an association with the BBC that lasted over 60 years. 345 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:42,200 He rounded off his career directing As Time Goes By, which ran for 10 years. 346 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:47,000 Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais moved to Hollywood after Porridge - 347 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:53,760 something that suits them. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and The Commitments were written in LA. 348 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,960 But for them, Porridge remains an enduring highlight. 349 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:05,480 Now and again, everything goes, "Click, click, click." I don't think it's happened since! 350 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,680 It was just extraordinary. 351 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:14,480 And what of Ronnie Barker? Playing Fletcher made him king of comedy, 352 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:20,160 a title he held on to until his last series Clarence in 1988, 353 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,200 when he decided to retire. 354 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,640 In the last couple of years, I've appeared in films, just for fun. 355 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,480 But I'm still definitely retired again now. 356 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,600 You see a difference in Fletcher. 357 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:40,160 Sending him home has made him realise what he's been missing. 358 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,920 He's been on a mug's game all these years. 359 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:49,480 He's had the cockiness knocked out of him. We've seen the last of him. 360 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:53,200 You can't beat the system, Mr Barrowclough. 361 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,280 Oh, sorry.