The BEST episodes of Porridge

Every episode of Porridge ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Porridge!

"Fletch", sentenced to a five year stretch at HM Prison Slade in darkest Cumbria, is determined to keep his head down, do his time and not let the b******s grind him down. But it's not so simple when you're an old lag. His naive cell-mate Lenny Godber needs to learn the ropes, skives and scams; evil Prison Officer Mackay can't be allowed to run things his own way and warden Barrowclough is just too weak-willed not to have his good-nature exploited... Starring Ronnie Barker, Fulton Mackay, Richard Beckinsdale and Brian Wilde.

Last Updated: 2/29/2024Network: BBC OneStatus: Ended
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Pardon Me
star
8.07
57 votes

#1 - Pardon Me

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/11/1977

Old Blanco is doing time for the murder of his wife. He still swears he wasn't guilty. Now he's up before the Parole Board and it looks as if he's sure to be released. Blanco surprises everyone by turning down parole when it's offered to him. He explains that, if he accepts parole, he'll also be admitting that he was guilty of a crime for which he was wrongly convicted. He insists that he'll only leave prison if he's offered a full pardon. Fletcher comes up with a plan to help him.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
Poetic Justice
star
7.92
36 votes

#2 - Poetic Justice

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/25/1977

Fletcher's new cellmate turns out to be the judge who sentenced him to five years in Slade Prison.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
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A Test of Character
star
7.91
57 votes

#3 - A Test of Character

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/18/1977

Godber is working hard for an extra O-level. Fletcher tries to persuade him that cheating would be a good way of ensuring success in the examination. Godber isn't convinced.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
A Storm in a Teacup
star
7.90
158 votes

#4 - A Storm in a Teacup

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/18/1977

When a bottle of pills goes missing from the Doctor's surgery, Harry Grout is worried that investigation of the theft by the prison authorities will jeopardise some of his activities. Grout insists that Fletcher must find the pills and return them before the warders can take action.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
Men Without Women
star
7.85
132 votes

#5 - Men Without Women

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/10/1974

Fletch fancies himself as a bit of an agony aunt and is called upon by his fellow inmates to help out with affairs of the heart.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
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Disturbing the Peace
star
7.85
114 votes

#6 - Disturbing the Peace

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/7/1975

When Mr Mackay leaves Slade Prison, Fletcher thinks that "happy days are here again". Until, that is, he meets Mr Mackay's replacement.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
The Harder They Fall
star
7.80
99 votes

#7 - The Harder They Fall

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/28/1975

Godber takes up boxing and wins a place in the prison championship, so Fletcher sees a chance for a bit of a flutter. Then Harry Grout takes an interest and insists that the fight is 'fixed'. When one of Grout's rivals takes a similar interest in Godber's opponent, it looks as if nobody can win. Fletcher, however, has other ideas.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
Happy Release
star
7.74
92 votes

#8 - Happy Release

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/21/1975

Fletcher is having a spell in the prison hospital with a broken ankle. He's sharing a ward with old Blanco, who tells him that another inmate has swindled him out of his belongings in a crooked card game. Fletcher hatches a plan to recover Blanco's belongings and to take revenge on the culprit.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
No Peace for the Wicked
star
7.69
108 votes

#9 - No Peace for the Wicked

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/14/1975

It's Saturday afternoon and Fletcher looks forward to a quiet read. Everyone else seems to have other ideas about how Fletcher should be spending his time.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
The Hustler
star
7.62
152 votes

#10 - The Hustler

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/12/1974

Ives is such a loser that if Elizabeth Taylor had triplets, he'd have been the one in the middle. But there's no way he's going to be left out of Fletch's gambling enterprise.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Final Stretch
star
7.56
88 votes

#11 - Final Stretch

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/25/1977

Godber is due to appear before the parole board, but a fight with another inmate puts his parole in jeopardy. It's up to Fletcher to save the day.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
Ways and Means
star
7.55
137 votes

#12 - Ways and Means

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/3/1974

Who would want to spend eight hours a day sewing fishing nets? Not Fletch, who is hell-bent on a cushy job in the library.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
New Faces, Old Hands
star
7.51
160 votes

#13 - New Faces, Old Hands

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/5/1974

“Twenty-three and you want to go straight? What kind of talk is that? You've got your whole life in front of you!” It's Godber's first time in prison, and Fletch is going to teach him the ways.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Rough Justice
star
7.45
113 votes

#14 - Rough Justice

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/4/1977

Fletcher is worried that Judge Rawley might rob him of his main source of income - writing letters for illiterate inmates.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Just Desserts
star
7.40
104 votes

#15 - Just Desserts

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/24/1975

There's an outbreak of petty pilfering from the inmates in Slade prison. Fletcher is disgusted - after all, stealing may be a job on the 'outside', but it's despicable when it happens 'inside'.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:Amazon
Heartbreak Hotel
star
7.38
105 votes

#16 - Heartbreak Hotel

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/31/1975

Godber gets bad news from his girlfriend. Fletcher tries to provide help and advice, but perhaps daughter Ingrid might provide a more suitable solution to Godber's problems

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Night In
star
7.28
135 votes

#17 - A Night In

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/19/1974

Fletch explains to Godber that the best way to cope with his first night in prison, is to see it as just a "quiet night in". Trouble is, Godber's got another 698 to go.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Day Out
star
7.27
142 votes

#18 - A Day Out

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/26/1974

The rest of the working party are thrilled to have a day out, but Fletch is masking indifference - what's so exciting about digging a ditch anyway?

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV