Forgive me for adding a negative review to the proceedings, I am struggling to understand what people are finding funny with this show, terribly old fashioned, recycled humour that simply isn't amusing in the slightest. They've attempted to recreate Porridge, the same way in which they brought back the equally terrible Still Open all Hours. What's with trying to bring classics back? Leave them where they are Comedy Gold, surely there are enough talented writers out there to give us new comedy shows?

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.

We get introduced to Norman Fletcher, he's in Prison for internet fraud. And like his famous relative Fletch is on the make. Firstly I liked Kevin Bishop as Fletch, he had a cheeky chappy vibe going on, and was very likable. I thought the script was rather good, a couple of laughs, some nice characters including the new guards Meekie and Braithwaite. Mark Bonnar's character Meekie was rather good and will develop I'm sure. I think there was perhaps a little too much emphasis on copying the classic show like for like, a Scottish guard, a soft guard etc, but all in all I liked it, and am glad a full series was commissioned. As with all new sitcoms the overbearing canned laughter was way to much.Fletch for a new generation can't be bad. 7/10

I don't know what the problem was with the poor professional reviews and the haters. People seem stuck in the past and determined to find fault. I'm 65 and I thought the writing was brilliant and once I got past the first episode, I watched them all back to back on the BBC website. Perhaps I *am* easy to please but I thought it funny and lovingly created. There were just enough differences to make it new for 2017 and yet just enough similarity to appreciate the old 70s sitcom. Yes, we know dear old Ronnie was a comedy genius but I thought many of the actors did a fine job. I certainly didn't even recognize the one who plays the copper on Doc Martin! And the huge tough one with the beard? What comic timing! *And* there were touches of genius about this one as well. When the Scotsman sang? And the expression on the woman guard's face? And did I say that I thought the writing was funny? Bravo. Give us another six, please. Oh, and for God's sake...Goodnight Sweetheart as well.