Porterhouse Blue

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[edit] About the book

Porterhouse Blue is a novel written by Tom Sharpe, first published in 1974. A satirical look at Oxbridge life and the struggle between tradition and reform, it tells the story of Skullion, the head porter of a fictional Cambridge college, Porterhouse. There is a sequel, Grantchester Grind, but Porterhouse Blue is complete in itself. The name is probably inspired by Peterhouse, though the described location fits better with Clare.

A rather unique element for the book (especially for its time), and the TV series that was based on it, was it brought up the concept of a non statutory female on male rape.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Cover of Porterhouse Blue Book
Cover of Porterhouse Blue Book

For the first time in five hundred years, the master of Porterhouse fails to name his successor before dying. He succumbs to a Porterhouse Blue - a stroke brought about by the over indulgence in the college's legendary cuisine. The college visitor, the Queen, takes the Prime Minister's advice in appointing Sir Godber Evans as his successor. Sir Godber, having been egged on by his zealous wife, Lady Mary, announces sweeping changes to the centuries of college tradition, much to the concern of Skullion and the Fellows, who plan a counter attack to the proposed contraceptive machines, women students, and a canteen.

Meanwhile, the only research graduate student in the college, Lionel Zipser, visits the hard of hearing Chaplain and explains his fixation for Mrs Biggs, his middle-aged big breasted bedder, through a megaphone, which is heard by anyone and everyone within distance. While not happening to overhear this, Mrs. Biggs senses something is up on her own due to Zipser's awkward behavior around her every time she comes to clean his room and especially when she teases him sexually (the climax of which is when she asks him to help her take off her bright red pvc raincoat from behind, which prompts him to reach over with his hands to her front side - and - at least in the #TV mini-series - slightly over her big breasts).

While Sir Godber congratulates himself on having the traditionalists over a barrel, investigative journalist Cornelius Carrington is brought in on the pretext of helping both parties, while secretly having his own agenda.

Meanwhile, having been advised to pick up a foreign student, so as to avoid his predatory lust to Mrs. Biggs that could end up badly, Zipser visits an array of public houses in search of a condom and later wakes from his stupor in possession of two gross of condoms. He tries many ways to get rid of them and eventually inflates them with gas from the gas fire in his room and floats them up the chimney, not realising that some get stuck in the chimney and the rest float down into the college Quadrangle. Fearing for the good name of college, Skullion spends the night bursting the inflated condoms.

At this point it turns out it is Mrs Biggs who is the predator, as she sneaks up to Zipser's room in the middle of the night and wakes him up. By the time he realizes she's in his room in the middle of the night, to his great shock she undresses without saying much and promptly enters his bed against his protests, lies on top of him and rapes him. Unfortunately, while undressing she lit the gas fire which takes a short while to ignite the inflated condoms stuck in the chimey, causing an explosion that demolishes the Ball Tower and kills Zipser and Mrs Biggs in the moment of passion.

When Skullion refuses to open the main gates of college to let the fire engines in and continues to burst the inflated condoms, he is fired. He plans to take his revenge by making a shocking reveal-all appearance on Carrington's live television show and partially succeeds. After the new master refuses Skullion's pleas to let him keep his job, Skullion offers shares a former master left him, Sir Godber refuses him flat out and has a fatal accident, Skullion, not being entirely responsible quickly leaves. Two senior academics find the dying Sir Godber who whispers them one word...Skullion, they agree that, in accordance with college tradition, Skullion has been named the new Master of Porterhouse.

When Skullion is visited by the college officials with the good news, he thinks they have found out his involvement with Sir Godber's death and whilst they are telling him about his great fortune, he has a debilitating Porterhouse Blue himself. None the less, he is installed as the Master and the college find that the shares he'd offered to Sir Godber are worth more than the cost of rebuilding the Ball Tower, so Porterhouse's traditions are firmly re-established.

ISBN

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] TV mini-series

Cover of DVD release
Cover of DVD release

In 1987, Porterhouse Blue was adapted for television by Malcolm Bradbury for Channel 4 in four episodes. It starred David Jason as Skullion, Ian Richardson as Sir Godber Evans, Charles Gray as Sir Cathcart D'Eath, and John Sessions as Zipser. Also appearing were Griff Rhys Jones as Cornelius Carrington, Paula Jacobs as Mrs. Biggs, Paul Rogers as the Dean, John Woodnutt as the Senior Tutor, Lockwood West as the Chaplain, and Harold Innocent as the Bursar.

The title song "Dives in Omnia" ("There's Money in Everything") was sung by a cappella group The Flying Pickets.

The television adaptation has been released on DVD and VHS: IMDb reference

[edit] Comparison to the book

The TV mini-series softened up some scenes by leaving the inner thoughts of the characters, which were often mentioned in the book, to the viewers' imaginations.

In particular, there was the major ironic twist that it was Mrs. Biggs the bedder who ended up raping Zipser, who was the one that always feared he wouldn't be able to control himself and rape her. This concept was much more prominent in the book. The book actually mentioned the word "rape" as the main thing Zisper feared of doing if he doesn't make his lust go away. Later on, the bedder sneaks up into his room, wakes him up and undresses without saying much. When Zipser realizes it's the middle of the night and that she undresses, the thought of his secret fantasy coming true in real life is too shocking for him and he begs her to leave.

At this point in the book, when she doesn't even answer to his protests and just keeps undressing, he actually considers screaming for help, but then he realizes no one would believe him he's the victim of a rape - the book describes him giving up hope and just cowering in his bed in the darkness, before the book and TV mini-series join paths and she finishes undressing and then against his protests enters his bed and lies on top of him. In the book, she then reaches out for his genitalia and makes him penetrate her, while in TV mini-series the forceful penetration after she lies on top him is suggested by the way he quietly gasps her formal name ("Mrs. Biggs...") two times while she instructs him "Now, Mr. Zipser, not too quick, not too quick..."

We never learn how it would have turned out because it doesn't take long for the room to explode because of the chimney (while undressing, the bedder lit the gas fire, as between sneaking up uninvited to Zipser's room, waking him up, undressing and entering his bed against his protests and lying on top of him and engaging in an intercourse, she never had the chance to learn the chimney was blocked with gas filled condoms. Thus indirectly her actions also caused death to Zipser and to herself).

[edit] Audio books

There have also been two audio book versions;

[edit] External links

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