Opening Titles – Leonard stripped down to flesh-coloured trunks; a stuntman, Ken Barker, did the swimming scene; the beach - Freshwater Beach, Burton Bradstock, near West Bay - in Dorset was swarming with holidaymakers minutes before the scene was shot. They were all evacuated, and gathered behind the camera during filming.

Series One – The street used for the Perrins’ residence of ‘Coleridge Close’ is Sandal Close, which can be found off Hanger Lane (A406), North West London; the ‘Sunshine Desserts’ building was located at Telford Way, near North Acton, West London. See these images, courtesy Steve Flewin: One - Two - Three - Four - Five; Reggie’s fantasies of Joan (ice creams, picnic, etc.) were filmed in Witney, Oxfordshire;
Episode Two: the safari park scene was filmed at Longleat House on one of the hottest days of the year; visitors had wisely avoided driving round couped up in a car on such a hot day, so the cars seen behind Reggie’s are driven by the production team; the lions that Reggie had a confrontation with were not real – one lay still, one lay on a plinth concealed by grass with a crewmember swishing its tail occasionally by means of a wire, and the third was a man in a costume;
Episode Five: C.J.’s fishing contest was filmed on a riverside near Burford, Oxfordshire. Reggie's night-time walk into the sea as he left his old life behind was filmed at West Bay, Bridport, Dorset.

Series Two – The premises used as the Grot offices can be found off London’s North Circular route; the name on the building (‘Perrin Products (Grot) Ltd.’) was superimposed by shooting the building through a glass plate with the letters painted on it;
Episode Three: the shop used in the opening ceremony of the 50th Grot shop can be found in High Wycombe High St.;
Episode Six: during the trip to the seaside, the author David Nobbs can be seen walking past the car as the Perrins sit staring out to sea;
Episode Seven: the clifftop scene with Reggie, Elizabeth and C.J. was filmed at 5am from a helicopter. The pilot was killed the following week when his aircraft crashed in London.

Series Three – The houses and streets used for the location of the Perrins community can be found in a suburb of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Legacy - Many of the external shots during the recruitment drive were filmed in Buckinghamshire. Actor Trevor Adams (Tony Webster) was written out of "The Legacy..." because David Nobbs had heard he was busy with a career in law. In fact, Trevor had been made redundant, got divorced, lost the custody of his children, lost his father who had died of a stroke, and had become an alcoholic as a result. Trevor has now recovered and has returned to acting. Click here to see a recent (1996) picture of Trevor.
 

 Return to Index Page

Text (c) Paul Fisher 2004. Pictures (c) BBC