30 minSeason 1 • Episode 6
LatestFletch is almost tempted off the straight and narrow on the day Ingrid is to marry Godber. He has a change of heart before it's too late but almost gets into trouble with a walkie talkie. Godber married Ingrid with Fletch giving away the bride and acting as best man.
Going Straight is a BBC sitcom which was a direct spin-off from Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, newly released from the fictional Slade Prison where the earlier series had been set. It sees Fletcher trying to become an honest member of society, having vowed to stay away from crime on his release. The title refers to his attempt, 'straight' being a slang term meaning being honest, in contrast to 'bent', i.e., dishonest. Also re-appearing was Richard Beckinsale as Lennie Godber, who was Fletcher's naïve young cellmate and was now in a relationship with his daughter Ingrid. Her brother Raymond was played by a teenage Nicholas Lyndhurst. Only one series, of six episodes, was made in 1978. It attracted an audience of over 15 million viewers and won a BAFTA award in March 1979, but hopes of a further series had already been dashed by Beckinsale's premature death earlier in the same month.
Acting
Barker's timing makes every eyebrow raise devastating.
Writing
Clement and La Frenais never waste a syllable.
Production
Seventies Britain captured in amber, unpretentious and real.
Creators
Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The opening titles show actual released prisoners walking free, filmed at a real London prison.
Beckinsale's death at 31 ended any sequel possibilities; Barker refused to continue without his co-star.
GB
