Porridge

The character of prisoner Norman Stanley Fletcher was originally shown for a one-off comedy. This formed one of Ronnie Barker's 1973 season of TV shows.

When the new show first broadcast in 1974 it was greeted with outrage from the public and also from sections of the news, they were shocked at the idea of a comedy programme set in prison. Before any complaints were made it got the approval of the British publics respect for what is known as one of the most classic British sitcoms ever made.