Going Straight

Going Straight

1978 · 1 season · 6 eps · ★ 7.7 · Comedy

Ended

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.

Created by Ian La Frenais, Dick Clement

Network: BBC One

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

Ronnie Barker Norman Stanley Fletcher
Patricia Brake Ingrid Fletcher
Richard Beckinsale Lenny Godber
Nicholas Lyndhurst Raymond Fletcher
David Swift Mr McEwan
Rowena Cooper Shirley Chapman
Timothy Bateson Oaksey
Pete Postlethwaite Thomas Clifford Crowther
Alfred Lynch Dave Pipers
Roberta Tovey Penny
Elizabeth Cassidy Pamela
Fulton Mackay Mr. Mackay

More from Ian La FrenaisSee all →

Porridge: No Way Out

Porridge: No Way Out · 1975

Porridge: No Way Out

MovieCrimeComedy

Fletcher discovers that his fellow inmates are planning to escape.

Porridge: The Desperate Hours

Porridge: The Desperate Hours · 1976

Porridge: The Desperate Hours

MovieComedyCrime

Fletcher and Godber are in trouble for brewing liquor in the lead-up to Christmas, but are caught up in a hostage situation in the Governor's office.

Porridge

Porridge · 1974

Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film also titled Porridge. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland. "Doing porridge" is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons. The series was followed by a 1978 sequel, Going Straight, which established that Fletcher would not be going back to prison again. Porridge was voted number seven in a 2004 BBC poll of the 100 greatest British sitcoms.

The Rotters' Club

The Rotters' Club · 2005

The Rotters' Club

Friends Ben Trotter, Doug Anderton and Philip Chase deal with teenage angst, their parents' complex lives, and the political and social turmoil of the 1970s, including a tragic IRA pub bombing that affects Ben's family.

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet · 1983

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

SeriesComedyDrama

Seven British construction workers escape Britain's ever growing dole queues and travel to Germany to work on a site in Dusseldorf. We follow their trials and tribulations of working away from home and away from the women they left behind.

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? · 1973

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a British sitcom which was broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. There were 26 television episodes over two series; and a subsequent 45-minute Christmas special was aired on 24 December 1974. The cast were reunited in 1975 for a BBC radio adaptation of series 1, transmitted on Radio 4 from July to October that year. In 1976, a feature film spin-off was made. Around the time of its release, however, Rodney Bewes and James Bolam fell out over a misunderstanding involving the press and have not spoken since. This long-suspected situation was finally confirmed by Bewes while promoting his autobiography in 2005. Unlike Bewes, Bolam is consistently reluctant to talk about the show, and has vetoed any attempt to revive his character.

Thick as Thieves

Thick as Thieves · 1974

Thick as Thieves

British ITV sitcom starring John Thaw and Bob Hoskins as two friends in a love triangle.

Lovejoy

Lovejoy · 1986

SeriesComedyDrama

The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.

The Likely Lads

The Likely Lads · 1964

The Likely Lads

Terry Collier and Bob Ferris are good friends. Terry was working class and secure in his life, whereas Bob was more aspirational, determined to work his way to a better place. Both viewed the others' worldview with disdain, but they were united by events, generally revolving around the pursuit of women. Although 20 total episodes were filmed, only 10 are currently known to survive. There is one missing from the first season, three from the second, and six from the final run.

Seven of One

Seven of One · 1973

Seven of One is a 1973 BBC2 comedy anthology starring Ronnie Barker. 7 of 1 is a series of seven separate comedies that would serve as possible pilots for sitcoms, three of which were picked up for a full series run. Originally called Six of One, which Barker planned to follow up with another series called Half Dozen of the Other.

The Commitments

The Commitments · 1991

The Commitments

MovieComedyDrama

Jimmy Rabbitte, just a thick-ya out of school, gets a brilliant idea: to put a soul band together in Barrytown, his slum home in north Dublin. First he needs musicians and singers: things slowly start to click when he finds three fine-voiced females virtually in his back yard, a lead singer (Deco) at a wedding, and, responding to his ad, an aging trumpet player, Joey "The Lips" Fagan.

Spender

Spender · 1991

SeriesCrimeDrama

Jimmy Nail plays tough cop Spender, forced to return to his native Newcastle after a failed undercover operation in London. He uses tough and unconventional methods to tackle the criminal underworld, but he must also deal with the friends, enemies and family he left behind, and never expected to return to. Sammy Johnson played Spender's sidekick Stick, while Denise Welch played Spender's wife.

Across the Universe

Across the Universe · 2007

Across the Universe

MovieDramaRomance

When young dockworker Jude leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in the United States, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy, who joins the growing anti-war movement. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad.

Astronauts

Astronauts · 1981

SeriesComedySci-Fi & Fantasy

Astronauts Malcolm Mattocks, Gentian Foster and David Ackroyd are sent into outer space to occupy a space station for six months.

My Generation

My Generation · 2017

MovieDocumentaryMusic

The vivid and inspiring story of British film icon Michael Caine's personal journey through 1960s swinging London.

Still Crazy

Still Crazy · 1998

MovieComedyMusic

In the 1970s, Strange Fruit were it. They lived the rock lifestyle to the max, groupies, drugs, internal tension and an ex front man dead from an overdose. Even their demise was glamorous; when lightning struck the stage during an outdoor festival. Twenty years on, these former rock gods they have now sunk deep into obscurity when the idea of a reunion tour is lodged in the head of Tony, former keyboard player of the Fruits. Tony sets out to find his former bandmates with the help of former manager Karen to see if they can recapture the magic and give themselves a second chance.

