Porridge

If you love the series this is based on you won't be disappointed (unlike some other tv to film adaptations). The scriptwriters have very smartly avoided the usual trap of taking the characters that work so well on the small screen and putting them in a ridiculous situation that so many other films (like On the Buses) have done with usually poor results. The photography does have a stark realism to it (it certainly looks very cold) and the colour scheme gives the film a certain bleakness but as the film is set in and around a prison it doesn't really take anything away and won't spoil the enjoyment of watching Fletcher and co get up to their normal tricks.

The story fits in well with the characters and settings. Almost all the familiar characters from the tv show are here and having Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais write (who wrote the original tv series) write the film script keeps the continuity of characterisation and wit going. As usual Ronnie Barker totally steals every scene he is in, even against veteran character actors like Fulton Mackay and Peter Vaughan (as Grouty). The whole thing is an almost seemless transition from tv to silver screen with some wonderful funny dialogue and charming supporting actors thrown in (including a very young Daniel Peacock as a newly incarcerated inmate).

There is a sadness knowing that Richard Beckinsale passed away at the ridiculously young age of 31 just weeks after filming wrapped but at least the film doesn't dishonour his memory. As a swansong to him and as an adaptation to probably Ronnie Barker's most beloved character this film doesn't disappoint, even if the tv series is still marginally superior.

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais seized the opportunity the 1970s genre of British sitcom movies offered. they took it, few other scriptwriters did. This was, namely, the chance to do on the silver screen what they could not do on prime-time BBC.

Lovable caricatures are subtly toned down here - Fletcher begins with the persona from the sitcom then changes. The quipping, upbeat Fletcher is revealed as a mask for the born loser/survivor he truly is.

The opening scenes where new character 'Grudge', a new, young inmate, is booked in and led around by the wardens could easily have been taken from John McKenzie's 'A Sense of Freedom'. Mckay, too, is deftly rendered a touch more three-dimensional. His mantra bemoaning the inmates' status as lower than normal people betrays his true feelings.

Peter Vaughan's Kray-like 'Grout' again all but turns to the camera and says "That's a cartoon version of me on the telly - I'm really a nasty piece of work'. The film very subtly does that which recent Brit comedy-turned-movie 'The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse' deliberately attempted - the creation of real-world versions, far less comfortable versions, of the stalwart caricatures of the TV show's pantheon.

"Porridge" the movie was made some time after the last episode had been completed-some time, in fact, after the sequel "Going Straight" had been shown. This does not deter at all from the fun, and as TV spin-offs go, this rates as one of the best; due almost entirely to the quality of the original characters from the timeless BBC comedy series. Ronnie Barker was never better than when he assumed the mantle of our anti-hero Norman Stanley Fletcher; aided in no small way by outstanding character support- the wonderful Fulton Mackay as his strutting nemesis Prison Officer Mackay, coupled with the genial Barroclough (Brian Wilde) and a menacing Peter Vaughan as Grouty. Add to this the poignancy of seeing Richard Beckinsale in his last film appearance before his tragically early death at 31 a few weeks after the film's completion and it becomes clear that the film, although no masterpiece in itself, should be treasured keenly by all who value British comedy at its best.

sadly cant put an 11 rating of this film as it certainly deserves it. This is a spin off from the TV series and only the name and characters are the same. The plot, unlike other sitcoms-turned-movies like Steptoe, Dads Army and Are You Being Served, is completely new.

Brief outline as here is no way I'm going to spoil it for anyone. Barker is the lovable rogue Fletch and he has been put in charge to arrange a football match in order for another con to escape. The jokes are fresh, the story is fresh and the characters are fantastic. This deserves Oscars for performance, script and direction.

Catch this on DVD. Its well worth the money and the time to watch it.

Starts off as good as a TV episode, but the laughs fade towards the end, the escape is all a bit silly and too contrived. As usual, some great one-liners from Barker and 'Grouty' remains one of the most threatening characters you'll ever meet in a comedy!