Porridge (TV Series) The Hustler (1974) User Reviews

The Hustler

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 6 April 2017]

After a cracking first episode we see Fletcher still trying to stay one step ahead of the screws despite setbacks such as tending to the pigs and feeding them swill.

Godber and Mackay play lesser roles here, it seems their parts develop in later episodes. In this episode we are introduced to Lukewarm (Christopher Biggins) and Orrible Ives (Ken Jones.)

The inmates indulge in gambling to stave off the boredom. Fletcher and Ives bet on which hen would lay an egg first and Mckay plans to catch Fletcher stealing some eggs from the hen house.

However trouble ensues when Ives plans to grass on the inmates for running an illegal gambling game, however we get to see just how crafty Fletcher is. After all he keeps saying he wants his own cell.

I won't let you catch me

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 10 December 2023]

Does Fletcher partake in certain games of chance just to pass the time or is there an underlying strategy?

This is another good establishing episode that introduces various supporting characters. The writers also uses a fairly clever and humorous plot to show how good Fletch is at outwitting everyone.

The banter between Fletch and various others is good and generally makes me smile, but I did not experience many big involuntary laughs.

For me comedy is in the eye of the beholder and some will likely find it funnier and rate the episode higher.

Ronnie Barker and the cast are all on great form as always.

The Yolk's On You

[Very_Droll · 8/10 · 15 March 2023]

This one is based on the prisoners indulging in a taboo. There's an episode of Fawlty Towers in which Basil gets a bet on a horse with the comedy resting in the secrecy of this from his wife, Cybil. John Cleese has said it is a fairly weak taboo, but it enabled him to set up the ever-increasing farce of the situation. The staff at Grace Brothers all fall for the secret obsession of gambling at work in one episode of Are You Being Served, too. Mr Humphries relaying the events of a horse race through CCTV using charades is one of the funniest scenes of that show.

But I digress .....

It works well here. Gambling is rife at Slade Prison and the inmates put up anything they can get their hands on as stakes (even steaks, if they can "knock 'em 'orf from the kitchen"!) and they are prepared to bet on the outcome of any random event - even which chicken at the farm will lay the first egg.

A range of new characters are inserted into the story, establishing more of the broad spread of people that will be encountered in prison life.

Best joke - it is wonderful to see 'Orrible Ives get his comeuppance a couple of times and the moment when Mackay pats him down to discover contraband eggs in his pockets is very funny.

As an early episode, it's still setting the scene for us to a degree. The layers of gambling on gambling on gambling are intricate and most amusing. It is very well written, and most enjoyable!

"I hear you've got a game going!"

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 2 July 2008]

To keep their minds occupied behind bars, the inmates of H.M. Slade Prison have turned to gambling. They will bet on anything - two flies walking up a wall, guessing the number of bricks in a cell, two flies walking down a wall - and everything.

Fletcher's working with pigs means he has easy access to the hen house, meaning he can get his hands on lots of lovely eggs. Ideal gambling currency.

After Ives cheats on a bet, Fletcher gives him eggs which Mackay then finds. Frogmarched off to the Governor's office, Ives is determined to get his own back...

The second episode introduces Christopher Biggins as the camp 'Lukewarm' and Ken Jones as 'Orrible Ives'. Jones featured in a few '70's sitcoms, including 'Last Of The Baskets' which co-starred Patricia Hayes and Arthur Lowe, Vince Powell's 'The Wackers' and Eric Chappell's very funny ( and undeservedly forgotten ) 'The Squirrels'. The cowardly 'Ives' is massively unpopular with both warders and inmates, and here you can see why. On discovering where Fletcher's game ( snakes and ladders ) is to take place, he informs Mackay, who arranges a most suitable punishment. But all is not as it seems, as Fletcher manages to turn the situation to his advantage yet again.

The late Ray Dunbobbin is seen as 'Evans', whom Fletcher describes as 'that Welsh lunatic who eats electric light bulbs'. Like 'Heslop' he was not seen again after the first series. The actor also played 'Sid Skellhorn' in the first season of 'I Didn't Know You Cared' and 'Mr.Boswell' in 'The Liver Birds'.

Funniest moment - Fletcher, Lukewarm, Evans and Heslop emerging from a cellar covered in coal dust.