station in porridge film

[Tubeboy]

Anyone know what station it is that is featured at the beginning of the movie spin off to porridge. Its been doing my head in for ages.

[Deleted]

Porridge film? I don't remember a tube station in it - I remember the football match though.

[Tubeboy]

yes sorry should have said its not a tube station, looks like its on a branch line somewhere and features a br blue liveried cl 115 or 117[cant remember which]

[Deleted]

tubeboy said:

yes sorry should have said its not a tube station, looks like its on a branch line somewhere and features a br blue liveried cl 115 or 117[cant remember which]

Ah ha! Know what you mean now. I don't know where it either but I remember that bit near the start.

[Deleted]

I know the scene you mean. For some reason (it's been ages since I've seen the film) I think it's the North Warwickshire Line. However, it is not beyond possibility that the station is on the Cumbrian Cost Line, as I *think* the prison they used for some scenes was there.

[Deleted]

Could well be David, but most of Porridge was filmed at Chelmsford jail in Essex. The story goes that this jail was closed after a riot, and was left empty for some time while it was being fixed. One of the film producers approached the Home Office, who begrudgingly allowed the film crew to use it. The producers of the film were very surprised at this, as all the 'Porridge' TV programmes were not allowed to be filmed in or anywhere near real jails.

The interior shots were all at a set in a BBC studios somewhere, and they were quite impressive, especially the association area. Also the outside shots were taken at disused mental hospitals and buildings formerly used as Victorian workhouses. Only the film was mainly filmed on one location.

Chelmsford however, is still open to this day.

EDIT: Come to think of it, the jail was set in Cumbria in the film/series, so David as you say some location shots may have made their way in as well

[Deleted]

I *think* the station featured in the excellent film was... Copplestone. This one had me going for a few months - so out came the photographic record of UK stations book I have [enormous thing] and after looking at photos with a magnifying glass, this is what I am led to beleive... I could be wrong.

[pgb]

I always thought that the gates of slade prison was actually filmed near St. Albans in Hertfordshire and so I'd always thought that it was one of the stations on the St Albans Abbey Branch. But I have no evidence to back this up!