Comments on: Last Night’s TV – Reggie Perrin

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:40:31 +0000

Firstly let me say I thoroughly agree with your comments regarding the recent”updated” version of Reggie Perrin. I feel a tad sorry for Clunes as Leonards shoes are impossible to fil. Bit surprised Clunes agreed to the roll in the first place…

Which leads me onto Rising Damp, Ive heard on the TV grapevine that ITV are looking to reprise the rolls of Rigsby and co..

NO NO NO dont do it, it cant be done, they have already chose the actors for the pilot that is due out early 2010.

Long live Reggie and Rigsby!

By: richard p s

richard p s — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:15:33 +0000

“If a remake does not at least equal the original then it is not really worth remaking it.”

You can’t know that, unless you make it in the first place.

Well, I’ve watched several episodes now.

And all I can say is its pretty poor, I must have been in a very good mood when I saw first one, since the rest of the episodes are truly awful.

Their wont be a season 2

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Sat, 23 May 2009 21:42:10 +0000

Gave this a chance but this new version seems to be going nowhere. As it uses the same name you have to compare it to the original.

The original gave a sense of somebody who really did feel like he was going mad and wanted to escape his world of stereotypes, whereas this version just gives the impression of somebody stuck in a rut, feeling depressed and acting a bit unconventionally.

If a remake does not at least equal the original then it is not really worth remaking it.

This new version appears to be another attempt to capitalise on “The Office” popularity. I would rather see the programme makers take a risk on something original.

By: anthony clendinning

anthony clendinning — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:02:38 +0000

Dear Sirs,

I couldn’t agree with you more. The failure seems to be mostly in the miscasting of the actors, good though they may be and the perfunctory way in with the catch phrases were said.

Yours,
AC

By: Stuart

Stuart — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:39:21 +0000

This program is absolute rubbish, a complete waste of some very good actors talents,yes i am a big fan of the original & why oh why do program makers insist on trying revive a character that soley belongs to Leonard Rossiter. now seen it twice, haven’t laughed once, it just isn’t funny, and that laughter track is just completely embarrasing. Cant’t the BBC think of anything original to do instead and leave this true comedy classic alone !

By: Mrs Angry on: Things I’m sick of hearing & seeing on TV! @ Unreality Primetime

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:45:39 +0000

[...] an exorbitant fee is that they are ‘forerunners in original programming’ yet lo, a remake of Reggie Perrin turns up on the BBC. I know that the BBC get thousands of proposals and scripts for new and [...]

By: purple

purple — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:36:31 +0000

I’d have to agree with Richard. There have been many worse BBC comedies recently, e.g. My Family and this is only the first episode.
I read an interview with David Nobbs who said that he agreed to the remake because he felt that enough had changed in society to make it worthwhile. I think the problem though, is that it was always going to be nearly impossible to please fans of the original; it would either be a direct copy or far too different. I actually thought that the changes were quite good: Reggie working at a male grooming company has a lot of potential for satire, and Martin Clunes’ take on the role was much more world-weary compared to Rossiter’s manic Reggie.
The shocking thing watching those clips was how much more intrusive the new laughter track is; it completely ruined it.

By: richard p s

richard p s — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:44:03 +0000

Remakes are not made for the original fans they are made for younger people, who dont give a crap about the original. old good idea + new production = easy money

Come off it ive seen much worse comedy than this on the BBC in recent years. And as for wasting money there is loads of unwatchable crap on the bbc why target this program?

And besides it might get better, the first season of many shows are crap, blackadder I for instance

By: Al

Al — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:30:33 +0000

As per this review, what, what, what is the point? Why spend the money? Ahhhh! its so infuriating – as soon as I head they were doing this I just knew there was no way it would stand up to the original.

Why not just show the original. This banal remake is pointless.

The first comment here says ‘..its not that bad’ – so the BBC should be spending our money on producing ‘not that bad’ are you serious? There is absolutely no justification on remaking something that is inferior to an existing original. Again, why not just show the original to all those who have never seen it?

The only people interested in this banana will be Communists, Maoists, Trotskyists, Neo Trotskyists, Papists, log haired weirdos, psychopaths, fascists and vice admirals.

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:30:13 +0000

I agree with everything Lynn said. I might have smiled once or twice but it was the ghastly canned laughter that was the final nail in the coffin.