British Comedy Guide

Reggie Perrin - Series 1

Does anyone know whether it is a certainty that a new series is being made of Perrin starring Martin Clunes and written by Simon Nye?

I certainty hope it isn't! What a dire thought.. :(

Great. Just great.

This has ruined my day. >_<

Kevin Eldon would be pretty good or David Mitchell.

Either that or write a decent new sitcom.

Quote: sootyj @ October 6 2008, 6:09 PM BST

write a decent new sitcom.

Exactly.

To be fair, I guess that thousands of novels have had many interpretations. That's not to say that I can see it working though...

Quote: Nick @ October 6 2008, 6:03 PM BST

Does anyone know whether it is a certainty that a new series is being made of Perrin starring Martin Clunes and written by Simon Nye?

A six-part series order for this new re-make has just been confirmed... https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/perrin/

To me this seems like a terrible idea by the new BBC1 controller Jay Hunt. Then again, they're changing so much I suppose it might work (if they're not having CJ etc in it, I don't know why they don't just do away with the Perrin connection altogether? They might as well make an un-connected studio sitcom - far less likely to attract flak)

Hmm. It sounds like they're going for the basic mundane-middle-aged-office-worker in crisis concept, but scrapping most of the rest. I can't help but feel that this is misguided, but the combined Nobbs/Nye writing duo raises my hopes significantly.

Not sure how I feel about this in all honesty. On the one hand, I've liked an awful lot of the things that David Nobbs has written and some of what Simon Nye has done as well. Clunes isn't bad either (although no Leonard Rossiter obviously) so if this had no Perrin connection then I would be genuinely looking forward to it.

On the other hand, it has an awful lot to live up to and it will be tough not to make comparisons. Perhaps the best way to watch it is as a completely seperate entity though.

Quote: Nick @ October 16 2008, 3:34 PM BST

Perhaps the best way to watch it is as a completely seperate entity though.

Easier said than done. I won't be able to get Rossiter out of my mind.

What a bloody terrible idea. There are so many promising writers out there yet the BBC seem to love giving Simon Nye re-hashed ideas to write i.e. this and the Rising Damp thing.

Probably because none of the new writers and ideas they do try seem to pan out.

Surely Simon Nye must be running out of chances now.

By the sounds of it it could quite easily create the feel of Perrin without actually naming names. If the main character was called David Richards for instance it wouldn't be saddled with the weight of living up to the original series.

They could say it was inspired by Reggie to see how things in the modern world have changed and probably got away with it.

Quote: Tuumble @ October 16 2008, 3:48 PM BST

They could say it was inspired by Reggie to see how things in the modern world have changed and probably got away with it.

Yes, but surely they're doing it to try and cash in on the success of the old show. To get people tuning in to see what thew new version's like?

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