More Like This

What I Like About You

What I Like About You · 2002

What I Like About You

Valerie Tyler is a 28-year-old organization freak who loves her 16-year-old sister Holly. Even if Holly is rambunctious. Spontaneous. Impulsive. Disconcerting. And definitely disorganized. Then Holly moves in with Val, and the sisters discover they may make better siblings than roomies.

Keeping Up Appearances

Keeping Up Appearances · 1990

Keeping Up Appearances

A snobbish housewife is determined to climb the social ladder, in spite of her family's working class connections and the constant chagrin of her long suffering husband.

El Chavo del Ocho

El Chavo del Ocho · 1973

El Chavo del Ocho

SeriesComedyFamily

The mishaps of Chavo, an 8-year-old Mestizo-Latino American orphan boy who lives in a village. Together with Quico, Chilindrina, Ñoño and La Popis, Chavo experiences a series of humorous entanglements.

That '70s Show

That '70s Show · 1998

SeriesComedyFamily

Crank up the 8-track and flash back to a time when platform shoes and puka shells were all the rage in this hilarious retro-sitcom. For Eric, Kelso, Jackie, Hyde, Donna and Fez, a group of high school teens who spend most of their time hanging out in Eric’s basement, life in the ‘70s isn’t always so groovy. But between trying to figure out the meaning of life, avoiding their parents, and dealing with out-of-control hormones, they’ve learned one thing for sure: they’ll always get by with a little help from their friends.

Growing Pains

Growing Pains · 1985

Fatherhood has taken on a whole new meaning for Jason Seaver, who has assumed the chores of cooking, cleaning and minding the kids so that his wife, Maggie, can pursue a career in journalism after spending 15 years as a housewife.

Titus

SeriesComedyDrama

Titus is an American dark comedy sitcom that debuted on Fox in 2000. The series was created by its star, Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny, and Brian Hargrove. This sitcom was based on Christopher's stand-up comedy act, more specifically his one-man show Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, which was based loosely upon his real-life family; lines from Norman Rockwell is Bleeding were spoken by Titus as commentary. Titus plays an outwardly childish adult, who owns a custom car shop. The show follows him and his dimwitted halfbrother Dave, his girlfriend Erin with the "heart of gold", his goody-goody friend Tommy, and his arrogantly lewd, bigoted and multiple-divorced father Ken "Papa" Titus.

The Drew Carey Show

The Drew Carey Show · 1995

The Drew Carey Show

Drew is an assistant director of personnel in a Cleveland department store and he has been stuck there for ten years. Other than fighting with co-worker Mimi, his hobbies include drinking beer and not being able to get dates. To make a few extra bucks he has a micro-brewery going in his garage with his buddies.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City · 1998

Sex and the City

SeriesDramaComedy

Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best friends, all single and in their late thirties, as they pursue their careers and talk about their sex lives, all while trying to survive the New York social scene.

The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show · 1960

The Andy Griffith Show

SeriesComedyFamily

Andy Taylor is the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept, but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and a precocious young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life.

Less than Perfect

Less than Perfect · 2002

Less than Perfect

Claude Casey moved up in the secretarial world of television news, from temp to the anchor's desk. After her boss hires her full time, Claude realizes she may be in over her head in this world of assistants fighting to get ahead. But Claude is determined to prove that though she may not be perfect, she's not going down without a fight.

7 vidas

7 vidas · 1999

The story of a group of friends in Madrid.

Nathan Barley

Nathan Barley · 2005

Nathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris, starring Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt, Charlie Condou and Claire Keelan. The series of six weekly episodes began broadcasting on 11 February 2005 on Channel 4. Described by his creator as a "meaningless strutting cadaver-in-waiting", the character originated on Brooker's TVGoHome – a website parodying television listings – as the focus of a fly-on-the-wall documentary called Cunt.

All in Good Faith

All in Good Faith · 1985

All in Good Faith

British sitcom in which Reverend Philip Lambe, after becoming bored in his wealthy Oxfordshire parish, asks for a transfer to a more difficult assignment. Sent to Edendale, a fictional urban town in the Midlands, he is accompanied by his wife Emma, sixteen-year-old daughter Miranda and twelve-year-old son Peter.

The European Side

The European Side · 2004

The European Side

SeriesFamilyComedy

The life and times of rather traditional Sutcuoglu family and their comedic struggles to adapt the high-profile contemporary life of Nisantasi.

Malcolm & Eddie

Malcolm & Eddie · 1996

Malcolm & Eddie

Malcolm and Eddie are as different as one can imagine. Nevertheless, they're best friends who manage to be roommates as well as co-workers and not kill each other.

Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses · 1981

Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses.... Is a British sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally transmitted on BBC One from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until 2003. In working-class Peckham in south-east London, ambitious market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and his younger half-brother Rodney, explore their highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich. Initially not an immediate hit and receiving little promotion early on, it later achieved consistently high ratings, and the 1996 episode "Time on Our Hands" (originally billed as the series finale) holds the record for the biggest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers. The series bears a significant influence on British culture, contributing several words and phrases to the English language.

Two Guys and a Girl

Two Guys and a Girl · 1998

Two Guys and a Girl

Welcome to Beacon Street Pizza, the perfect workplace and hangout for aimless wise-guy Berg, neurotic Pete and campus beauty Sharon. Pete and Berg are roommates and students at a local Boston university, while Sharon struggles with her work and relationships. Together, these three best friends try to navigate life and love in Boston!

How is it so far?

Your ratings make Midnight smarter