New Faces, Old Hands [SEP] series
New Faces, Old Hands
"New Faces, Old Hands" is the first episode of a series of the BBC sitcom "Porridge". It first aired on 5 September 1974. In this episode, Norman Stanley Fletcher, Lennie Godber and Cyril Heslop arrive at Slade Prison.
Synopsis.
The episode opens with Mr Mackay showing the mugshots of Heslop, Godber and Fletcher to his colleagues. Mackay explains that Heslop is not too much of a threat, as he is "thick as two short planks";
Scenes within cells and offices were filmed at the BBC's London studios. But for shots of the wider prison interior, series production designer Tim Gleeson converted an old water tank, used at Ealing Studios for underwater filming, into a multi-storey set.
The first episode, "New Faces, Old Hands", was aired on BBC1 on 5 September 1974, attracting a television audience of over 16 million, and receiving positive reviews from critics. Two further series were commissioned, as well as two Christmas special episodes