Porridge

- Season 2

(1975)

Fletch's stolen tin of pineapple chunks has gone missing and the unlikely culprit is Mr. Barraclough, who took them home pending the opportunity to return them to the kitchen, only to discover his wife using them with a gammon steak. He likes Fletch, as he has been a good listener on his marital problems and says he will replace the tin if Fletch pays for it. Meanwhile, Godber steals another tin for Fletch from the kitchen and its absence is noted by Officer Birchwood, who informs Mackay. When Mackay goes to check, the tin has been surreptitiously replaced by Mr. ...

Godber sends a request to a radio music show to play a record for his fiancee Denise, but it is rejected, probably because it is written on prison notepaper. At visiting time Fletch's daughter Ingrid causes a stir as she seems to be not wearing a bra and Godber is amongst the interested parties. He gets news that Denise has left him for another man, and attacks prisoner Jackdaw, who found the news amusing. His otherwise good record and the mitigating circumstances keep him out of a spell in the cooler, but later that day Fletch is less than pleased to find Godber ...

Mackay is temporarily away on a promotion course, but Fletch's joy is short-lived when he finds that the replacement is 'Napper' Wainwright, an extremely harsh officer who makes Mackay look like a pussy-cat. To make things worse, Fletch's ally Mr. Barraclough is transferred to the prison farm. A plan is concocted where the cons start a riot in defiance of Wainwright, and Barraclough steps in to defuse the situation. Barraclough is thus seen as a hero, gets his old position back and Wainwright returns to Brixton Prison. As Mackay returns from his course, the prisoners ...

It's Saturday afternoon and Fletch just wants to be left in peace in his cell but there are constant interruptions - Barraclough coming in for a chat, Mackay showing prison visitors around, Blanco wanting to show off his toy mule and Maclaren wanting to borrow chewing gum. An irate Fletch threatens to throw the next caller over the rails. It's the chaplain and Fletch goes through with his threat. He gets solitary. Bliss. Could they make it three weeks?

Fletch is in the prison hospital, where an unpleasant con called Norris, shortly to be released, has won the possessions of an elderly prisoner, Blanco. Fletch hatches a plan involving a supposed treasure map which is 'reluctantly' handed over to Norris in exchange for Blanco's things, amongst them a radio. Some days later Fletch and Blanco hear on the radio how Norris, now released, has been arrested for digging for the buried treasure - on a football pitch.

When Godber enters the prison boxing tournament, Fletch is under orders from prison 'Daddy', Harry Grout, a con who is more to be feared than the screws, to get him to throw the fight in the second round. Fletch tries to bribe Godber with chocolate, only to be told that Godber has already promised Moffatt, a rival of Grout, that he will lose the fight in the first round. In the event both Godber and his opponent throw the fight in the same round, to the delight of Fletch, the only man in the prison who was betting on a draw.

Christmas Special. Fletcher discovers that his fellow inmates are planning to escape.

Fletch and Godber go before the governor for brewing Christmas hooch but the governor has to excuse himself with the runs. His new 'trusty' redband Urwin then pulls a gun, taking Barraclough, Fletch, Godber and the governor's secretary Mrs. Jamieson - who, it is revealed, is having an affair with Barraclough - hostage, though the radio report claims that Fletch and Godber are part of the desperate trio wanting a helicopter to fly them to Mexico. After he has accidentally taken the knock-out drops Barraclough intended for Urwin, Fletch comes to and disarms his captor, ...