Who Is Norman Stanley Fletcher?

This is the full name of the character played by Ronnie Barker in "Porridge," the 1974 7 BBC comedy set in Slade Prison. This name is heard at the beginning of each episode as Fletcher is sentenced by a stern-voiced judge (actually Barker himself) to five years. The series began as a 1973 play called "Prisoner and Escort;" as a sitcom it was extremely popular, mainly because of Barker's portrayal of the cheeky, devious Fletcher. Other memorable characters in cluded the sarcastic Mr McKay (Fulton Mackay) and his meek fellow-officer Mr Barraclough (Brian Wilde) whose efforts to subdue Fletcher never quite succeed. A major subplot concerns his naïve young cell-mate Godber (Richard Beckinsale) who still has ideals, much to Fletcher's bewilderment. Other prisoners include the menacing Harry Grout (Peter Vaughan) and "Black Jock" McClaren (Tony Osoba) and prison life is enlivened by occasional visits from Fletcher's daughter Ingrid (Patricia Brake) whose failure to wear a bra shocks her father and delights his fellow inmates. A film version of Porridge was released in 1979.