THE RISE AND FALL OF REGINALD PERRINDistributed by
Second SightPosted: July 30th, 2002.
Classic TV Comedy Available To Own On Video & For The First Time On DVD
Release date: 21 October 2002
“The line ‘I didn’t get where I am today by wearing underpants with pictures of LudwigVan Beethoven on them’ made me laugh for a fortnight.” – Stephen Fry
Reggie Perrin needs little introduction. Bored, perpetually under stress, sexually frustrated,tired and weary of the rat-race, Reginald Perrin was a character based on booksby David Nobbs and was a hero to the millions who identified, sympathised andlaughed with him in the late 1970s. Proving to be timeless classics, the complete1st and second 2nd series’ of The Rise And Fall Of Reginald Perrin will be availablefrom to own on VHS and, for the very first time, on DVD from Second Sight onOctober 21st.
In Series One, we meet Reginald Iolanthe Perrin (Leonard Rossiter), a jaded, middle-agedsales executive at Sunshine Desserts who has to suffer his boss, C.J., and his dailypearls of often nonsensical wisdom. When one day, while talking to his wifeElizabeth (Pauline Yates), he suddenly has a vision of his mother-in-law as ahippopotamus, Reggie finds himself at the start of a rapid decline towards abreakdown, marked by increasingly odd behaviour at home and at work.
Eventually, faking his own suicide, Reggie sets off to start a new life but returns disguisedas his non-existent best friend Martin Wellbourne, just in time to attend his ownmemorial service. He subsequently begins a relationship with his own wife and returns to work at Sunshine Desserts, beforeeventually being ‘unmasked’.
In the second series, after being temporarily unemployed and unemployable, Reggiedecides to open a shop called Grot, selling useless objects at inflated prices.“So much rubbish is sold these days under false pretences”, he tells acustomer, “I decided to be honest about it.” His vast range of goodsincludes non-stick glue, square footballs and tins of melted snow. When, tohis horror, the shop becomes a huge success, Reggie desperately tries to destroyit – first from the outside and then from within.
Series 1 & 2 Details
Running time:
Release date:
Certificate:
Price:209 mins / 210 mins
21st October 2002
PG
£12.99 (VHS), £15.99 (DVD)
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.