By Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, edited by Richard Webber

When I started reading this book a few days ago, Ronnie Barker was still alive. It saddens me now to know that he has died, even though it is said to have been a peaceful death in his sleep. But I still can't fight a small grin creeping across my face when I think about Porridge. It's a true British sitcom classic.

The set-up is, as all good ideas are, very simple. Fletcher, played by Barker, is returning to prison after being caught again. He is caustic, sarcastic and cynical. Also starting at prison that day is Lennie, a much younger man who is taking his first trip there. The two end up as cell-mates and an unlikely friendship forms as Fletcher seeks to help both of them get through their time.

The scripts in the book, even in written form as opposed to the spoken, sparkle. The dialogue is quick and sharp ("I'd like to fill this urine sample," "What, from here?"), the situations range from the absurd (Fletcher refusing all offers of exercise on Saturday so he can have a quiet half an hour to himself - locked in his cell) to the serious (a kangaroo court is convened amongst the prisoners after one of them is accused), but they all have a good laugh behind them. Even the episodes and the jokes of their time, particularly about government and the jobs situation of the time, still stand up today.

This being a book of scripts and personal memories of some of the cast, it lacks a little of the belly laughs of the original. Barkers performance as Fletcher turned great writing into unforgettable comedy, but as you read it you can see that the success of the programme never relied on cheap slapstick or following trends of the time. It relied on genuine drama and tension, broken up by perfectly timed gags.

The death of Ronnie Barker means we have one less old comedy legend reminding the newcomers of the standards that have been set. This book shows all upcoming writers where they have to be to make the all-time-greats list.