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While looking for an alternative TV Comedy, I decided to check out TV Gold and saw Porridge.

Mistakenly I assumed it was the original TV series, which is one of my absolute all time favourite shows.

But it turned out to be the latest programme, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I don't know how this excruciating garbage ever got a Pilot Episode, let alone commissioned into a regular show.

At the very least Auntie finally called time after just 1 Series, a heartfelt relief for all us fans of the original show.

And the dear departed Ronnie Barker, can finally have peace, and stop spinning in his grave.

I just can't comprehend people rating this poor excuse of a comedy higher than 1. I love the original porridge. It didn't force the jokes and the characters were believable, but the remake is just a travesty. Do yourself a favour. Don't watch this.

The original was superb, a classic, a perfect example of good writing And great acting by perfectly cast actors. This is the polar opposite.

I need to be honest I didn't make it to the end, is was so bad it was unwatchable if you have seen the original. Even if you had not seen the original I don't think it works as a comedy, it's lame and dated.

I need not make any further comment about this remake of an iconic sit-com, other than a pilot episode was made as part of a celebration of great British sit-coms. I'm just wondering where the sense was in making a whole series, which nobody wanted or asked for?

Generally I prefer the classics to be left alone, and this is a little dated in its format and of course no prison was ever like it.

But there was enough to make me smile and laugh a few times. The thing I do dislike is Kevin Bishops delivery, its too reminiscent of Ronnie Barker and I understand why, I just find it annoying.

I've seen 2 minutes of this pathetic remake. Why oh why would anybody want to make a remake of the wonderful Porridge with the late great Ronnie Barker. His comedy timing was impeccable. As for this rubbish, you certainly can't call it comedy, the timings were late and it certainly was not impeccable. I've just wasted 2 minutes of my life and BBC I'll forgive you!!!!!!

What is it with people knocking this series? I thought it was fantastic, yet all I heard from critics and friends alike were moans of 'can't touch the original' and 'makes of a mockery of the genius of Barker' etc. You know what? I bet Mr Barker would have loved it.

Heart warmingly funny, genuinely amusing with great characters, it was like a step back in time. I get fed up of comedy constantly reinventing itself - funny is funny and this certainly was. It warmed my heart.

Firstly, this is not a remake, as this is set now and Fletch is the grandson of Norman Stanley Fletcher. Obviously it draws inspiration from the 70s sitcom, and Kevin Bishop does a fantastic impression of Ronnie Barker, which works as the similarities running in the family would be plausible. Also Mark Bonnar is brilliant too I think and looks like he revels in the role of the modern day Mackay.

It's far too easy to quickly judge this and dismiss it, as I almost did, but glad I didn't as considering the giant shadows that were cast before them and footsteps they had to fill, I think the 2 leads were an inspired choice of casting, and couldn't imagine anyone else pulling it off nearly as well.

I notice Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais are credited with writing these new episodes as well, so the humour is obviously similar, but the scripts we know are nothing without the perfect delivery and I think everyone in this series delivered.

Really impressed, and grateful that the wonderful world of Norman Stanley Fletcher and Fulton Mackay lives on.

Wonderful PC remake of a classic, female prisoner officer, female governor, plenty of African prisoners, no jokes except PC ones, an example, fletch said to someone you will be the oldest prisoner and he said no there was an axe murderer who is 86 and the canned laughter started up. To sum up like the old show except all the humour taken out and replaced with lashings of political correctness.

One of the all time great British sitcoms totally ruined , weak comedy , poor acting, such a shame as could of been so much more.

Pity it was axed, was looking forward to Raymond Fletcher (Going Straight), Fletch's dad in future episodes.

An insult to the original and its cast.

Script x Humour x Acting x Quality x

In summary, don't bother.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I absolutely love the original and know it inside out - I often quote from the original Porridge with friends and family (e.g. " I read a book one, Green it was"; "When I think of me going home to my wife...................Sometimes I wish I was in here with you lot"; the list goes on and on. So having read poor reviews from the luvies at the Guardian and Telegraph along the lines of it was a very poor replica, my expectations were set low. Perhaps that explains why I enjoyed it: low expectations. Bishop is excellent ; OK he is doing a bit of an impression of Fletch, but it is an excellent and convincing one and I got drawn into his character in a similar way I did with Barker's Fletch. The ensemble cast is very strong: some brilliant performances. The scene with the lad on the phone to his girlfriend with Fletch telling him what to say had me in stitches. You can never get near the original. That was absolute perfection. Consign that to history. But I felt privileged to be able to watch such a strong cast perform a script from the original writers. The indelible DNA of those two writers is evident in the dialogue and the construct of the jokes and situations, which is a bit like getting into a warm bath. Lovely to see all of this working and being brought back to life in this sitcom. More please. I will be watching it. As for the luvies, I will give them 2 fingers from Fletch through the keyhole.

