Porridge (film)
| Porridge | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Dick Clement |
| Produced by | Ian La Frenais |
| Written by | Dick Clement Ian La Frenais |
| Starring |
Ronnie Barker Richard Beckinsale Fulton Mackay Brian Wilde Peter Vaughan Sam Kelly Barrie Rutter Daniel Peacock Christopher Godwin Geoffrey Bayldon |
| Music by | Joe Brown |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Porridge is a 1979 film based on the television series Porridge. It was released under the title Doing Time in the United States. All the warders and inmates from the original series appear in the film, with the notable exceptions of Lukewarm, Heslop and Harris. There is also a different governor, played by Geoffrey Bayldon.
The film, set a year before the final episode of the TV series, includes one of the last appearances by Richard Beckinsale, the actor who played Godber. He died in March 1979, a few weeks after its completion.
When new prison officer Beale (Christopher Godwin) suggests that Slade Prison set up an inmates versus celebrities football match, Fletcher (Ronnie Barker) becomes the prison team's manager. The match proves the ideal situation for newly arrived violent armed robber Oakes (Barrie Rutter) to escape. The escape is arranged by Grouty (Peter Vaughan), the prison's Mr. Big, who forces Fletcher to put Oakes in the prison team.
The celebrity team arrive in a coach and during the match Oakes feigns an injury and is taken to the changing rooms where he meets an accomplice, the driver of the coach. They then exchange clothes and Oakes ties the coach driver up. Shortly after Godber (Richard Beckinsale) is concussed and Fletch takes him to the changing rooms. Oakes forces Fletcher and Godber into the coach's luggage compartment at gunpoint and drives out of the prison on the pretext of topping up the fuel.
Oakes meets further accomplices and all three then drive off in another vehicle. The escape is detected but Fletch says he doesn't want to be out as both he and Godber only have a short amount of time to serve. Oakes releases them and Godber and Fletch manage to get back to the coach, which is about to be driven back to the prison. At the prison both convicts slip out of the coach and smuggle themselves in the prison officers' club's store cupboard where they are later found, drunk.
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