Kidskycom
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
2freensel
I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.
Cheryl
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Stephen May
What is it with people knocking this series? I thought it was fantastic, yet all I heard from critics and friends alike were moans of 'can't touch the original' and 'makes of a mockery of the genius of Barker' etc. You know what? I bet Mr Barker would have loved it.Heart warmingly funny, genuinely amusing with great characters, it was like a step back in time. I get fed up of comedy constantly reinventing itself - funny is funny and this certainly was. It warmed my heart.
davbat2000
Generally I prefer the classics to be left alone, and this is a little dated in its format and of course no prison was ever like it.But there was enough to make me smile and laugh a few times. The thing I do dislike is Kevin Bishops delivery, its too reminiscent of Ronnie Barker and I understand why, I just find it annoying.
charlieboy-12673
Forgive me for adding a negative review to the proceedings, I am struggling to understand what people are finding funny with this show, terribly old fashioned, recycled humour that simply isn't amusing in the slightest. They've attempted to recreate Porridge, the same way in which they brought back the equally terrible Still Open all Hours. What's with trying to bring classics back? Leave them where they are Comedy Gold, surely there are enough talented writers out there to give us new comedy shows?
andrewmwest
I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I absolutely love the original and know it inside out - I often quote from the original Porridge with friends and family (e.g. " I read a book one, Green it was"; "When I think of me going home to my wife...................Sometimes I wish I was in here with you lot"; the list goes on and on. So having read poor reviews from the luvies at the Guardian and Telegraph along the lines of it was a very poor replica, my expectations were set low. Perhaps that explains why I enjoyed it: low expectations. Bishop is excellent ; OK he is doing a bit of an impression of Fletch, but it is an excellent and convincing one and I got drawn into his character in a similar way I did with Barker's Fletch. The ensemble cast is very strong: some brilliant performances. The scene with the lad on the phone to his girlfriend with Fletch telling him what to say had me in stitches. You can never get near the original. That was absolute perfection. Consign that to history. But I felt privileged to be able to watch such a strong cast perform a script from the original writers. The indelible DNA of those two writers is evident in the dialogue and the construct of the jokes and situations, which is a bit like getting into a warm bath. Lovely to see all of this working and being brought back to life in this sitcom. More please. I will be watching it. As for the luvies, I will give them 2 fingers from Fletch through the keyhole.