Porridge, the hit British comedy show, was set at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumbria.
The show, which ran from 1974 to 1977, has become a household name over the years.
It is remembered as one of the iconic shows of Britain’s golden age of TV comedy, alongside On The Buses, Only Fools and Horses, and Fawlty Towers.
Porridge starred the ever-popular comedian Ronnie Barker, who was one half of the duo The Two Ronnies with Ronnie Corbett.
The episodes follow the lives of Norman Fletcher (Barker) and Lennie Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale, who are incarcerated at Slade prison in Cumbria.
Fletcher is described as a ‘habitual criminal’ who is serving five years for his latest crime.
The pilot episode sees Fletcher’s journey from a London prison to rural Cumbria.
The episode follows Barker’s character as he is transported through the Cumbrian countryside.
A cast photo from the sitcom Porridge (Image: BBC)
In one scene where he is having a conversation about cinemas with a prison guard, he refers to the area.
He says: “It’s so flaming remote up here, it’s tucked in the middle of Cumberland. Where are you going to find a cinema?”
The guard makes another reference, mentioning a “monthly day trip to Workington.”
Fletcher says, “I can understand why the lights of Workington would turn a young girl’s head.”
He continues: “Amenities in Workington, they haven’t even got Christianity up here yet.”
Some scenes of the show were actually filmed in Cumbria, with scenes filmed in Windermere during the final episodes.
The interior of the prison wasn’t filmed in Cumbria. Instead, these scenes were filmed in BBC Studios.
Other parts of Cumbria that were used for filming of the show include Ennerdale, Carlisle, Kendal, and Alston.
Whilst the show has become a beloved British institution in the years since it first aired, many people may be unaware of the strong Cumbrian connection.