Kevin Bishop's Porridge sequel savaged by viewers

Photo credit: BBC Studios
Photo credit: BBC Studios

From Digital Spy

Porridge was back on the BBC on Friday (October 6) for its first full series since 1977. No, you're not living in a timewarp.

Last year, a one-off sequel to the classic '70s sitcom was commissioned starring sketch comedian Kevin Bishop in celebration of BBC Comedy's rich history - and garnered decent enough ratings that the Beeb ordered a full series.

Instead of being a direct continuation of the original Porridge, Bishop stars as the grandson of Ronnie Barker's shifty prisoner Norman 'Fletch' Fletcher. A chip off the old block, Nigel Norman Fletcher has landed behind bars too for computer hacking.

Photo credit: BBC Studio
Photo credit: BBC Studio

In the series premiere on Friday night (October 6), the next generation Fletch tried to turn over a new leaf by helping his fellow inmates with their appealsā€¦ but trouble arose when his writing impressed another man's girl.

As you can probably expect, the initial reviews from viewers were quite harsh - although there were some supporters of Kevin Bishop, in particular, in the leading role.

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