Barker’s ‘Porridge’ tonight

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34149, 10 May 1976, Page 4

Barker’s ‘Porridge’ tonight

Porridge (thieves’ slang for a prison sentence) begins from TV2 tonight, with Ronnie Barker in the leading role.

The series won several awards when it first appeared in Britain in 1974 and Stanley Reynolds of “The Times” said: “I do

not wish to overdo the serious side of something which is comic, but has there been a television documentary which has given the feel of what it must be like entering prison the way this humorous offering did?” There is a similar paradox in the style of Ronnie Barker. He is not a comedian; he is a character actor who has the ability to glean the most from a comic situation. During his six years in Repertory Barker played the full gamut of emotions and brought to tragedy the same depth of character analysis for which he is now famous in comedy. He was 18 when he started at Aylesbury Repertory, after a brief sortie into banking and amateur dramatics, and immediately started to play characters far removed from his own personal experience. He was noted at this time for his exceptional talent for detailed caricature and he will still spend as much time making up his hands

as he spends on his face. He will practise a walk or a gesture for hours until it is exactly right for the part. Above: Barker with Richard Beckinsale (left), Fulton Mac Kay and Brian Glover in the opening episode of “Porridge” tonight.