Porridge (TV series) to make more episodes, but Barker was wary of being "stuck with a character" and also wanted to move on to other projects, so the series came to a close. Barker did, however, reprise his role as Fletcher in a sequel, "Going Straight", which ran for one series in 1978. A feature-length version of the show was made in 1979 and in 2003 a follow-up was aired. The prison exterior in the title sequence is the old St Albans prison gatehouse and HM Prison Maidstone, which was also featured in the BBC comedy series "Birds of a Feather" (HMP Slade
Ways and Means (Porridge) Ways and Means (Porridge) "Ways and Means" is an episode of the BBC sitcom "Porridge". It first aired on 3 October 1974. In this episode, Fletcher intends to help new prisoner McLaren, a wild Scotsman. The episode opens with Fletcher and several other inmates sewing fishing nets. Fletcher complains to Barrowclough, who is supervising them, but Barrowclough scolds Fletcher by saying it's his own fault that he lost his trusted position at the farm. Barrowclough also expresses shock at new prisoner McLaren's prison infraction of assaulting a prison officer by dunking his head in a pot of soup. McLaren says