Porridge

Porridge (1973)

15 mistakes

(2 votes)

A Test of Character - S3-E5

Plot hole: Fletcher and Warren steal what they think is the right paper, so Godber can study it before he sits the exam. They are adamant that he has a very short time to go through it as they have to put it back before anyone misses it. After Godber refuses to cheat by reading it, Fletcher berates him, throws the paper on the cell floor, and storms out. What happened to replacing the stolen exam paper?

Pardon Me - S3-E4

Character mistake: "Blanco" Webb refuses parole on the grounds that, under Home Office rules, that would mean he had to admit to murdering his wife, a charge he vehemently denies. However, he accepts a pardon from the Home Office issued on the recommendation of the prison governor. Surely someone like Blanco, a man who quotes Home Office regulations by chapter, paragraph and verse, must know that a pardon is a remission of all punishment for a crime committed by the person being pardoned? By accepting a pardon he is admitting his guilt in exactly the same way as he would have been had he accepted parole.

Men Without Women - S1-E6

Factual error: Throughout the whole show Godber, 'Bunny' Warren, McLaren, the Prison Governor and many of the guards refer to Fletcher as a Cockney. He even identifies himself as a Cockney on a number of occasions. However, in several episodes he refers to his upbringing in Muswell Hill and in this episode he refers to his having been born there - and we see his old stamping ground in that episode when he gets a weekend's compassionate leave. Nobody from Muswell Hill would ever refer to himself as a Cockney - Muswell Hill isn't even in East London!

Final Stretch - S3-E6

Factual error: Lennie Godber goes before the parole board on a Monday morning and is in his cell that afternoon telling Fletcher the good news - he made parole. That is impossible. The parole board will meet, interview the prisoner, then take depositions from other interested parties - the prison governor, psychologists, and so on. They will then consider their decision and if they approve parole they will then pass their recommendation on to the Home Office who will approve or decline it. All this takes three or four days at least, so there is no way for Godber to know that day, nor to pass the news on to Fletcher.

A Day Out - S1-E4

Other mistake: At the very beginning of the episode, Fletcher wakes up in bed and his hair is perfectly combed.

A Day Out - S1-E4

Revealing mistake: When Fletcher and Godper are assigned to the work party and they get locked into the church, one of the prisoners, Melvin (the hippy) leans against one of the 'stone' pillars of the church, causing it to wobble.

roboc

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Not a mistake. The show takes place over more than a year in the prison. People change their hairstyle and length during that time. Just because episodes are next to each other does not mean they happen within a very short period of time.

swordfish

While the mistake is vague and should include a specific example or two, the mistake is saying that within an episode the hair changes, not that the hair changes between episodes.

Bishop73

A Day Out - S1-E4

Audio problem: The prison minibus has a deisel engine when heard from inside, but when Mr Mackay borrows it to go to the pub it has a petrol engine.

The Desperate Hours - S2-E8

Visible crew/equipment: In "The Desparate Hours", right at the end when Barraclough is in Fletcher's cell, when Fletcher says, "I never heard nothing" you can see the shadow of the boom mic on his face.

Disturbing the Peace - S2-E3

Continuity mistake: Just after Warren says "we want a riot," the canteen door is already open and the prison guard is seen going through it. A few seconds later the guard is seen again banging on the door to get out.

Mackay: There are only two rules in this prison: 1 - do not write on the walls. 2 - You obey all the rules.

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