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The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin
''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. Three series were produced from 1976 to 1979, based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the first series from the first novel. Some of its subplots were considered too dark or risqué for television and were toned down or omitted. A fourth series, ''The Legacy of Reginald Perrin'', also written by Nobbs, followed in 1996. The story concerns a middle-aged middle manager, Reginald "Reggie" Perrin who is driven to bizarre behaviour by the pointlessness of his job at Sunshine Desserts. The sitcom proved to be a subversion of others of the era, which were often based on bland, middle-class suburban family life. The first novel in the series, ''The Death of Reginald Perrin'', was published in 1975. Later editions were retitled to match the title of the television series. ''The Return of Reginald Perrin'' (1977) and ''The Better World o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Nobbs
David Gordon Nobbs (13 March 1935 – 8 August 2015"Corrections and clarifications" ''The Guardian'', 11 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.) was an English comedy writer, best known for writing the 1970s television series '''', adapted from his own novels. Life and career Nobbs was born in , ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gareth Gwenlan
Gareth Gwenlan (26 April 1937 – 8 May 2016) was a Welsh television producer, director and executive, best known for his work on shows such as ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', ''Butterflies (TV series), Butterflies'', ''To the Manor Born'', ''Only Fools and Horses'' and ''High Hopes (Welsh TV series), High Hopes''. Gwenlan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. Early life Gwenlan was born at Tydfil Lodge, Merthyr Tydfil on 26 April 1937, although his birth was registered at Brecon. His father, Charles Aneuryn Gwenlan, and his mother, Mary, née Francis, were both teachers. Gwenlan attended Vaynor and Penderyn High School, Cefn Coed, and for his national service he joined the Royal Air Force, RAF in Cyprus. In 1960 he began his acting training at Rose Bruford College, Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Sidcup and continued at the York Theatre Royal. Career Gwenlan began his BBC televis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walter Mitty
Walter Jackson Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's short story " The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and in book form in '' My World—and Welcome to It'' in 1942. Thurber loosely based the character, a daydreamer, on himself. It was made into a film in 1947, starring Danny Kaye, with a remake in 2013 directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Character and plot Mitty is a meek, mild-mannered man with a vivid fantasy life. In a few dozen paragraphs, he imagines himself a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-care killer. Although the story has humorous elements, there is a darker and more significant message underlying the text, leading to a more tragic interpretation of the Mitty character. Even in his heroic daydreams, Mitty does not triumph, several fantasies being interrupted before the final one sees Mitty dying bravely in front of a firing squad. In the brief snatches of reality that pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board. British Railways was formed on 1 January 1948 as a result of the Transport Act 1947, which nationalised the Big Four British railway companies along with some other (but not all) smaller railways. Profitability of the railways became a pressing concern during the 1950s, leading to multiple efforts to bolster performance, including some line closures. The 1955 Modernisation Plan formally directed a process of dieselisation and electrification to take place; accordingly, steam locomotives had been entirely replaced by diesel and electric traction (except for the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway tourist lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Malden Railway Station
New Malden railway station is in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London. It is south-west of . The station is served by South Western Railway (train operating company), South Western Railway, and is in Travelcard Zone 4. It is the starting point of the Beverley Brook Walk, a long walking route to the Thames at Barn Elms. History The station was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 December 1846, originally being named ''Malden''. It has been renamed several times: in May 1859 it became ''New Malden and Coombe''; on 1 March 1862 ''Coombe and Malden''; in November 1912 ''Malden for Coombe''; in 1955 ''Malden''; and finally, on 16 September 1957, it took the present name of ''New Malden''. The deaths of members of station staff in an air raid during World War II is commemorated on a plaque on a wall in the ticket office and another is located on the high street opposite Waitrose. Although still theoretically in use, Platforms 2 and 3 on the " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junction Box
An electrical junction box (also known as a "jbox") is an enclosure housing electrical connections. Junction boxes protect the electrical connections from the weather, as well as protecting people from accidental electric shocks. Functions of the junction box A small metal, plastic or fiberglass junction box may form part of an electrical conduit or thermoplastic-sheathed cable (TPS) wiring system in a building. If designed for surface mounting, it is used mostly in ceilings, concrete or concealed behind an access panel—particularly in domestic or commercial buildings. An appropriate type (such as that shown in the gallery) may be buried in the plaster of a wall (although full concealment is no longer allowed by modern codes and standards) or cast into concrete—with only the cover visible. It sometimes includes built-in terminals for the joining of wires. A similar, usually wall mounted, container used mainly to accommodate switches, sockets and the associated connecti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norbiton Railway Station
