No Way Out

As a prisoner attempts to tunnel his way to freedom, Harry Grout drags Fletch into the operation.

This is a strong festive episode with great humour and character moments.

The story has an amusing concept that sets up a number of humorous dialogue exchanges between various characters. Individuals like MacKay, Barrowclough, Grouty and the prison doctor are used well by the writers. I think my favourite moments involve certain instances of theft and also the contrasting attitudes of the prison guards.

One exchange of dialogue regarding Barrowclough and a stolen bicycle is absolutely hilarious.

All actors are on great form; especially Ronnie Barker, Peter Vaughn, Fulton MacKay and Brian Wilde.

For me it's an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.

Christmas in prison is not easy especially when a suspicious Mackay is wandering about. However the inmates get plenty of practice for Christmas carols. Then again the noise is meant to drown out the noise of an escape tunnel being dug underneath.

Fletcher wants his own means of escape, spend Christmas week in hospital with a dodgy knee but the prison doctor is having none of it. Then Harry Grout drops in for a favour which leads to a day out from the prison so Fletcher can retrieve a parcel for Grout.

However when Barrowclough's bike is stolen Mackay cancels all Christmas festivities, Fletcher has a plan to get a drop on him though.

A longer Yuletide episode but the laughs are consistent and a nice comedy pratfall by Barker at the end.

The only one of the two Porridge Xmas Specials that actually embraces Xmas as part of the comedy scenarios. There's carol singing aplenty, but that is a front as it's a device to hide an escape attempt being made by one of the prisoners, which as Fletch points out spells doom for all the prisoners. The comedy is mined here by the cons trying to stay one step ahead of the screws under the guise of Xmas frivolity, and by Fletch trying to wangle a week in the prison hospital to get out of the way of things. There's even a day out of the prison thrown his way, fraught with danger of course! Then it's to the resolution that leads in with a smashing bit of physical comedy, and closes with a gag so smart that the fans of the show can't fail to belly laugh. 8/10