On the Rocks

The gag with someone digging for loot in the centre of a well known sports pitch did appear in an episode of the original British series called "Happy Release". This concerned a soon to be released prisoner called Norris, who is tricked into buying a treasure map from Blanco Webb (David Jason). At the end of the programme Norris is arrested trying to dig up the centre circle of Elland Road football ground, home of Leeds United. The episode was first transmitted in November 1975.

Coincidentally, supporters of George Davis (who was in prison after being convicted of bank robbery) dug up the pitch at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds during an England/Australia Test match in August 1975, causing it to be abandoned.

The last comment about the bit that the BBC could not have afforded to do is wrong, they did that bit at Leeds Football ground when an inmate is released and Fletch and Blanco (David Jason from Only Fools & Horses) conspire to fool him.

Happy Release (Originally Transmitted 14 Nov 1975)Fletcher is enjoying a stay in hospital but has to stay in the ward with the unpleasant Norris. Norris is due to be released and Fletch cons him into buying a treasure map with the possessions he took off old lag Blanco Webb. Norris hilariously finds himself digging for treasure in the middle of Leeds United's football pitch.

I was sorry when it went off the air. The show was funny but I'll admit it had its share of juvenile humor. Which was fine. It was nice because they actually had exterior scenes which is rare due to time and expense. There was scene that stands out in my memory. To keep it clean, let's say it was the scene that involved the gas tank on the prison van and the prisoner who had to relieve himself.

It's true that I've never seen "Porridge," but I think this show was genuinely underrated. As far as I know, about the only attention it got was negative - it was called too light a comedy (considering the subject), and was also accused of being full of ethnic stereotypes, which it really wasn't. And it was full of very good comedy actors, some of whom I've hardly seen since, like Jose Perez as Fuentes, the leader of the group. And Melvin Stewart, one of the most underrated character actors of all (even his great "All In The Family" character seldom gets mentioned when people write about that show), as the nasty guard (at least, by LIGHT COMEDY standards), always trying to get something on the main characters, especially Fuentes. And Tom Poston as the nice, put-upon guard (again, I've never seen Porridge, so I don't know the similar character on that show, but Poston was very good). And Rick Hurst, who's made a career out of playing likable oafish characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series and agree with the above comments. I only want to add that the series ended probably because of the setting. People don't want to be identified with convicted criminals. However, I could see through that. This series, overall, was hilarious and I don't remember any character being miscast. Great comedy, great acting, great writing, uncomfortable setting. My favorite episode had to do with writing love letters. The lead character, Fuentes, was the letter writer to the spouses and girlfriends of the other inmates. He rented out his services for a small fee. I would love to be able to see all the episodes again. The stories depicted the inmates as just ordinary human beings who made mistakes and ended up in prison. The prevailing thoughts of many in that time period was that all incarcerated criminals were evil human beings who are a threat to society. The series portrayed them as a lot more gentle inside. It would be safe to say that if a new series debuted today it would be shot down right away. The quality of the program can be confirmed by the many actors who moved on to become household names in comedy and drama. Many of the actors are still active in 2010, or they are still available though in an advanced age. Hopefully though someone can bridge the gap and give us this type of humor again.