Review of Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, The: The Complete Second Series

Introduction

The second series of Reggie Perrin picked up where the first series ended. (For details of the first series, please see the review). Reggie`s machinations have backfired, and from being reinvented as a new man he suddenly finds himself unemployed. Then he has an idea to make a fortune - by selling people rubbish...

This second series is a much broader comedy than the original, introducing an element of ideological pretension on Reggie`s part as he rails against Western capitalism. It makes these seven episodes more intellectually interesting than the first series, but makes a weaker story. There is much reversal of roles and reversal of fortune, but the conclusion of the whole enterprise is extremely satisfying.

Video

Made on videotape in the late 1970`s, the series is in its original 4:3 framing and slightly washed-out colour reproduction of that era. Picture quality isn`t outstanding, but the DVD presentation is as good as you could hope to get given the age of the material. Location work was done on 16mm film, so there is a jump of quality between studio and location shots.

Audio

Presented in the original mono, all the humour of the series is contained in the dialogue, which is clear and crisp. The series was made in the days before actors started mumbling under their breath, so the lack of subtitling is less of an issue than with some shows I can mention.

Features

None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. They are non-existent and in an absolute minority. Any fewer and they`d be in minus figures.

Conclusion

A contemporary of shows like "Some Mothers Do `Ave `Em", "Dad`s Army", "Fawlty Towers" and "Are You Being Served", the studio audience sounds to be composed of hysterics or hyenas. Overlook them and their reaction to farting chairs and the show is a good deal more cleverly written than others of the era.