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) and offices were filmed at the BBC's London studios. But for shots of the wider prison interior, series production designer Tim Gleeson converted an old water tank, used at Ealing Studios for underwater filming, into a multi-storey set. The first episode, "New Faces, Old Hands", was aired on BBC One on 5 September 1974, attracting a television audience of over 16 million, and receiving positive reviews from critics. Two further series were commissioned, as well as two Christmas special episodes. The final episode of "Porridge", "Final Stretch", was broadcast on 25 March 1977. The producers and the writers were keen