It's often considered one of the BBC's finest comedies ever made and is mentioned in the same breath as Fawlty Towers and Blackadder.
Porridge, which ran for three seasons from 1974, saw veteran comedian Ronnie Barker play a crook who was imprisoned for... anyone remember? It's a pub quiz classic, this? Stealing a truck full of booze.
Anyway, the classic sitcom is due for a modern-day reboot according to a recent interview with the show's creators, Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais. The writing duo have reportedly been commissioned by the BBC to create a new series of Porridge set in a modern-day prison.
The early idea focuses on the grandson of Ronnie Barker's character, Fletch. According to the pitch, the as-yet unknown character will be imprisoned for computer hacking. It's not yet known who will take on this role and what format the series will take, however it's understood that the pilot will be screened as part of BBC's comedy season next year with the hopes it'll be picked up for a full season.
So, thoughts? Porridge is a classic, obviously, and if the original writers are back on board for it, then why not? As for who'd be in the role of Fletch's grandson, somebody like Nick Frost from Shaun of the Dead would be a perfect choice. He's got that same effortless charm that Barker had and, of course, he's well known to audiences.
What do you think? Is a Porridge reboot a good idea? Let us know in the comments!
Via Sunday Times
