Porridge, Rising Damp and Open All Hours

[stuart.uk]

Porridge is British slang for life in prison. It was also the title of an all-time great sit-com and it's classic spin-off feature film. It was daring in the sense that it was a sit-com about life in Prison, but also retaining a bit of realism. it's simaliar in many ways to Peter Sellers Two Way Stretch. Porridge also inspired a sequal Going Straight

It starred Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, a thief, trying to keep his nose clean during a five yr prison sentence. His cell mate Lenny Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale, was an innocent in jail for the first time with Fletch taking him under his wing. in the sequal Going Straight, Godber gets romantically involved with Fletch's daughter Ingrid, played by Patrica Blake.

Fulton Mackay played hard nosed Scottish chief Prison Officer Mackay with Brian Wilde as the more understanding Mr. Barrowclough. Peter Vaughan made rare. but great appearences in the series and the film as Harry Grout, the gang leader, who unoffically ran the Prison.

In the feature film during a football match on Prison grounds, a jailbird makes an escape, but is forced, at gunpoint, to take a reluctant Fletch and Godber with him. After a while he releases Fletch and Lenny, who have to find a way of breaking back into prison without being missed.

Ronnie was one of Britain's greatest comedy actors. He made his name on David Frost's The Frost Report where he met stand up comic Ronnie Corbett. Soon after The Two Ronnies were form and IMO next to Morcambe And Wise were the UKs top double act. As a comedy actor he created Arkwright, the money-mean grocer an Open All Hours with another legend David Jason as his middle-aged errand-boy nephew Grandville and Lynda Baron as Nurse Gladys Emanuel, the great love of Arkwright's life. The show also had a great supporting cast with a young Barbara Flynn (Miss. Potter) as the milk woman, who Grandville carried a torch for with two battle-axes Mrs. Featherston, played by Stephanie Cole, who in reality was much younger than her character, and Kathy Staff as Mrs. Blewitt.

Richard Beckinsale was a great talent, who looked like he was going to be a massive star, but he died of a fatal heart attack at 31. Richard made his name in The Lovers, a nice little sit-com with Paula Wilcox. He also played the tennant Alan, who rented a room from the slimey Rigsby, played by Lenoard Rossiter in Rising Damp, which was also turned into a popular film.

Richard's legacy after his death continued with his acting widow Judy Loe, their daughter Kate, who's an International star and another child from his first marriage Samantha, who played a fire-woman in London's Burning

[charliechaplinfan]

I loved Richard Beckinsale. He was so young and so talented. Stuart help me out here, I was about 7 when he died but what was the programme he was in with Paula Wilcox was it The Lovers? I remember him mostly from Rising Damp which has to be ITV's most successful comedy show.

[stuart.uk]

Yes it was The Lovers

[charliechaplinfan]

I thought so. I was so young but even at the age of 6 and 7 he caught my attention. I was at the age that you don't really watch what your parents are watching on telly because it doesn't engage a young mind quite enough. He stood out, probably because he was young, handsome and funny. I remember him dying, I must have been 7 and I was coming back from a swimming lesson. Isn't it funny what we remember from when we were younger?

It was only as I watched the repeats of Porridge and Rising Damp that I appreciated their humour. Of the two I favour Rising Damp. Open All Hours came along slightly later, I liked that too. It seems so dated now because most of our corner shops have disappeared.

[stuart.uk]

I wasn't sure if it was a good idea putting this on a thread, talking about actors not known in America. However, I thought fans of Kate Beckinsale might like to hear about her talented father, her mother Judy Loe and sister Samantha.

Besides both Porridge and Rising Damp were turned into successful movies, even if they didn't get seen in the States and the late Ronnie Barker, who played Albert Finney's Churchill's butler in The Gathering Storm, was a world class comedy actor/writer of the top drawer

[stuart.uk]

I wasn't sure if it was a good idea putting this on a thread, talking about actors not known in America. However, I thought fans of Kate Beckinsale might like to hear about her talented father, her mother Judy Loe and sister Samantha.

Besides both Porridge and Rising Damp were turned into successful movies, even if they didn't get seen in the States and the late Ronnie Barker, who played Albert Finney's Churchill's butler in The Gathering Storm, was a world class comedy actor/writer of the top drawer.

During the early runs of The Two Ronnies, many of the scripts were written by a mysterious gag writer, not even Ronnie Corbett knew of him, but it was later revealed it was Ronnie B