I'm not going to spend any amount of time on this and neither should you.. This is written by the original writers, I can only assume they ran out of ideas back in the 80s as their grip on modern humour is zero, even tho they obv have researched modern tech and lingo.. Still feels outdated tho. Terrible rubbish. Terrible writers (now). Once these guys polished scripts to perfection.. Now they polish turds.

Don't expect laugh out loud hilarity. But then there was not that much in the original. What this is - for me - is a welcome half hour of relaxation with the odd smile. No filth, no bad language, a welcome trip down memory lane. To summarise, it was like meeting a friend you haven't seen for a few years. And listening to some familiar stories. Bring on the next series.

I've rated this 2 because I don't like to rate anything either 1 or 10, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, and so far I've only seen the Special, and episodes 1 and 2, currently available on BBC iPlayer.

I just finished a long overdue rewatch of the original series and Going Straight this week. Perhaps that was my mistake, it's too fresh in my memory now. But I was fancying a little more charming witty prison comedy so gave it a shot.

I appreciate that they've modernised it, making Fletcher a computer genius, but they made a big mistake. In the original series, the prison was just the setting, and the focus was on the varied colourful characters. In this, I feel like they focus too much on "look, they're in prison!" with transitional shots of CCTV cameras and exterior shots, and they've neglected to make the characters interesting or memorable.

Now I'll be first to admit, with my rewatch so recent, perhaps I'm being unfair in making direct comparisons, but this one stands on its own - they've made Fletch *obnoxious.* It's like Porridge by way of the Brittas Empire. His character doesn't sound witty or well written, he sounds like he's reheased the cleverisms in the mirror and he's reciting them when he has an audience. I get it, I'm autistic, I do that too :p but he lacks the naturalistic charm that made OG Fletch such a delight. New Fletch feels like he's waiting for his turn to recite his lines. I know nothing else of the chap's career so I won't comment on his ability to act, I can only say that his ability to act in this doesn't really vibe. It feels almost like he's self aware that he's in a show. He's smarter than everyone else, and knows it. He lacks the playful ease Ronnie Barker brought to his Fletcher. And so far - again I've only seen a few episodes - there haven't really been any stakes. In the original there were times that were genuinely tense, with consequences for things going South. So far, this feels more like it's just a set up for punchlines.

I don't know if I'll watch the other episodes. I might for a sake of completionism, but I don't think it will change my score. This is a really joyless interpretation of a really brilliant show. You'd be better off rewatching the original, honestly.

The writers from the 1974 Porridge wrote this 2017 Porridge. Both stories follow the Fletcher family history of misfortunate imprisonment. The similarities between the 1974 & 2017 Porridge are simple and styled to bring to the forefront of our minds the original 1974 backdrop story.

Some writers assume much, whilst other writers cater for an unassuming audience/reader. The bigger picture... the classics 'revisited', not remakes or replicas.

Just to reiterate... it really is just a continued Norman Fletcher story - through the eyes of his grandson Nigel Fletcher. This 2016/2017 Porridge is not a replica or a remake of the original series. It serves as a Sequel to the 1974 original series, it enhances Norman Fletcher's backdrop story about the male Fletcher family history of imprisonment - as noted in the 'Prisoner & Escort' episode of 1974. It also captures the very essence of the three 1974 seasons of Porridge and condenses the three seasons into 7 short episodes.

Basically, this version of Porridge relays a few open lines & throw away comments stated by Norman Fletcher in the original series such as: "It's All The Same! Porridge Is Porridge"! (S1: Ep1; entitled 'New Faces, Old Hands').

No one would ever dare dream of casting New Faces to walk or work in the role or shadows of an Old Hand & legendary master like Ronnie Barker.

The brilliance of this 2016/2017 Porridge, is that it is a brilliant piece of TV Writing. Most spin-off series or sequels stay current during the height of it's popularity - even if it happens 2-3 years later as in the case of 'Stranger Things' or 'Young Sheldon'. If they can get away with using the same old actors to act or do voice overs they do, but this is a bold move - a continued old story written or aired decades later with a new set of actors. Ironically, it does more to reawaken the spirit of the 'classic' past series.

At least we know that Norman Fletcher is a man of his word. He did 'bide his time'. After his 5 year stretch ended, he did go straight and never went back into prison as was stated in 1974: S1: Ep 6 - Men Without Women.

Technology has changed over the years & changed aspects of prison life - and that's what the writers concentrated on - the technology. We see several camera shots & hear several conversations about the technology & prison life.

The Technology: An electronic locking system instead of the traditional lock & keys. Burglary & 'Thieving' stuff is old school. Computer Hacking, Mobile Phones/Devices & ID Theft is the new way forward for career criminals - which is what grandson Nigel Fletcher is into. It's these 'aspects ' that are highlighted as the writers give us more of that Fletcher family history of charm, sharp & witty sense of humour, with the continuity of adding another male Fletcher from the same family, to the Fletcher family ancestral role of imprisonment.

Love It! I found myself wanting more & wishing there was more episodes.