Kate Beckinsale, 51, shows special stamps of her late father Richard as Royal Mail celebrates the 50th anniversary of his sitcom Porridge

Kate Beckinsale showed off special Royal Mail stamps featuring her late father Richard from his sitcom “Porridge,” she shared on Instagram on Monday.

The 51-year-old actress posed with printed posters of the stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the BBC show.

Richard, known for his role as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge, sadly died in 1979 at the age of just 31, when Kate was six.

They contain quotes and pictures of the actors, including Ronnie Barker as old geezer Fletcher, Richard as his cellmate Lennie and Fulton Mackay as prison guard Mr. Mackay.

Proud daughter Kate remembered her father in a heartfelt post and shared snapshots of herself holding up images of the stamps.

Kate Beckinsale, 51, showed off special Royal Mail stamps featuring her late father Richard in his sitcom Porridge, she said on Monday

The actress posed with printed posters of the stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the BBC show

She wrote: “Almost a year ago I received the incredibly moving and exciting news from the Royal Mail that they were going to issue a special series of porridge-themed stamps.”

“And I was so touched and excited and thrilled that my father and Ronnie and Fulton and Sidney Lotterby and everyone involved in this extraordinary program were being celebrated in this wonderful way.”

She added: “It's a beautiful tribute and I'd like to say a huge thank you to the Royal Mail and also to the millions of you who alerted me to the stamps even though I've known about them for a year – it was incredibly sweet of you to think of me.”

“God bless you. And long live Porridge, whose moment, it seems, will never pass x”

David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at the Royal Mail, said: “Porridge continues to resonate with audiences after five decades thanks to the quality of the script and the characters the cast brought to the screen.”

“These stamps celebrate the timeless and enduring creativity of British television.”

In the British television series, prison brothers Norman and Lennie are confronted with the reality of prison while surrounded by petty criminals and prison guards, including Mr. Mackay and Mr. Barrowclough, played by Brian Wilde.

Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the show ran for three seasons from 1974 to 1977.

Richard, known for his role as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge, sadly died in 1979 at the age of just 31, when Kate was six.

They contain quotes and pictures of the cast, including Ronnie Barker as old geezer Fletcher, Richard as his cellmate Lennie and Fulton Mackay as prison guard Mr Mackay

The series, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, ran for three seasons from 1974 to 1977.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as you can see. Richard was an actor, best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge and as Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp.

In December, her stepfather Roy was hospitalized in Los Angeles after suffering “a massive stroke” while battling two types of cancer. He died a month later at the age of 87 (pictured in 2021 with her mother Judy Loe and Roy)

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as can be seen from his work as an actor. He is best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp.

The star unfortunately passed away at the age of 31 after suffering a heart attack during the night.

He was the father of Kate, whom he had with Judy Loe, and her older sister Samantha, 57, an actress, his only child from his marriage to Margaret Bradley.

Kate wrote an ode to her father in her Instagram bio. A quote from Mary Gordon reads: “A fatherless girl thinks anything is possible and nothing is certain.”

Her stepfather Roy Battersby died on January 10 at the age of 87.

Kate's mother, actress Judy Loe, married Roy in 1997 – 18 years after the death of Kate's father, Porridge star Richard Beckinsale.