Going Straight

Going Straight
Going Straight main title
Created by
Written by
  • Dick Clement
  • Ian La Frenais
Directed bySydney Lotterby
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerSydney Lotterby
EditorBill Wright
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release24 February (1978-02-24) –
7 April 1978 (1978-04-07)
Related

Going Straight is a British television sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale.

The series serves as a direct sequel to the sitcom Porridge, in which all four were involved, with its premise surrounding the exploits of Barker's character Norman Stanley Fletcher following his release from prison on parole and his attempts to not commit another crime for the sake of his family, despite the allure that lawbreaking brings. The programme also featured the appearance of Patricia Brake, reprising her role as Fletcher's daughter Ingrid in Porridge, and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Fletcher's son Raymond. Fulton Mackay, Tony Osoba and Paul McDowell guest starred in the first episode, also reprising their roles from Porridge.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guest cast

Episodes

Six episodes of Going Straight, all written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, were produced for the BBC. The series began airing on 24 February and ended on 7 April 1978. All episodes had a running time of approximately 30 minutes.

Series 1 (1978)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) 
1"Going Home"Sydney LotterbyDick Clement and Ian La Frenais24 February 1978 (1978-02-24)13.8
Norman Stanley Fletcher, having served three of his five years in Slade Prison, finally prepares for freedom when his parole is approved. After vowing that he intends to "go straight", his train journey home sees him meet his old nemesis Mr Mackay, who has retired from the prison service. When an old criminal friend encounters Fletcher, he soon faces a dilemma regarding Mackay's future and his own.
2"Going to be Alright"Sydney LotterbyDick Clement and Ian La Frenais3 March 1978 (1978-03-03)TBA
Fletcher is not happy to discover that his wife has left him, effectively leaving his probation officer in an embarrassing situation to find him a different job to the one he had planned. However, he is determined to ensure his family will survive, by seeking to dig up a buried stash of ill-gotten loot he left in Essex, much to the disappointment of his daughter Ingrid and her boyfriend Lennie Godber - Fletcher's old cellmate.
3"Going Sour"Sydney LotterbyDick Clement and Ian La Frenais10 March 1978 (1978-03-10)TBA
Fletcher continues to face problems as efforts to find him work prove problematic. Whilst wallowing in his thoughts, he comes across a young runaway girl in his local cafe, who has not had it easy due to her bad habits. Fletcher decides to renew his faith in humanity by teaching her to walk on the straight and narrow, but it is not an easy lesson to give.
4"Going to Work"Sydney LotterbyDick Clement and Ian La Frenais17 March 1978 (1978-03-17)TBA
Fletcher finds himself set up with a new job as a night porter at a local hotel, where the manager is friendly to him compared to his receptionist. But the thought of starting his first ever conventional job is not an easy one considering his past, prompting Ingrid and Godber to do whatever they can to ensure he turns up for his first night shift.
5"Going Going Gone"Sydney LotterbyDick Clement and Ian La Frenais24 March 1978 (1978-03-24)TBA
Fletcher is shocked when he recognises a former fellow inmate, Wellings, whilst at work, who claims to be going straight as well. All seems well until Fletcher encounters an elderly wealthy guest and becomes convinced that she and Wellings are planning a con together. Fletcher gives the necklace to Wellings and orders him to leave, but this soon lands Fletcher in hot water when the manager mentions that the elderly lady is a frequent customer, leading him to realise that he has allowed Wellings to steal a valuable necklace, and he quickly finds himself worried that he will not only lose his job but also be sent back to prison.
6"Going off the Rails"Sydney LotterbyDick Clement and Ian La Frenais7 April 1978 (1978-04-07)TBA
Fletcher welcomes Godber's desire to marry Ingrid and agrees to assist them in the preparation. However, a problem arises when an old friend of Fletcher's offers him work with the perfect crime he always dreamt of - a bank raid. But the temptation to go back to crime is soon tested when he finds it is happening on his daughter's wedding day, and only an unexpected moment in the job gives Fletcher a chance to reflect on what he is doing.

Production

A single series of six episodes was made and aired across 1978, attracting an audience of over 15 million viewers and winning a BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy in March 1979. In addition, the series was featured on the front cover of the 18 February 1978 edition of the Radio Times. Plans for further episodes were allegedly shelved after the premature death of Beckinsale in 1979, although in an interview published in Porridge: The Complete Scripts and Series Guide (2001), the writers stated that only one series was ever planned as Ronnie Barker would only agree to do the six episodes.

The theme tune, sung by Ronnie Barker, detailed Fletch's determination to go straight, an ambition first laid out in the Porridge episode "Men Without Women": This was released as a 7-inch single by EMI Records. The B-side is a track called "The String Bean Queen".

References

  1. ↑ Weight, Richard (2020). Porridge. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 125–142. ISBN 9781911239369. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  2. ↑ Going Straight (Region 2 DVD back cover synopsis). 2 entertain. 3 October 2004. Going Straight went on to win a BAFTA and attract an audience of over 15 million.
  3. ↑ "Situation Comedy". BAFTA. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Issues for 1978". BBC Genome Project. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "The Full Lyrics to the Theme Tune from Going Straight". Porridge - The Unofficial Homepage. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2009.