Barker tempted out of retirement

Ronnie Barker has been tempted out of retirement to revive his role in Porridge.

The comic actor, now 74, retired from TV 15 years ago to run an antiques shop in The Cotswolds, returning only for very rare appearances.

But he will reprise his role as jailbird Norman Stanley Fletcher in a "very small scene" for the one-off Christmas special.

The hour-long show, called Life Beyond The Box, will be aired on BBC 2 and presented as a biography of the fictional character.

Co-stars Richard Beckinsale and Fulton Mackay a have all died since the original series were made in the Seventies, providing a challenge for the scriptwriters.

Another show will revive The Good Life, featuring Penelope Keith as the snobby Margot Leadbetter, although she has shot no new footage.

A spokesman for producers Wall To Wall said the programme offered "a new approach to biographical documentary where all the subjects are fictional".

Of the Porridge return, he added: "By using specially shot 'archive' and interviews with people he grew up with, worked with and served time alongside we piece together the story of the remarkable life of the star of the BBC's Porridge.

"And we discover what's happened to him in the 25 years since he announced to the nation that he was going straight."

Published: 17 Oct 2003