1996 saw the BBC's failed attempts to revive two of their best loved sitcoms from the '70's - 'The Liver Birds' and 'The Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin'. Unlike 'The Liver Birds', 'The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin' had to try and soldier on without its leading man ( Leonard Rossiter had died of a heart attack in 1984 ). A colossal task, but one that David Nobbs worked around by having Reggie's passing being the plot outline for the show.
Reginald Iolanthe Perrin has died after being crushed to death by a collapsing billboard, a billboard which ironically was advertising a life insurance company with which Reggie had a policy with. He bequeaths his entire estate to his family and former colleagues from Sunshine Desserts. However, the fly in the ointment is that in order to qualify to inherit a share of Reggie's will, the entire party must do something utterly ludicrous, a task which is to be judged by Reggie's solicitor Geraldine Hackstraw.
All of the cast from the original series returned, save for Tony Webster, who was said to have moved to New Zealand ( the late Trevor Adams had given up on acting in 1982 to start a career in law ). Tim Preece reprised his role as Tom ( he was replaced in the third series of the original show by Leslie Schofield ). Some new characters were introduced. There was, of course, Hackstraw ( played by Patricia Hodge, who had earlier appeared in another David Nobbs scripted show, 'Rich Tea & Sympathy' ), Joan Greengross' new yuppie boyfriend Hank ( Michael Fenton Stevens ) who instead of saying ''Great!'' or ''Super!'' said ''Wicked!'' and incompetent journalist Welton Ormsby ( the late David Ryall, who played Phoebe's dad Eric in the first series of 'Goodnight Sweetheart' ). They all link forces, along with a large army of pensioners, to head a bloodless campaign to seize control of the government.
As a single serial, it was strong enough to work, showing us how everyone had gotten along over the passing years and how they were all coping with the loss of Reggie. There were some telling moments, such as the reconciliation of Tom and Linda and the budding romance between Jimmy and Geraldine and David Nobbs still came up with some witty lines but I think for some, the absence of Rossiter was just too much and, consequently, 'The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin' flopped.
The final episode ended on a cliffhanger, suggesting that Nobbs hoped there would be demand for a second series but it was not to be. Only seven episodes were made.
'The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin' may not have been excellent, but it was worth watching and is vastly superior to the 2009 remake starring Martin Clunes. Despite Clunes' very best efforts, he simply was not Reggie.
Reginald Iolanthe Perrin has died after being crushed to death by a collapsing billboard, a billboard which ironically was advertising a life insurance company with which Reggie had a policy with. He bequeaths his entire estate to his family and former colleagues from Sunshine Desserts. However, the fly in the ointment is that in order to qualify to inherit a share of Reggie's will, the entire party must do something utterly ludicrous, a task which is to be judged by Reggie's solicitor Geraldine Hackstraw.
All of the cast from the original series returned, save for Tony Webster, who was said to have moved to New Zealand ( the late Trevor Adams had given up on acting in 1982 to start a career in law ). Tim Preece reprised his role as Tom ( he was replaced in the third series of the original show by Leslie Schofield ). Some new characters were introduced. There was, of course, Hackstraw ( played by Patricia Hodge, who had earlier appeared in another David Nobbs scripted show, 'Rich Tea & Sympathy' ), Joan Greengross' new yuppie boyfriend Hank ( Michael Fenton Stevens ) who instead of saying ''Great!'' or ''Super!'' said ''Wicked!'' and incompetent journalist Welton Ormsby ( the late David Ryall, who played Phoebe's dad Eric in the first series of 'Goodnight Sweetheart' ). They all link forces, along with a large army of pensioners, to head a bloodless campaign to seize control of the government.
As a single serial, it was strong enough to work, showing us how everyone had gotten along over the passing years and how they were all coping with the loss of Reggie. There were some telling moments, such as the reconciliation of Tom and Linda and the budding romance between Jimmy and Geraldine and David Nobbs still came up with some witty lines but I think for some, the absence of Rossiter was just too much and, consequently, 'The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin' flopped.
The final episode ended on a cliffhanger, suggesting that Nobbs hoped there would be demand for a second series but it was not to be. Only seven episodes were made.
'The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin' may not have been excellent, but it was worth watching and is vastly superior to the 2009 remake starring Martin Clunes. Despite Clunes' very best efforts, he simply was not Reggie.