Porridge - best cast member

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After Dad's Army, it's time for that other great 70's BBC ensemble sitcom.

Argue for your favourite cast member. Alternatively just post clips from youtube.

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Norman Stanley Fletcher - Ronnie Barker	8
'Genial' Harry Grout - Peter Vaughan	5
Lennie Godber - Richard Beckinsale	4
Mr Mackay - Fulton Mackay	3
Mr Barrowclough - Brian Wilde	2
'Horrible' Ives - Ken Jones	1
Other cast member	1
Williams - Philip Madoc	0
Reg Urwin 'with a U' - Dudley Sutton	0
Evans - Ray Dunbobbin	0
Cyril Heslop - Brian Glover	0
The Honourable Mr Justice Stephen Rawley - Maurice Denham	0
Ingrid Fletcher - Patricia Brake	0
Geoffrey Venables - 'The Governor' - Michael Barrington	0
Harris - Ronald Lacey	0
‘Bunny’ Warren - Sam Kelly	0
Blanco Webb - David Jason	0
Lukewarm - Christopher Biggins	0
Jim MacClaren - Tony Osoba	0

― Billy Dods, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 21:22 (seventeen years ago)

Ah man, don't make me choose.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 21:23 (seventeen years ago)

McKay best one to impersonate.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 21:25 (seventeen years ago)

like dads army its impossible to choose. I guess I'll have to go with Mr MacKay though. He was just perfect.

― Herman G. Neuname, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 21:27 (seventeen years ago)

Jock McLaren may get my vote. May.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 21:30 (seventeen years ago)

Has anyone ever noticed that they never overdid the peripheral characters? Grouty, Blanco etc only ever appeared in like 3 episodes. And what an impact they had.

― Herman G. Neuname, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 22:38 (seventeen years ago)

I've got to go for Barker on this. He's just fantastically believable and likeable and great. Although everyone else is too. It's just his best role.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 22:48 (seventeen years ago)

Fulton Mackay's neck stretch vs Ronnie Barker's gum-chewing vs Richard Beckinsale's wide-eyed naivety.

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 22:49 (seventeen years ago)

xpost Yeah, in terms of becoming the character Barker's is one of the greatest performances by anybody, ever.

― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 22:50 (seventeen years ago)

Outside of The Big Four, I have to go for Ken Jones. Which is kinda appropriate considering his performance in The Golden Vision.

― Michael Jones, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 00:06 (seventeen years ago)

yes it's predictable but ronnie barker is as good in this as in anything he's ever been in and that's enough to win pretty much any poll.

― or something, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 00:43 (seventeen years ago)

I have been having steel cut oats, which took a while for me to learn how to cook - at least two incidents of unattended spillovers seem required - but now I think I have it down. But you have to relearn each winter or with each brand.

― youn, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 00:45 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah now I know how Meryl Streep felt in that movie... the choice is so difficult!

― JTS, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 01:00 (seventeen years ago)

haha.

what had horrible ives ever done to deserve that tag do we know?

― pisces, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 01:59 (seventeen years ago)

Fletcher, hands down, but he couldn't have done it without the rest, of course.

― StanM, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 05:19 (seventeen years ago)

I love Mr Barrowclough so much, but of course it's Fletcher/Barker

― Daniel Giraffe, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 13:14 (seventeen years ago)

In character terms it predictably has to be Barker - the mark of his greatness is that you could put Fletcher next to Arkwright and not think of them as the same person.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 13:22 (seventeen years ago)

Voted for me dad!

― Mark G, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 14:01 (seventeen years ago)

If Peter Vaughn was your dad I'd want an invite to the next family lunch. He is great in everything he does no matter how crappy it is. I'm laughing now just thinking of him in Citizen Smith. But also brilliant in serious roles. If this had been Porridge (but you can;t vote for barker) he would have got my vote.

― Ned Trifle II, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 16:17 (seventeen years ago)

He was married to Billie Whitelaw you know.

― Ned Trifle II, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 16:22 (seventeen years ago)

Peter Vaughan - cardigan wearer of the year - 1960 - present day (uncontested - no point)

― Porkpie, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 18:02 (seventeen years ago)

Peter Vaughan - since he appeared at a hotel I was working at a few years back... took me ages to work out who he was, but what a character!

― AndyTheScot, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 19:20 (seventeen years ago)

He was great in Citizen Smith too.

― Herman G. Neuname, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 19:26 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― ILX System, Tuesday, 18 March 2008 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

RB, yum yum.

― Madchen, Tuesday, 18 March 2008 13:55 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― ILX System, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

Some of these 0 votes make me sad but none more than
Cyril Heslop - Brian Glover 0

― Herman G. Neuname, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 00:03 (seventeen years ago)

I read a book once. Green it was!

― onimo, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 00:12 (seventeen years ago)

To get the votes in, you have to rep for your choice.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 08:27 (seventeen years ago)

Mr Barrowclough RIP http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7306954.stm

― Daniel Giraffe, Thursday, 20 March 2008 14:45 (seventeen years ago)

You know what?

I never realised Foggy off LastOfSumWine and Barrowclough were the same person!

― Mark G, Thursday, 20 March 2008 16:46 (seventeen years ago)

Crazy man

― Tom D., Thursday, 20 March 2008 16:49 (seventeen years ago)

twelve years pass...

You know what?

I never realised Foggy off LastOfSumWine and Barrowclough were the same person!

― Mark G, Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:46 AM (twelve years ago) bookmarkflaglink

same. literally just realized while watching some porridge on britbox yesterday afternoon

― Babby's Yed Revisited (jim in vancouver), Monday, 7 December 2020 22:07 (four years ago)

Gave a very memorable performance in "Night of the Demon" too.

― ILXceptionalism (Tom D.), Monday, 7 December 2020 23:04 (four years ago)

Write-in vote, a little too late, for Tony Osoba as Jim "Jock" MacClaren.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Porridge_characters#Jim_McLaren

In "Life Beyond The Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher", McLaren is a member of the Scottish Parliament.

― sinewave boogie (Matt #2), Tuesday, 8 December 2020 00:24 (four years ago)

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