Happy Birthday PORRIDGE!!

I was about to say "wow, I can't believe my superslice of superslices Porridge turns 50 years old today!!!!" when in actuality, like a lot of Britcoms I love now, I really had no idea the show even  existed before that world was cracked open to me around 2015 thanks to streaming services. I've blathered about Porridge on Xmastime a million times over the years, if you don't wanna hear it from me then just get your peepers on any list of the best British sitcoms of all time and it'll be near the very top.

Porridge is the earliest sitcom I love that was flat-out hilarious but still had some heart to it, mostly thanks to the young Richard Beckinsale, who was such a wonderfully vulnerable character that even the hardened Fletcher couldn't help but like him. Their father/son, big brother/little brother relationship just added a layer to the show that most sitcoms never had, and it's just another reason to love it. Hell, even Godber's first name being "Lennie" somehow made him more scruffily lovable.

AND it's got a pre-Del Boy, pre-Granville David Jason in it to really top things off!!

NOTE: incredibly, as I pointed out a few days ago, it was also 50 years ago this week that Open All Hours debuted: ANOTHER all-time Golden Age classic of classics starring Ronnie Barker! (with David Jason - old man Blanco in Porridge -  right alongside him as the poor schlub Granville!) 

GET YOUR EYEBALLS IN FRONT OF A SCREEN WITH PORRIDGE ON IT TODAY!! 🤗🤣🇬🇧