After serving his sentence at HMP Slade, habitual criminal Norman Stanley Fletcher (Ronnie Barker) is released on parole, determined to go straight. His resolve is immediately tested by the challenges of civilian life and the domestic chaos of his London home. Fletcher’s naive former cellmate, Lennie Godber (Richard Beckinsale), has not only moved in but is also engaged to Fletcher’s daughter, Ingrid (Patricia Brake). While Fletcher struggles with temptations from his old life, the well-meaning Godber attempts to keep his future father-in-law on an honest path, a reversal of their roles in prison.
The series faced the unenviable task of following Porridge, one of Britain’s most accomplished sitcoms. Writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais inverted the original premise: where Fletcher was a master of his confined environment, here he is an awkward fish out of water. The comedy is drawn from his attempts to adapt a criminal’s mindset to the mundane frustrations of family life and legitimate employment.
While it never achieved the iconic status of its predecessor, the sequel was a critical success, winning a BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy. The production is given a particular poignancy as it features one of the final performances by Richard Beckinsale, whose death in 1979 brought a premature end to a gifted comedic actor’s career.
Broadcast: BBC One, 6 Episodes, Fridays, 24 February – 7 April 1978
Written by: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Producer and Director: Sydney Lotterby
Theme Music: “Going Straight” by Howard Blake, lyrics by Clement and La Frenais, performed by Ronnie Barker
Main Cast: Ronnie Barker (Norman Stanley Fletcher), Richard Beckinsale (Lennie Godber), Patricia Brake (Ingrid Fletcher), Nicholas Lyndhurst (Raymond Fletcher)
