7 of 1

Ronnie Barker gave the fans two of the most popular characters in British comedy: Fletcher the crafty but affable convict and Arkwright the stuttering tight-fisted shopkeeper. For the comedian to act in and write seven different episodes with seven different stories, it is a testament to Ronnie Barker's gifts as a comedian and writer that he was able to create all those characters. After viewing all the episodes, I would say that the pilot episodes of "Porridge" and "Open All Hours" are the funniest. Everything fell into place when the comedian first played those particular characters. However, I also enjoyed "Spanner's Eleven" where he was the coach of the worst football team, the laughs are pretty good and a regular series should have resulted. "One Man's Meat" is fairly good but I reckon a one off episode is enough. The homage to Laurel and Hardy was OK and Roy Castle and Ronnie Barker did a good job as the legendary comedy team. The material wasn't quite strong enough though. The other episodes I'm not too keen on. "Seven of One" is the ideal opportunity to see one of the funniest and most versatile British comedians at work. His comic timing and his acting are impeccable and natural.