Cast confirmed for new version of Porridge
- Kevin Bishop will take on the lead role of Fletch in the new version of Porridge
- Written by the original writers, the new episode focuses Fletcher's grandson who is in prison for cyber-crimes
- The episode will also star Mark Bonnar, Ralph Ineson, Dave Hill, Ricky Grover and others
The BBC has confirmed that Kevin Bishop will take on the lead role in the new sequel to Porridge.
The actor, whose previous credits include the film A Few Best Men, The Rack Pack and his 2007 to 2009 Channel 4 sketch series The Kevin Bishop Show, will take on the role of Nigel 'Fletch' Fletcher - the grandson of Ronnie Barker's iconic character Norman Stanley Fletcher.
Written by original series creators Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the one-off special will focus on how Fletcher's grandson is also now in prison.
The BBC explains: "Nearly 40 years after his grandfather served his time, Nigel - 'Fletch' to his friends - has landed himself in a spot of bother. Imprisoned for a series of cyber-crimes, Fletch finds himself beholden to Richie Weeks and forced to use his hacking skills to get Weeks off the hook. The problem being that wily Officer Meekie has got his beady eye on Fletch - he knows a wrong 'un when he sees one."
Also appearing in the episode are Mark Bonnar (Catastrophe) as Officer Meekie, Ralph Ineson (The Office) as prison bad boy Richie Weeks, and Dave Hill (The Full Monty) as cellmate Joe Lotterby.
Additionally, the show will feature Dominic Coleman (Miranda) as Officer Braithwaite; Harman Singh (Rude Boys) as Aziz; Jason Barnett (The Javone Prince Show) as Shel; and Ricky Grover (Getting On) as Scudds.
Talking about taking on the lead role, Kevin Bishop says: "Dick and Ian have brought Porridge back to life again with a brilliant script and it is a genuine honour to be involved in a show that is iconic in so many ways. Ronnie Barker's character was one of the most loved in BBC history and the thought of stepping into his grandson's shoes fills me with both thrills and paralytic fear!"
The actor also posted a behind-the-scenes picture from location filming (seen above) on his Twitter feed with the caption "Me n #BBC pay homage to Ronnie Barker."
He added later: "#porridge2016 is original, modern day, and pays huge respect to it's [sic] old audience as well as its new viewers. So nice to do live studio again."
The main bulk of the episode will be filmed in front of a live studio audience tomorrow night (1st April) in Salford. It is being produced by Richard Webb (House Of Fools) and directed by Dominic Brigstocke (I'm Alan Partridge) for the BBC.
BBC comedy commissioner Shane Allen says: "Dick and Ian are comedy writing royalty who have cleverly re-conceived the spirit of Porridge into a modern setting with new characters. Their endorsement of our sitcom season is a true blessing."
The new episode will be broadcast on BBC One this summer as part of the corporation's Landmark Sitcom Season. Other sitcom reinventions due to be broadcast during the season include Are You Being Served?, Up Pompeii! and Young Hyacinth, a prequel to Keeping Up Appearances. BBC Four will also be re-creating episodes of Till Death Us Do Part, Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe & Son for The Lost Sitcoms series.