No Way Out (Porridge) No Way Out (Porridge) "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. Christmas time has come to Slade Prison. Godber with his innocent nature likes the idea of Christmas, but Fletcher tells him that Christmas in prison is not much different from any other day. Godber points out that there are carol singers, but Fletcher remarks that they are used to drown out the sound of Tommy Slocombe's tunneling. Fletcher attempts to visit
Porridge (TV series) situation comedy pilot episodes. The most successful would then be made into a full series. One of the episodes was "Prisoner and Escort", written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (who appear in one episode) about a newly sentenced habitual criminal, Norman Stanley Fletcher (Barker), being escorted to prison by two warders: the timid Mr. Barrowclough (Brian Wilde) and the stern Mr. Mackay (Fulton Mackay). It was broadcast on 1 April 1973 on BBC Two. Despite Barker's initial preference for another of the pilots, a sitcom about a Welsh gambling addict, "Prisoner and Escort" was selected. It was renamed