Comedy fans are constantly arguing about the best sitcom of all time, and I’m here to argue that the 1970s UK comedy Porridge deserves the crown – wittier than Community, more consistent than Friends and significantly less dated than Seinfeld.
A sitcom is, as the name suggests, a combination of unique situation and hilarious comedy, and when it comes to both, Porridge can’t be touched. Here’s why.
Porridge follows two inmates as they begin their prison sentences on the same day: Ronnie Barker’s Norman Stanley Fletcher, aka Fletch, and Richard Beckinsale’s Lennie Godber. While Fletch is a career criminal serving his latest stretch in prison, Godber is locked up for the first time and unsure he’ll be able to cope with years in captivity – enter the father figure he never had.
Porridge takes its name from old British slang for prison, with the term referencing the low quality of food served to inmates.
Over twenty episodes and a movie (as well as sequel series Going Straight and a modern reboot starring Fletch’s grandson), Fletch pushes against the system, stealing small moments of freedom and triumph while ensuring that Godber doesn’t collapse under the pressure of prison or squander the potential to make something of his life once his sentence is over.
Fletch lives by the maxim “don’t let the b******s grind you down”, and is always available to help fellow prisoners flout authority or dodge the attentions of the few genuinely dangerous denizens of Slade Prison, especially if it means taking advantage of well-meaning guard Mr. Barrowclough.
Antagonists include rigid prison officer Mr. Mackay, underworld kingpin ‘Genial’ Harry Grout and regulation-obsessed governor Mr. Venables, while Fletch and Godber serve alongside the illiterate ‘Bunny’ Warren, gay trustee ‘Lukewarm’ and Black-Scottish inmate James McLaren.
What Makes Porridge So Funny?
Like any great comedy, Porridge has a bone-deep love of words. Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ writing never misses the opportunity for a joke, and Ronnie Barker’s portrayal of Fletch is an unparalleled combination of weary cynicism, wounded humanity and paternal protectiveness.
Unable to use cursewords in a mainstream sitcom, Porridge developed a number of new curses for its inmates to throw at each other, some of which entered British slang as a result.
Every conversation in Porridge is a study in comedic rhythm, while never losing sight of each character’s unique outlook. The comedy has a deep sense of empathy and class awareness, and even antagonistic characters like Mackay retain their humanity in both the show and Fletch’s eyes.
At the same time, even the comedy’s most sincere moments include a sting in the tail – Fletch sees the prison system as pointless pageantry that disenfranchises all those within it, but still never misses a chance to lie, cheat or steal when it comes along, and expects the same from everyone else around him. The comedy asks deep questions without offering easy answers.
Is Porridge Really That Perfect?
Written in 1974, Porridge has some hurdles for modern viewers, but far, far fewer than you’d assume. While there are jokes that take race and sexual orientation as their themes, the prejudices almost wholly belong to the characters rather than the show itself, and they’re repeatedly placed under the microscope.
Fletch and Godber count gay and black prisoners not just among their friends, but as part of a community where solidarity is essential to survival.
The show also boasts an essentially perfect run. While other ‘best sitcoms of all time’ like Seinfeld, Friends and The Simpsons have episodes, seasons or entire eras that aren’t worth your time, every episode of Porridge is among the best comedy of all time. Only Cheers really comes close, and Porridge has aged better.
Porridge also managed to capture the reality of life in prison. During its airing, the show was immensely popular with prisoners and prison officers, and I’ve personally heard it called the single most realistic depiction of prison life by a former guard.
Fifty Years Later, Porridge Is Still the UK’s Best Sitcom
Am I a little biased towards Porridge because I grew up loving it? Maybe, but I can’t think of any other sitcom that so perfectly balances witty humor and belly laughs, pathos and slapstick, empathy and cynicism, character and plot, all without ever having a bad episode.
Ronnie Barker is one of the greatest sitcom actors of all time, and the assorted inmates of Slade Prison all seem to come with a complete backstory that informs even the goofiest gags.
More than fifty years after it was written and aired, Porridge remains a masterclass of situation comedy – and really, who could be surprised? What better setting for a sitcom than a prison, where the quarters are close and the stakes range from the mundane to the life-threatening?
Let me know below what you think of the claim that Porridge is the best sitcom of all time, what you consider the show’s best and worst moments, and what shows you’d rank above it.
- Release Date
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1974 – 1977-00-00
- Network
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BBC One
- Directors
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James Gilbert
- Writers
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Dick Clement
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Christopher Biggins
Lukewarm
