The task of rebooting a classic such as PORRIDGE must have seemed daunting. How can the BBC replace such a versatile character as Ronnie Barker, who could assume bourgeois roles such as Lord Rustless in HARK AT BARKER (1969) and then move seamlessly into the lovable rogue part in Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais's evergreen comedy?
Perhaps wisely, director Dewi Humphreys opted not to recreate the late Seventies atmosphere of the Slade Prison but updated this reboot to the present day. It was not Norman Stanley Fletcher who had been banged up this time, but his grandson Nigel Norman (Kevin Bishop), a cyber- crime specialist with a talent for getting the best for himself in a none-pleasant-environment.
The script-writers for this episode remained the same: as a result, several of the themes that rendered the Barker version so popular were explored here. The claustrophobia of an all-male prison, where only the fittest survive reappeared; whereas it was Genial Harry Grout (Peter Vaughan) in the Barker version, now it was Richie Wekks (Ralph Imison), abetted by his substantial sidekick Scudds (Ricky Grover). Even someone as mentally agile as Norman could not get the better of him. The reboot also explored the ways in which prison brings together men of completely different social, economic, and generational differences and forges bonds between them, as Fletcher developed a rapport with aging old lag Joe Lotterby (Dave Hill), who had known Fletch's grandfather in the dim and distant past. Life in prison forges long-lasting memories, despite its disadvantages.
Clement and La Frenais's script contained some conscious pastiches for those with long memories. The chief screw Mr. Meekie (Mark Bonnar) had a name not too distant from Fulton Mackay's Mr. Mackay in the Barker version; while the ineffectual Mr. Braithwaite (Dominic Coleman) had all the malleability of Brian Wilde's Mr. Barraclough. Yet these parallels did not detract from the overall quality of the episode, which remained as goodhearted yet underlyingly serious in tone as the original series forty years ago. If the BBC should consider extending this one-off into a series, then the idea I am sure would work extremely well.
Perhaps wisely, director Dewi Humphreys opted not to recreate the late Seventies atmosphere of the Slade Prison but updated this reboot to the present day. It was not Norman Stanley Fletcher who had been banged up this time, but his grandson Nigel Norman (Kevin Bishop), a cyber- crime specialist with a talent for getting the best for himself in a none-pleasant-environment.
The script-writers for this episode remained the same: as a result, several of the themes that rendered the Barker version so popular were explored here. The claustrophobia of an all-male prison, where only the fittest survive reappeared; whereas it was Genial Harry Grout (Peter Vaughan) in the Barker version, now it was Richie Wekks (Ralph Imison), abetted by his substantial sidekick Scudds (Ricky Grover). Even someone as mentally agile as Norman could not get the better of him. The reboot also explored the ways in which prison brings together men of completely different social, economic, and generational differences and forges bonds between them, as Fletcher developed a rapport with aging old lag Joe Lotterby (Dave Hill), who had known Fletch's grandfather in the dim and distant past. Life in prison forges long-lasting memories, despite its disadvantages.
Clement and La Frenais's script contained some conscious pastiches for those with long memories. The chief screw Mr. Meekie (Mark Bonnar) had a name not too distant from Fulton Mackay's Mr. Mackay in the Barker version; while the ineffectual Mr. Braithwaite (Dominic Coleman) had all the malleability of Brian Wilde's Mr. Barraclough. Yet these parallels did not detract from the overall quality of the episode, which remained as goodhearted yet underlyingly serious in tone as the original series forty years ago. If the BBC should consider extending this one-off into a series, then the idea I am sure would work extremely well.