Reggie Perrin returns Friday
April 22, 2009 by Staff · 3 Comments
Martin Clunes revives a comedy legend when Reggie Perrin returns to BBC One in a modern-day update of the classic British sitcom The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin.
The new series, written by Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye and David Nobbs, writer and creator of the original Seventies show, retells the story of a sales executive on the edge – an average man finding it increasingly difficult to put up with the monotony of life, the disappointing marriage, the office grind as head of disposable razors at male-grooming firm Groomtech and the daily commute.
Rebellion begins to build in his mind, in the form of increasingly surreal flights of fancy, and slowly, Reggie begins to say what he really thinks – to his wife, his boss, his fellow commuters … and, most dangerously of all, to his new colleague, Jasmine Strauss.
As the series begins, Reggie is feeling increasingly frustrated and alienated as he realises that he has worked at Groomtech for 10 years. Reggie’s boss, Chris Jackson, introduces him to the beautiful Jasmine Strauss, the new head of balms and lubricants. His wife, Nicola, is too busy for him, so Reggie becomes a little besotted with Jasmine and even has a peek in her office.
Clunes is joined by Fay Ripley (Cold Feet), Wendy Craig (Butterflies, The Royal), Geoffrey Whitehead (Worst Week Of My Life), Neil Stuke (Game On) and Lucy Liemann (Moving Wallpaper).
BBC One, Friday 24 April 21.30
OUCH, why not just repeat the original series?
Craig, I’m hoping Clunes’s presence will save this, he’s normally quite reliable and mostly picks decent material and tbh if he can’t pull off Reggie P for a new version, no-one can. I’m expecting he’ll be a fine successor.
Got to add my voice to that sentiment, Clunes is good enough to make this work – especially if he makes it his own and as I understand it’s a contemporary re-imagining not a re-make.