Porridge (TV Series) A Day Out (1974) User Reviews

A Day Out

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 8 May 2017]

We really do get to see how crafty Fletcher can be in this episode. We also leave the confines of the prison as Fletcher and Godber join a works party digging a ditch at the nearby village.

When Horrible Ives gets stung by a bee, Fletcher persuades Barrowclough to give him some money and get some medication from the village. Fletcher heads straight for the pub and gets to meet the locals. At one point he sees Mackay arriving at the pub for a quick one.

Meanwhile the rest of the prisoners skive off and end up in the church where they end up being locked in. When Mackay arrives to see what the men are up to he thinks they have all escaped.

It is an episode where Barrowclough has to join forces with the rest of the prisoners to make Mackay look foolish.

Enjoyable escapades

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 20 December 2023]

Fletch and a crew of inmates have a work assignment outside prison.

This is a solid episode with an amusing story and character moments.

This one contains the usual solid banter between characters, and some very amusing situational comedy as Fletch uses the outside work assignment to his advantage. It is not particularly plausible, but who cares when it's funny?

The varying dynamics between Fletch and Barraclough and Fletch and MacKay are used very well by the writers.

As always Ronnie Barker is exceptionally good, with Brian Wilde and Fulton MacKay supporting very well.

For me it's a 7.5/10, but I round upwards.

The Amazing Disappearimg Fletcher

[Very_Droll · 8/10 · 16 March 2023]

One thing that surprised me watching this again is that, even though the focus is on the day out with a work party, only half the episode is set outside the prison.

There were two things, two suspensions of disbelief, that really did stretch the imagination so far as to detract slightly from the full enjoyment of this story. No matter how soft and compliant the warden might be, Fletcher would NEVER have been entrusted with an unsupervised solo trip to town! Also, the patrons at the bar would have identified Fletcher as a prisoner immediately by the prison-issue uniform he wears! One star out of 10 off for each of those.

The episode is really funny. Each of the actors is very strong with comic timing and there are many laughs to be had as we witness the shenannigins of a field trip for a selected few, digging ditches.

Best joke - Godber's running gag about gravy stains from Fletcher not keeping his mouth closed while eating is marvellous, and it is reprised more than once in the half hour.

A lot of fun!