Porridge (TV series) himself as the judge, a character role subsequently played by Maurice Denham in two episodes of the third series. The theme music for the closing credits was written by Max Harris, who had also written the theme music for numerous other TV shows, including "The Strange World of Gurney Slade" and "Doomwatch", and would go on to write the theme for "Open All Hours", another of the Seven of One pilots. The cheery theme was "deliberately at variance with the dour comedy" and given a music hall feel by Harris because of the lead character's Cockney origins. Following the pilot
Ways and Means (Porridge) wintergreen. 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