I watched this again over 3 decades after it was made with younger folks. How to make it relevant to them? The jokes fall flat in our new millennium — like the 'oh he's gay, so it's funny'. This in a sense made it relevant because it shows what was seen as funny back then.What hadn't changed is the Class War aspect which is clear and present as the backdrop, starting with the accents. Quentin Crisp joke that 'In the US your accents shows where you're from. In contrast to the UK where your accent shows where you're from'. The middle accents come from the 2 governors of the prison. The official governor, from privilege and boarding schools and the shadow governor, the prisoner who runs things from the inside with aspirations of class, displayed by his brilliantly acted faked accent.Between official and shadow governance is the space Fletcher moves, bopping and weaving. Fletcher, the main character we all watched Porridge for, is the survivor. He's not for the system or against the system to fight it, he just wants to get it off his back and get by (straight outta the book and movie 'The Spook Who Sat by the Door. Watch for his delivery of the line to a prison officer 'you, I, we are merely here to establish the status quo'.So yea, this old grimy film worked well as a conversation trigger on the 'how things were back then' theme, without any nostalgia, giving a new lease of life and relevance. Why was it a comedy unlike say HBO's brilliant Oz series? As the man said, if you going to tell people a painful truth you better make them laugh.Shadow Governance

What a quality movie this is. I like this film so much that I would actually put this in my top ten movies ever (and I've watched a hell of a lot of films). I first watched this over one Christmas when I was a child when video players had first come out in the UK and my Dad bought a whole load of pirate videos back from his local boozer (about 1983).I saw this before I had experienced any of the brilliant series of porridge which is also very good. As said in previous comments a lot of these TV spin off either try and take the characters completely out of their environment (Are you being served, Holiday on the Buses or George and Mildred) or just rehash every funny joke from the original series (Rising Damp is an example). There is no amazing story to this film just a chain of events that lead to the bungled escape by Oakes who takes Fletch and Godber along with him and then their attempt to break back into prison. The jokes and various stories are all new and just as you think that it maybe running out of steam we have thirty minutes of them on the outside (but still not out of their environment as the theme is still the same). Even the soundtrack is really good with Joe Browns excellent 'Inside' (think thats what its called) and the opening credits, Neilsons 'Without you'. With Clement and Le Frenais you feel that they have thought through the whole story process and developed the story properly. The only other spin off I could probably say the same about is the Likely Lads which is also very good. The major criticism this film comes in for is that it came after the sequel series 'Going Straight' and there some confusion to whether the characters had ended up back in prison. I just see it as another story from when they where in nick. Simple.

What is odd about this film is that i didnt know it existed.There are many spin off films made from British Comedy series's such as Steptoe and Son , On The Buses and Are You Being Served all of which are shown at christmas at far too shorter intervals and all are far inferior to the actual TV shows. Porridge is different. This has hardly ever been seen on TV and is very funny , even funnier than the TV series. Ronnie Barker has a fantastic knack of comedy timing. When he delivers the punch lines you cant help but smile or in the case of this film laugh out loud. The film is very true to the programme and has all the characters we have grown to love over the years.The story is nothing spectacular but it does not need to be because the interaction between wardens and lags is what makes the film. This is one of the best comedy series to film i have ever seen. 8 out of 10.

Porridge concerns the lives of a group of prison inmates. The brilliant Ronnie Barker plays Fletch, cheeky, good-natured, optimistic, quick-witted and able to handle all the little foibles of the other prisoners and guards to his advantage. Think of an Ivan Denisovich without the Siberian background. The trouble begins when Mr Grout, an aristocratic crime boss at the top of the prison hierarchy, 'requests' Fletch to suggest to the guards a celebrity football match, where a team of famous faces will play a team of prisoners.Never having seen the Porridge TV-series, I can't comment on any differences or similarities. However, it is hard to top the quality of this little comedy. The script is an excellent mix of character, witty word-play, amusing plot and some physical comedy, done in a way that only the British seem to do so competently. The situations in the prison are believable, and even the minor parts are well-rounded characters. Almost every other line contains some memorable gag. Some examples "Beware of him. He's known as the butcher of Slade Prison." "What did he do?" "Fiddled the VAT on some sausages." And then there's: "What's a peccadillo?" "South African bird that flies backwards to keep the sand out of its eyes." "No, that's not it. But I know what you're thinking of. That's called an armour-dildo." Oh, and how about that scene of the governor losing his self-respect and teeth in a huge pot of curry?A brilliantly written and well-acted comedy. Highly recommended.