Not many British sitcoms have been inspired by novels. In 1976, David Nobbs adapted 'The Death Of Reginald Perrin' for the B.B.C.. He had Ronnie Barker in mind for the title role, but ultimately ( and rightly so in my opinion ) it went to Leonard Rossiter.
'Perrin' is a serial not a series. The premise is this: middle-aged Reginald Iolanthe Perrin is stuck in a dead-end job ( marketing executive at 'Sunshine Desserts' ). After accidentally referring to his mother-in-law ( whom we never see ) in his wife's presence as a hippopotamus, his life changes. He fantasises about all the things he would love to do, such as making love to his secretary Joan Greengross ( Sue Nicholls ) on top of her desk, exposing himself to his neighbour, and standing up to his boss, the domineering Charles Jefferson ( known as 'C.J.' ), brilliantly played by John Barron. C.J.'s office contains chairs that fart whenever you sit in them.
Eventually, Reggie fakes his death by leaving his clothes on a beach. After attempting a new life in various guises, he returns to his old one as bearded 'Martin Wellborn', and remarries wife Elisabeth ( Pauline Yates ). But he grows bored of 'Wellborn' and reverts back to plain old Reggie. C.J., angry at having been deceived, sacks him.
The series struck a chord with the public, and soon its catchphrases ( 'I didn't get where I am today!', 'Great!' 'Super!' etc ) were heard all over the country, in workplaces and playhouses. As a schoolboy, I identified with Reggie because I too was trapped in a cycle of boredom ( and my headmaster was a dead ringer for C.J. ).
The second season saw Reggie, fired from 'Sunshine Desserts', setting up his own company - Grot - which sells rubbish to the public. It takes off, making Reggie a multi-millionaire. But success brings him down and, this time with Elisabeth in tow, he discards his new life ( along with his clothes ).
The clamour for more 'Reggie' led to a third and final season, in which our hero decides to create a better world by setting up a commune, run by his family and friends. Though it had its moments, it was the weakest of the trio, mainly because Reggie now had nothing to rebel against, and only when was he rebelling was he truly funny.
The series ended with Reggie working for C.J.'s twin brother F.J. at 'Amalgamated Aerosols', and planning to do the same thing all over again...
I cannot praise this highly enough. Both the writing and acting were of a uniformly high standard throughout, with Rossiter's 'Perrin' becoming one of the all-time great television comedy characters. That the series was being made at the same time as 'Rising Damp' is nothing short of remarkable. It is hard to see any similarity between 'Perrin' and 'Rigsby'. The supporting cast - including Geoffrey Palmer as Reggie's mad right-wing brother-in-law 'Jimmy', John Horsley as the befuddled 'Doc Morrissey', Tim Preece as Reggie's wine-making son-in-law 'Tom', and Sue Nicholls as 'Joan' were all great too.
I cannot end without mentioning Ronnie Hazlehurst's theme tune. Great! Super!
'Perrin' is a serial not a series. The premise is this: middle-aged Reginald Iolanthe Perrin is stuck in a dead-end job ( marketing executive at 'Sunshine Desserts' ). After accidentally referring to his mother-in-law ( whom we never see ) in his wife's presence as a hippopotamus, his life changes. He fantasises about all the things he would love to do, such as making love to his secretary Joan Greengross ( Sue Nicholls ) on top of her desk, exposing himself to his neighbour, and standing up to his boss, the domineering Charles Jefferson ( known as 'C.J.' ), brilliantly played by John Barron. C.J.'s office contains chairs that fart whenever you sit in them.
Eventually, Reggie fakes his death by leaving his clothes on a beach. After attempting a new life in various guises, he returns to his old one as bearded 'Martin Wellborn', and remarries wife Elisabeth ( Pauline Yates ). But he grows bored of 'Wellborn' and reverts back to plain old Reggie. C.J., angry at having been deceived, sacks him.
The series struck a chord with the public, and soon its catchphrases ( 'I didn't get where I am today!', 'Great!' 'Super!' etc ) were heard all over the country, in workplaces and playhouses. As a schoolboy, I identified with Reggie because I too was trapped in a cycle of boredom ( and my headmaster was a dead ringer for C.J. ).
The second season saw Reggie, fired from 'Sunshine Desserts', setting up his own company - Grot - which sells rubbish to the public. It takes off, making Reggie a multi-millionaire. But success brings him down and, this time with Elisabeth in tow, he discards his new life ( along with his clothes ).
The clamour for more 'Reggie' led to a third and final season, in which our hero decides to create a better world by setting up a commune, run by his family and friends. Though it had its moments, it was the weakest of the trio, mainly because Reggie now had nothing to rebel against, and only when was he rebelling was he truly funny.
The series ended with Reggie working for C.J.'s twin brother F.J. at 'Amalgamated Aerosols', and planning to do the same thing all over again...
I cannot praise this highly enough. Both the writing and acting were of a uniformly high standard throughout, with Rossiter's 'Perrin' becoming one of the all-time great television comedy characters. That the series was being made at the same time as 'Rising Damp' is nothing short of remarkable. It is hard to see any similarity between 'Perrin' and 'Rigsby'. The supporting cast - including Geoffrey Palmer as Reggie's mad right-wing brother-in-law 'Jimmy', John Horsley as the befuddled 'Doc Morrissey', Tim Preece as Reggie's wine-making son-in-law 'Tom', and Sue Nicholls as 'Joan' were all great too.
I cannot end without mentioning Ronnie Hazlehurst's theme tune. Great! Super!