Libertines and Baby Shambles singer Pete Doherty has hung up his rock and roll lifestyle and replaced it for classic TV sitcom viewing – some of which were made in the 1950s
Reformed hellraiser Pete Doherty revealed he has swapped wild nights out for staying in and watching Porridge on TV. He said he loves watching re-runs of the BBC classic comedy series starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale.
The Libertines and Baby Shambles singer said he also loves settling down to other classic sitcoms including Rising Damp starring Leonard Rossiter and Steptoe and Son starring Harry H Corbett and Wilfred Brambell. His other favourite is Hancock’s Half Hour starring Tony Hancock.
He said: “You look at Rigsby in Rising Damp, a seedy vainglorious old miser in a bedsit but absolutely hilarious.
“Same with Steptoe and Son. Or Fletcher in Porridge.
“That’s the beauty of Porridge – that it’s still real people.
“It’s set in a different era, but it’s still England.”
Porridge was a hit BBC comedy series from 1974 to 1977 and and was off air before the singer was even born in 1979.
His other favourites Rising Damp ran on ITV between 1974 and 1978 and Steptoe And Son ran on the BBC from 1962 to 1965 and from 1970 to 1974. Hancock’s Half Hour began as a radio show back in 1954 and then ran on TV from 1956 to 1961.
But Doherty, 46, who served several prison sentences between 2003 and 2008 for burglary, drug offences and breaching probation orders said life behind bars wasn’t like being in Porridge.
Speaking in the June edition of Record Collector magazine he added: “I found that the prison population was a lot younger than I expected.
“In Porridge they are all old lags in their forties and fifties but it’s not really like that.
“It’s 80 to 90 per cent young lads, wild lost young souls bouncing off the walls.”
Doherty stopped taking drugs in 2019 and now lives in France with his partner and daughter. His new solo album Felt Better Alive is out now.
He may have given up the hard stuff, but the rocker’s new lifestyle is also impacting his health, and in fact he is in worse health now because of it.
Kate Moss’ ex-flame told fans at a recent gig that his newfound diet of booze and cheese has made him more worse for wear than heroin. Pete revealed how he is facing having to amputate his toes due to his health battle with Type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed with the condition in 2024, and has had to perform while sitting in a chair at times.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
