British Comedy Guide
The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin. Image shows from L to R: Reginald Perrin (Leonard Rossiter), Doc Morrissey (John Horsley). Copyright: BBC
The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin

The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC One
  • 1976 - 1982
  • 21 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.

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Press clippings Page 2

Greatest 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 2016

America: 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 2016

Reggie 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

Reginald Perrin and a genius of comedy

When Reginald Iolanthe Perrin set out for work on the Thursday morning, he had no intention of calling his mother-in-law a hippopotamus.

Robert Gore-Langton, The Daily Express, 12th August 2015

'A stealth drama riding on the wheels of a sitcom'

From mother-in-law gags to existential angst, The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin by the late David Nobbs was brilliantly funny, emotional and absurd.

David Quantick, The Guardian, 10th August 2015

Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin star Pauline Yates dies

Actress Pauline Yates, who was a familiar face to millions of TV viewers for roles in shows such as The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, has died at the age of 85.

Anthony Barnes, The Mirror, 22nd January 2015

Your next box set: The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

A boorish boss, annoying colleagues, a feeling of pointlessness - 35 years on there's still plenty that rings true about disgruntled salaryman Reggie Perrin's strange adventures.

Phil Daoust, The Guardian, 10th September 2010

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