The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin
- TV sitcom
- BBC One
- 1976 - 1982
- 22 episodes (3 series)
A midlife crisis sitcom about a bored executive who fakes his own suicide and seeks to reinvent himself in a desperate search for purpose and contentment. Stars Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron, Sue Nicholls, John Horsley and more.
Press clippings
Golden oldies winning TV ratings war
Despite some episodes being more than 50 years old, classic Home Guard comedy Dad's Army repeated for the umpteenth time on BBC Two still attracts more than 1.1million viewers and, on a typical day, is the channel's most-watched programme.
Richard Webber, The Daily Express, 6th April 2021How Reginald Perrin made middle-class monotony funny
David Nobbs's landmark 1970s sitcom was dark, melancholic and often profound. And its long absence from our screens has only made it better.
Tom Fordy, The Telegraph, 9th March 2021The story of The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin
Rossiter may not have been writer's first choice but he rose to challenge.
Richard Webber, The Sunday Post, 5th February 2020Reginald Perrin musical in development
A comedy musical based on David Nobbs's hit comedy creation The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin is in development.
British Comedy Guide, 30th April 2019Fawlty Towers tops Radio Times greatest British sitcom list
Fawlty Towers has come out top of a list of the greatest British sitcoms, as compiled by Radio Times magazine.
British Comedy Guide, 9th April 2019The top 10 British sitcoms of the 70s
The 1970s is rightly lauded as the golden age of British sitcom.
Greg Jameson, Entertainment Focus, 1st December 2018BBC Comedy Sitcom Signature Tunes
There is one element in the sitcom which is overlooked - the signature tune. Evocative 30 second sequences of tightly-composed music which set the tone for the half-hour which follows. Without you realising it, that signature tune embeds itself in your psyche. From now until the end of your life, that tune will be a shortcut to the time when that sitcom made the first and greatest impact on you.
Jon Jacob, BBC Blogs, 2nd September 2016Greatest sitcom ever: Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Perrin was made in an age when the BBC did not feel the urge to use its drama and comedy programmes to proselytise about minority rights, prejudice, racism and homophobia. It took a problem common to the silent majority and explored it sensitively, but with brilliant humour. That was why Perrin was so popular in its day, and why if one watches the box set now, 40 years later, it transmits through wit something timelessly relevant.
Simon Heffer, The Telegraph, 6th July 2016America: where British sitcoms go to die
It is the holy grail for British writers - having your sitcom remade for America. But can Raised By Wolves succeed where Fawlty Towers flopped?
Andrew Collins, The Guardian, 22nd June 2016Reggie Perrin captured the essence of his era
The death of his creator, David Nobbs, reminds us of the genius of the best TV comedy: its characters define their age.
Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian, 14th August 2015