 |
| "Pardon Me" | |
|---|---|
| Porridge episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Sydney Lotterby |
| Written by | Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais |
| Original air date | 11 March 1977 |
"Pardon Me" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It aired on 11 March 1977. In the episode, elderly prisoner Blanco Webb is due to be paroled, but he does not accept it, as he would be admitting his guilt. Fletcher and the rest of Slade Prison petition to the Home Office for Blanco to be pardoned.
The episode opens during recreation hour where Fletcher is playing Monopoly with elderly inmate Blanco Webb. Mr Barrowclough tells them to finish the game as it is locking up time in five minutes. Lukewarm, Blanco's cellmate, scolds Blanco as he promised to make sure he has a clean shirt for his parole hearing the next day. Godber wonders why Blanco was not paroled years ago. Fletcher comments that it is because Blanco has always protested his innocence, whereas the parole board would prefer him to be "guilty but ashamed".
That night, Godber asks Fletcher what Blanco was convicted of. Fletcher explains that Blanco murdered his wife and hid her body in the freezer. Godber is horrified and cannot believe it because Blanco seems like a nice old man.
The next day, Blanco has been granted parole. At first, they reminisce about 1959. Fletcher remembers that he sold a stolen car that year, and Godber remembers he was in junior school. Blanco, however, bitterly remembers 1959 for the year he was incarcerated for something he did not do and refuses to accept his parole.
Fletcher meets Blanco on his allotment and scolds him for his stubborn attitude. Blanco believes that Fletcher is after his rhubarb and strawberries, but Fletcher promises to look after the allotment if Blanco is freed. Blanco remembers the time he grew grapes but was forced to pack it in after making wine.
On Saturday afternoon, Fletcher, Godber, Warren and Lukewarm start the Campaign and Release of Old Webb (CROW). They ask Mr Barrowclough to sign the petition, but he refuses, so Fletcher forges Barrowclough's signature.
Later, the petitioners are brought before the Governor, who disapproves of prisoners' petition groups. Barrowclough states that they have the right to, under the Penal Code. Fletcher warns the Governor that the feeling is so strong, it could cause trouble for the prison officers, especially as Blanco has threatened to go on hunger strike in protest. Mr Mackay believes Blanco to be a "stubborn old fool" for refusing parole. The Governor believes it has been too long for a retrial to take place. Fletcher says that the campaign could make the Governor a celebrity, but Mackay puts an end to the meeting and orders the prisoners out. The Governor shudders at the thought of an elderly man like Blanco going on hunger strike.
Barrowclough suggest to the Governor that an alternative to a retrial is for Blanco to receive a pardon from the Home Office. The Governor readily agrees but discovers that Barrowclough has signed the petition. Barrowclough passes this off as a forgery, but admits it is his signature, making him look foolish in front of Mackay and the Governor.
Blanco has been finally pardoned by the Home Office. Before he leaves Slade Prison, Blanco bids farewell to his former inmates. Fletcher warns him not to seek revenge on his wife's lover, the true culprit. Blanco says that the lover died years ago, as it was Blanco who killed him.
Porridge is a British sitcom, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977. The programme ran for three series and two Christmas specials. A feature film of the same name based on the series was released in 1979.
"No Way Out" is the first Christmas special of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It first aired on 24 December 1975. In this episode, prisoner Tommy Slocombe makes an escape attempt in the lead-up to Christmas.
"The Desperate Hours" is the second Christmas special of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It first aired on 24 December 1976. In this episode, Fletcher and Godber are in trouble for brewing liquor in the lead-up to Christmas, but are caught up in a hostage situation in the Governor's office. It was the only episode of Porridge to air in 1976.
"A Day Out" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 26 September 1974, and is the fourth episode of the first series. In this episode, Fletcher and some of his fellow prisoners are allowed out for the day to dig drainage ditches for the local council, only for mishaps to soon occur.
"Happy Release" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 21 November 1975, and is the fifth episode of the second series. In this episode, Fletcher concocts a scheme to help another prisoner get revenge on someone for cheating them of their possessions.
"New Faces, Old Hands" is the first episode of British sitcom Porridge, produced for the BBC. It first aired on 5 September 1974, and forms part of the first series of the sitcom. The episode focuses on Norman Stanley Fletcher's arrival at Slade Prison alongside two others, where he attempts to manipulate things to his benefit.
"A Night In" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 19 September 1974, and is the third episode of the first series. A bottle episode, and the only one in which officers Mackay and Barrowclough did not appear, it focuses on Fletcher finding himself sharing a cell with Godber and developing a friendship with him, despite having to endure a difficult first night with him.
Porridge is a 1979 British comedy film based on the television series Porridge. It was released under the title Doing Time in the United States. Most of Prison Officers and inmates from the original series appear in the film, with the notable exceptions of Lukewarm, Blanco, Heslop and Harris. There is also a different governor, played by Geoffrey Bayldon rather than series regular Michael Barrington.
"Prisoner and Escort" is the pilot episode of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It was originally broadcast on 1 April 1973 as part of a series of pilot shows with the overall title Seven of One. In this episode, Norman Stanley Fletcher is transported from London to Slade Prison by Mr Mackay and Mr Barrowclough.
"The Hustler" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, produced for the BBC. It first aired on 12 September 1974, and is the second episode of the first series. In this episode, Fletcher and his friends hold an illicit gambling syndicate under Mr Mackay's nose.
"Men Without Women" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 10 October 1974, and is the final episode of the first series. In this episode, Fletcher offers his services as an 'agony aunt' to his fellow inmates, but later has to return home when he learns he has marital problems.
"Just Desserts" is an episode of the British Porridge. It first aired on 24 October 1975, and is the first episode of the second series. In this episode, Fletcher finds something he stole has since been stolen, and this soon causes problems for others.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 31 October 1975, and is the second episode of the second series. In this episode, Fletcher becomes depressed after his daughter visits him, while Godber receives a letter from his fiancée with bad news.
"Disturbing the Peace" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 7 November 1975, and is the third episode of the second series. In this episode, Mr Mackay leaves Slade Prison to go on a course, though the prisoners soon wish for him back when they discover how awful his replacement is.
"No Peace for the Wicked" is an episode of the British sitcom Porridge, made for the BBC. It first aired on 14 November 1975, and is the fourth episode of the second series. In this episode, Fletcher tries to have some peace during a weekend afternoon, but fails to achieve this.
"A Storm in a Teacup" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It aired on 18 February 1977. In this episode, Fletcher is tasked by Grouty to replace a bottle of pills Harris stole. But there is a surprise for Fletcher in his teacup.
"Poetic Justice" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Porridge. It aired on 25 February 1977. A new inmate arrives at the prison, and Fletcher is astounded that the inmate is the judge who sentenced him.
"Final Stretch" is the final episode of the BBC sitcom Porridge, the sixth episode of the third series. It first aired on 25 March 1977. Godber's upcoming parole hearing is threatened by the prospect of a fight with fellow inmate Jarvis. Meanwhile, Fletcher is suspicious of his daughter's holiday plans.
Porridge is a British television sitcom, starring Kevin Bishop, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and broadcast on BBC One. The show is a sequel to the original 1974 series of the same name, which both Clement and La Frenais wrote. The sitcom focuses on prison inmate, Nigel Norman Fletcher, the grandson of Norman Stanley Fletcher, who is sent to Wakeley Prison to serve a five year sentence for cyber crimes.