"New" Reggie Perrin

[longers]

I think we need to pitch this to UKGold NOW.

I'll put my plan to remake the Liverbirds with Lily Allen and Tracey Emin on hold for the time being.

Not too long though John, I could be tempted to get a telly at this rate.

 

[Crankarm]

Returning to the OP. I watched it all for about 8 mins up to the point where Clunes sorry...Reggie was complaining of penis enlarging spam emails. Moderately funny but I switched off as I couldn't stand the canned laughter. It was infuriating and ruined it for me. Pity as I think Cluny is maturing into a rather good comic actor. Oh well he's had a very good run he had to have a lemon sooner or later. If some thing is perfect why try to copy it as the only way to go is down. I suppose the best form of flattery is mimicking something or some one. The new Minder is a case in point. It will be heracy if Porrige is remade Ronnie Barker's greatest role and finest moments .

I too saw the Odd Couple Lemon and Mathau was on so will now retire to watching that old gem of a film.

 

[hackbike 666]

I watched it for a little while and turned over.

What is the new Minder like?

 

[Steve Austin]

It wasn't very good. I turned over to watch Polar Bears on Eden, much better viewing

 

[PaulB]

I didn't like the original and so never watched it so I could watch last night's new incarnation without making the comparison and I thought it was....alright. I like Martin Clunes but I cannot abide that awful do..py..vo..ice.d sow...who plays his wi...fe.

 

[dellzeqq]

please keep these ideas coming - I'm pitching them next week.

Rising Damp, anybody? Paul Merton as Rigsby? With Lenny Henry and Amanda Holden in support? (reaches for pearl-handled revolver.....)

 

[Ashtrayhead]

please keep these ideas coming - I'm pitching them next week.

Rising Damp, anybody? Paul Merton as Rigsby? With Lenny Henry and Amanda Holden in support? (reaches for pearl-handled revolver.....)

You'd want someone funny for that part.

 

[andrew-the-tortoise]

It was rubbish - but I was expecting it to be.

Will be watching DVD's of originals instead!

 

[asterix]

Recorded it, will delete - thanks guys for saving some of my life.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Martin Clunes is a pudding faced oaf - he's no Leonard Rossiter.

I don't understand why the BBC don't just re-run the original and use the bloody licence fee to make a new programme.
Surely they can afford to pay someone to have an 'idea' FFS!

 

[mr Mag00]

i didnt see any of the original although i did see rossiter in rising damp. i thought last night was quite funny. both mrs m and i had a good laugh at some of it. but i can understand if you expected it to be like the original but it wont be i assume new writers and new actors.

dont fear change

 

[ChrisKH]

I think if you are trying to compare then you will be disappointed. And you are, and that's the mistake. I kept an open mind and given I'm about the same age as Clunes is meant to be in the series, have an office job, terrific bore for a boss, etc. I rather enjoyed it. Regrettably there are too many similarities to my own life - I shall be on Canvey beach if you need me. But not for long.

 

[girofan]

Approach re-makes with an open mind and forget the original, otherwise you're bound to be disappointed!
I thought it quite good, except as already pointed out, for the canned laughter. "Not Going Out" suffers from the dreaded can. also.

 

[Arch]

I didn't like the original and so never watched it so I could watch last night's new incarnation without making the comparison and I thought it was....alright. I like Martin Clunes but I cannot abide that awful do..py..vo..ice.d sow...who plays his wi...fe.

That's the thing, it's 'alright' as a slighty dopey sitcom, unless you know what it's trying to be. I heard that David Nobbs himself wrote the new one - so I wondered if it would be ok, but either he didn't try very hard, or he's gone soft. It annoys me that they've mucked about with it, but still claim it as a remake. Why is he not still working for Sunshine Desserts? Why isn't his wife called Elizabeth? Why replace the sexy Miss Greengross with the dull one, and draft in love interest from management? Why not just write a whole new sitcom on the 'mid life crisis' theme, with completely new characters and have done with it?

I wonder how much we've got spoilt in the meantime too. The original stuff about the daft train excuses and so on, maybe it was funny because it was relatively new. By now, we've heard it all hundreds of times from all sorts of satire and sitcom. And the nervous breakdown/change of life thing isn't really fresh anymore either. Maybe the original was better just because it was original.

 

[Arch]

Oh, and if they ever touch 'The Good Life'...!

(Actually, that's one that often gets odd little repeats, on BBC2, as a filler, and episode here and there, and I reckon it's still as good as ever - the frocks may have dated, but the humour couldn't be bettered)