Sam Kelly

Sam Kelly often peers through spectacles, but it is the timing that makes the eccentricity worth watching. As the illiterate Warren in Porridge (1974), he is part of a company led by Ronnie Barker, in a programme whose affection for its characters is as carefully judged as its jokes. We laughed and grew fond of them because the precise comedy left room for that affection. The warders’ battles with Fletcher can become predictable, but we would still choose this company over a sitcom in which everyone is waiting to speak.

Warren was his television breakthrough, followed by the hapless Captain Hans Geering in 'Allo 'Allo (1982). Geering's comic mannerisms made Kelly memorable, but we would be wary of treating either role as the full account of what he could do. By then, his association with Mike Leigh was already under way, having begun with television work in 1976. That collaboration continued across film and stage, giving Kelly both comic and tragic parts.

In Topsy-Turvy (1999), he plays Richard Barker within Leigh's account of the preparation of The Mikado. Jim Broadbent is at the centre, but the film needs an attentive ensemble, and Kelly's ability to work within one is a substantial virtue. We recommend it with the caveat that the historical detail sometimes slows the drama; the people are what keep it absorbing. Leigh is the collaborator to follow when looking for the work beyond Kelly's familiar sitcom characters.

Sid in All or Nothing (2002) belongs to that longer partnership, which continued through Mr. Turner (2014), Kelly's final film role. We are wary of measuring this sort of actor by how far he gets from the comedy that made him familiar. Making Warren work alongside Ronnie Barker is an achievement in itself, and one the more serious parts do not need to justify. Start with Porridge; there is no obligation to choose the historical film first.