The Desperate Hours (Porridge) The Desperate Hours (Porridge) "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 is nearly time for Christmas, and Fletcher has been making wine for the prisoners of Slade Prison. The Governor, who is strictly teetotal, has a zero tolerance on illicit drinking in Slade Prison. After Mr Barrowclough fails to discover alcohol in Fletcher and Godber's cell, Fletcher
Porridge (TV series) is referred to in Birds of a Feather when the main protagonists' husbands are imprisoned there after reoffending in Series 7). The interior shots of doors being locked were filmed in Shepherds Bush Police Station - the BBC had a good relationship with officers there. In the episode "Pardon Me" Fletcher speaks to Blanco (David Jason) in the prison gardens: this was filmed in the grounds of an old brewery outside Baldock on the A505 to Royston. The barred windows approximated a prison. The building has since been demolished. The 1974 episode "A Day Out", which features a prison work