NICK GOODMAN on THE FALL AND RISE OF REGINALD PERRIN

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on June 7th 2026.

I didn’t get where I am today without recognising when someone has an enthusiasm for a TV show that I’d better invite them on the show to talk about it, so when NICK GOODMAN wanted to come back and talk about his all-time favourite sitcom, THE FALL AND RISE OF REGINALD PERRIN, I wasn’t going to say no.

Written by David Nobbs and running across three BBC TV series of seven episodes each in the late 1970s, with a belated sequel THE LEGACY OF REGINAL PERRIN following in 1996, the series starred LEONARD ROSSITER in perhaps his other most memorable TV role (alongside RIGSBY in RISING DAMP and those Cinzano adverts), and cemented his reputation for television comedy in place for all time.

It’s a darkly comic tale of one man’s reaction to executive and domestic stress which is also populated with a memorable cast of absurd characters whose antics and catchphrases still resonate fifty years on, although, amongst the corporate nonsense, and farting chairs, perhaps I should warn you, the series does also feature references to suicide in its narrative that might not seem quite so amusing to some listeners today. A new version starring MARTIN CLUNES followed in 2009, and this also prompted us to talk a little about our likes and dislikes when it comes to television remakes, which rounds off the hour rather nicely.

Meanwhile, despite a bit of a cock-up on the technical front, I think NICK’s enthusiasm for the show makes for an entertaining hour that I hope you will find both smashing and super.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.