Going Straight

The ongoing adventures of Fletcher after he leaves prison. And whilst it falls just short of that brilliant show it is still better than a lot of other comedies.

That's not to say it's terrible, because it isn't. But when you are trying to make a sequel to comedy gold and it comes out silver then a slight disappointment may appear. Many of the original cast make appearances but the scenario and situation means that some of the original zeitgeist disappears. Ronnie Barker is uniformly excellent of course but a little of the magic that made Porridge such a memorable and brilliantly written series has been lost at this point. However there are still enough laughs to keep it going. Worth watching but not quite as memorable as it's predecessor series.

Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement did a solid job of following up a classic comedy by giving Ronnie Barker's great character Fletch another opportunity to shine.

Instead of prison life, Fletch negotiates his way through the unforgiving economic climate of 70s Britain. In six episodes, we see him attempt to rebuild his life, which has some fairly compelling moments. Will he go straight or revert to type?

Naturally, it has lots of humour thanks to the numerous situations the writers devise to generate laughs. The banter is as strong as Porridge and delivered wonderfully by Barker. The only weaker aspect in comparison is that Going Straight mostly relies on Barker and, in some scenes, his partnership with Richard Beckinsale to carry it. Porridge had an impressive range of characters that complemented each other so well.

My favourite episodes are 'Going Home', 'Going, Going, Gone', and 'Going Off the Rails'. However, all six are worth watching if you like Barker and Porridge.

For me, it's a 7.5/10, but I round up.

Well, I got the DVD of Going Straight the other week, and put it with my DVDs for Porridge. I've read all that stuff that says GS wasn't received as fondly as Porridge - and I've also read that Ronnie Barker thinks it's just as good. I am in full agreement with Mr Barker here.

First off - yes, Going Straight dispensed with the "less is more" approach that made Porridge (and almost all the greatest sitcoms bar Fawlty Towers) so brilliant. But that's the only problem I have with it.

I suspect that the people who dismiss this show were disappointed because it wasn't just more Porridge. Well, the whole point is that he's been released on parole. Alternately, for the people who miss Warren, Lukewarm and Grouty - remember that they were all sent down from different parts of the country, and so when released, all went home to different parts of the country. To have them all on the outside together would not be realistic. The only fellow ex-con to be kept in the series was, of course, Lennie Godber. Plus Fletch's daughter Ingrid has a much bigger part in this series - again, to be expected.

Certainly, the series still has the same emotional resonance - Porridge dealt with the pressures of being in prison, and Going Straight deals with life on the outside for ex-prisoners, and the prejudices they are up against. Much like the prejudices that sequels tend to be up against . . .

Overall, I like this series. Not quite as much as Porridge, I'll admit. But certainly enough to recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Porridge. Who said that sequels aren't as good?!

I thoroughly endorse Liam's well expressed review. Going Straight deals with the same person in very different circumstances and one that has to have non-humorous aspects. The episodes are clever, and funny where they need to be, very funny, with Fletch's repartee as sharp as ever. And his delivery is flawless. I found myself chuckling all the time I wasn't feeling sorry for him or worried about him. It's an excellent supplement to the wonderful Porridge. And Godber was as perfect in his new circumstances as he ever was. Interesting to see some supporting actors who went on to considerable acclaim themselves. If I have any reservations they are only about Ingrid's London accent - though nothing could ever be as bad as Dick Van Dyke's chimney sweep.

Couldn't agree more with another review on here, if both shows we're called "Fletcher" no-one would have spotted the join between this and Porridge. Ronnie Barker just as great as ever. And what a tragedy we lost Richard Beckinsale so early, truly talented young actor. Along with a supporting cast of Fulton Mackay (even though only 1 episode) and Patricia Brake as Fletch's daughter. Even a very young Nicholas Lyndhurst as his son. Maybe the support hasn't got as many purely comical characters as Porridge (Warren, Maclaren, Ives, Barrowclough etc) which probably just takes the slight edge off if you wanted to compare the series seperately. Still worth a revisit, or getting acquainted with if you liked Porridge and didn't catch this. And a catchy theme tune just to add the finishing touch. Great memories