Norbiton Railway Station is a railway station located in Norbiton, a suburb in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in southwest London. It is on the Kingston Loop Line, down the line from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway. It is in Travelcard Zone 5 and is a short walk from Kingston Hospital. History Coaching interests in Kingston were opposed to having a railway in the town and consequently, the London and South Western Railway built its line to Southampton further south through Surbiton. This opposition continued even during the laying of the line from Twickenham although this line did reach a terminus in Kingston in 1863. In 1869 the line was extended through Norbiton to connect to the central line southwest of the present station. When Queen Victoria visited distinguished residents in the Coombe Hill area, the royal train stopped at Norbiton, the only station in the area where the platform is at ground level. New Malde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teddington
Teddington is an affluent suburb of London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Historically an Civil parish#ancient parishes, ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and situated close to the border with Surrey, the district became part of Greater London in 1965. In 2021, ''The Sunday Times'' named Teddington as the best place to live in London, and in 2023, the wider borough was ranked first in Rightmove's ''Happy at Home'' index, making it the "happiest place to live in Great Britain"; the first time a London borough has taken the top spot. Teddington is situated on a long meandering of the Thames between Hampton Wick and Strawberry Hill, London, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham. Mostly residential, it stretches from the river to Bushy Park with the commercial focus on the A313 road. At Teddington's centre is the High Street and Broad Street, alongside mid-rise urban developments, containing offices and apartments. There is a suspension bridge over the lowest non-tidal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midlife Crisis
A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's growing age, inevitable mortality, and possible lack of accomplishments in life. This may produce feelings of intense depression, remorse, and high levels of anxiety; or the desire to achieve youthfulness, make drastic changes to their current lifestyle, or change past decisions and events. Crisis versus stressors Personality and a history of psychological crisis are believed to predispose some people to this "traditional" midlife crisis. People going through midlife crisis have a variety of symptoms and exhibit a disparate range of behaviors. Mid-life is the time from years 40-60 where a person is often evaluating their own life. However, many mid-life stressors are often labeled as a mid-life crisis. Day-to-day stressors are likely to add u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Management
Middle management is the intermediate management level of a hierarchical organization that is subordinate to the executive management and responsible for "team leading" line managers and/or "specialist" line managers. Middle management is indirectly (through line management) responsible for junior staff performance and productivity. Unlike line management, middle management is considered to be a senior (or semi-executive) position as middle managers are authorised to speak and act on behalf of the organisation to line managers, junior staff and customers. Included in this level of management are division, plant and department managers. American business historian Alfred D. Chandler Jr. argued in '' The Visible Hand'' (1977) that in the nineteenth century, Adam Smith's ''invisible'' hand was supplanted by the "''visible'' hand" of middle management, which became "the most powerful institution in the American economy". He credited middle managers with a central importance lik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy, which features different characters and settings in each Sketch comedy, skit, sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships. History The structure and concept of a sitcom have roots in earlier forms of comedic theater, such as farces and comedy of manners. These forms relied on running gags to generate humor, but the term ''sitcom'' emerged as radio and TV adapted these principles into a new medium. The word was not commonly used until the 1950s. Early television sitcoms were often filme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fairly Secret Army
''Fairly Secret Army'' is a British sitcom which ran to thirteen episodes over two series between 1984 and 1986. Though not a direct spin-off from ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', the lead character, Major Harry Truscott, was very similar to Geoffrey Palmer's character of Jimmy Anderson from that series, who himself featured in a scene where he tried to recruit Reggie to a secret army with very similar aims to Truscott's (a scene repeated, near verbatim, in episode 2 of ''Fairly Secret Army''). The scripts were written by Reginald Perrin's creator and writer David Nobbs. Harry Kitchener Wellington Truscott (ex ''Queen's Own West Mercian Lowlanders'') is an inept and slightly barmy ex-army man intent on training a group of highly unlikely people into a secret paramilitary organisation. This idea first emerged in an episode of Perrin when Jimmy confided the plan to Reggie (who rubbished it) and was based on persistent rumours in the 1970s press that several generals were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
