Catch up TV

Episode 24 December 2024

Fifty years on from when the prison doors first slammed shut on Norman Stanley Fletcher, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais look back at a landmark British comedy. \n\nDick and Ian explain the origins, how they nearly wrote a series about a gambling-mad Welsh family instead, and talk of the magical chemistry of the cast and the particularly close bond between Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. They also tell us the tricks they used to get round the obligatory bad language in prison and how the claustrophobic setting at first intimidated and then inspired them.\n\nWith references to their favourite characters and scenes, enjoy the freedom as you revel in tales of one of television history’s best-loved comedies.

Source: BBC 4