Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron, Geoffrey Palmer, Geoffrey Palmer

Summary: Introducing Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, a very successful senior sales executive and happily married with two less than satisfactory children. Life for Reggie at middle age is beginning to curl up at the edges, and the rat race has become very distasteful to him. But which way lies escape... Seven episodes.

In this classic BBC comedy, Reginald Perrin (Leonard Rossiter), an executive at Sunshine Desserts, makes his escape from the rat race by faking his own death and attempting to start his life over. The collection features all seven episodes from the first season.

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Boasting a virtuoso comic performance from Leonard Rossiter The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin(1976-79) remains one of the greatest of all television sitcoms. Writer David Nobbs combined the surrealist absurdity of Monty Pythonwith an on-going story line that unfolded through each of the three seasons with a clear beginning, middle and end; a ground-breaking development in 70s TV comedy. The first and best season charts middle-aged, middle-management executive Reginald Perrin as he breaks-down under the stress of middle-class life until he informs the world that half the parking meters in London have Dutch Parking Meter Disease. He fakes suicide and returns to court his wife Elizabeth (Pauline Yates) in disguise, a plot development that formed the entire basis of Mrs Doubtfire(1993). Series Two is broader, the rapid-fire dialogue still razor sharp and loaded with caustic wit and ingenious silliness, as a now sane Reggie takes on the madness of the business world by opening a chain of shops selling rubbish. The third season, set in a health farm, is routine, the edge blunted by routine sitcom conventions. At its best The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrinis hilarious and moving, its depiction of English middle-class life spot on, its satire prophetic. Reggie's visual fantasies hark back to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty(1947) and Billy Liar(1963), and look forward to Ally McBeal(1997-2002) and are the icing on the cake of a fine, original and highly imaginative show.

On the DVD:Reginald Perrin's discs contain one complete seven episode season. There are no extras. The sound is good mono and the 4:3 picture is generally fine, though some of the exterior shot-on-film scenes have deteriorated and there are occasional signs of minor damage to the original video masters. Even so, for a 1970s sitcom shot on video the picture is excellent and far superior to the original broadcasts. --Gary S Dalkin

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Year:	1976
Release Date:	October 21, 2002
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	2 N D V D 3042
Keywords:	First, Comedy, General, Series, Fall, Rise, Reginald, Perrin, Tv, Complete
Genre:	Comedy