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The outside of the
Perrin's
home - 12 Coleridge Close. It is a 3-bedroom, mock-Tudor fronted,
detached
house at the end of a cul-de-sac. An elderly woman is taking her dog
for
a walk and passes in front of the house. It is Tuesday.
Inside their home, Reggie and Elizabeth are sitting at the table in the dining room, having finished their breakfasts. Reggie is casually reading The Times while sipping a cup of tea. Elizabeth is reading a letter from her mother. Reggie puts down his paper and Elizabeth sees this as her cue to get Reggie's things together. She meets him in the hall and hands him his black briefcase, marked with his initials R.I.P., and his umbrella. Reggie checks his appearance in the mirror, kisses Elizabeth goodbye after she removes a piece of fluff from his jacket, and leaves the house. On the way, he curses at having to go over and see his mother-in-law at the weekend, referring to her in his mind as a hippopotamus, which stops him in his tracks. Watch video
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Reggie walks down Coleridge Close, gently using his umbrella as a walking stick, turns right into Tennyson Avenue, left into Wordsworth Drive and out onto the main road towards the Norbiton railway station. Watch video.
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Inside the railway carriage, all seats are taken on the 8.16 rush-hour train to London Waterloo. All passengers are either reading or chatting. Reggie is trying to do The Times' crossword. Opposite him, his neighbour Peter Cartwright is doing the same, and finishes first. It is hayfever season, and Peter is suffering. He fishes for his handkerchief after a sneezing fit, but has to ask Reggie if he can borrow his. Reggie can't help, but gives Peter his Times Venezuelan trade supplement to blow his nose on.
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Watch video
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Inside Reggie's office, his secretary Joan Greengross is reading the newspaper at her desk. She realises it is 9.11 and awaits her boss's arrival. Reggie enters, excuses his lateness, throws his umbrella at the hat stand and misses, and seats himself at his desk. Joan relays a message about contributing to Doris Coleblow's leaving present. Reggie agrees the amount of 10p, and starts to dictate a letter. C.J. rings to see Reggie later that afternoon. Watch video.
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In C.J.'s office, Reggie, David Harris-Jones and Tony Webster enter to be briefed on the new Exotic Ices project and the results of the preliminary market research. The chairs fart as each person sits down. C.J. remarks to Reggie about Joan, and Reggie fantasises that he is running towards her, both licking ice creams, before discarding them to embrace passionately. C.J. brings him out of his fantasy world and asks him if he is alright, and if he is losing his drive. Reggie denies this. Watch video.
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Reggie returns home - turning right into Wordsworth Drive, left into Tennyson Avenue and into Coleridge Close.
In the dining room, Elizabeth is setting the table for a supper of liver and bacon. She mentions going to see her mother at the weekend, but Reggie suddenly pictures a hippopotamus trotting across a plain. Again, he is confused at this association, and loses the thread of the conversation. Elizabeth has to prompt him several times for a reply.
Watch video
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Wednesday morning. Reggie finishes his tea at the dining table as usual and heads off to work. In the hall, Elizabeth tells him his trouser zip is undone, and Reggie fantasises about being a flasher in front of his neighbour, Mrs. Milford.
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Reggie sets off down Coleridge Close, glancing at the Milfords house as he walks past, remembering his fantasy. Mrs. Milford is not looking.
On the 8.16, Peter Cartwright again finishes the crossword first, and celebrates with a sneezing fit. Again, Reggie is unable to offer his hankie, and instead proffers his own handkerchief, embroidered with his initials R.I.P.
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Reginald Perrin again ascends the steps to his office building. The 'N' of Sunshine has now disappeared.
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Reggie greets Joan with the usual excuses, missing the hatstand with his umbrella, and dictates a letter. He has suddenly realised the sexual appeal of his secretary, and fantasises a passionate embrace on his desk, in the middle of a field. He feels ill and asks Joan to contact Doc Morrissey for him. Watch video.
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In Doc Morrissey's surgery, Reggie describes his symptoms to the Doc, and Doc Morrissey conducts a few tests with his stethoscope, thermometer and by asking all the right questions. Questions such as: "Had any dreams about naked sportswomen?" He hasn't a clue what's wrong with Reggie, but says he has the same symptoms. He gives Reggie his usual prescription - two aspirins.
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Back in Reggie's office, there is a 'tasting' to determine the three most popular flavours for the Exotic Ices range. C.J., David, Tony, Joan and lorry driver Ron Napier are present. Tony collects all the voting cards and returns two minutes later with the computer's results. It has suffered a fault, declaring the three most popular flavours to be bookends, pumice stone and West Germany. Reggie's stomach suddenly decides to reject its influx of ice cream, and he rushes off to the toilet to be sick.
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At home, Reggie sits down for a supper of lamb cutlets, and consciously calls Elizabeth's mother a hippopotamus in conversation. He does not retract the analogy.
Thursday. Reggie's personal crisis is deepening. The morning tea is left undrunk, the hall mirror is left unlooked in, and after Elizabeth removes a piece of yellow fluff from the seat of Reggie's trousers, he makes a sarcastic remark about it not mattering if he went to work on roller skates, wearing a balaclava helmet, a kilt and a pair of 'long johns'. He imagines the scene and it amuses him.
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On the way down Coleridge Close, Reggie is feeling that today will be different. To celebrate, he pulls the head off one of Mrs. Milford's roses and puts it in his button-hole.
Reggie catches a later train, as the sun is shining. An unknown passenger is sitting opposite Reggie. Reggie notices the blackheads on his nose, and enjoys writing any old letters into the Times crossword grid, and declares a self-satisfied "rather easy today!"
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Back up the steps of Sunshine Desserts. The 'E' of Sunshine falls from its hanging position, narrowly missing Reggie as he climbs the steps. Watch video.
In Reggie's office, Tony Webster, Esther Pigeon from a market research company and Morris Coates from Crumley Advertising are waiting for Reggie to arrive. Eventually he does and briefs those present on the outline of the sales campaign. The three most popular flavours, worked out without the aid of a computer, were 'mango delight', 'fig surprise', and 'strawberry and lychee ripple'. Ms. Pigeon gives her boring statistic-laden market research report, and Reggie's mind wanders to the dust playing in the rays of light streaming through his window. Mr. Coates offers some ideas on the promotion of the Ices, but Reggie is not in the mood. Morris and Esther leave, and Tony stays behind to ask Reggie if he'll be in The Feathers, the local pub, as usual at lunchtime. Reggie says no.
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Reggie is lunching in an Italian restaurant. He orders a balanced three-course meal: ravioli, ravioli, followed by ravioli. Hedecides to play footsie under the table with the woman opposite him, but she thinks it's her boyfriend sitting next to her. Watch video
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In his office, Reggie is motionless, full of ravioli. He dictates a sarcastic letter to the Traffic Manager of British Rail (Southern Region) about the constant lateness of his trains, advising him to re-time them eleven minutes later, so they would all be on time.
Reggie arrives home late, and drunk. Again he is sarcastic to Elizabeth, but regrets it. He stops himself from calling her mother a hippopotamus, but loses his temper when dinner is announced: ravioli followed by ice cream. Watch video
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