The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

46-year-old Sunshine Desserts sales executive Reginald Iolanthe Perrin is clearly suffering a midlife crisis. Though not unhappily married to Elizabeth, he calls her mother a hippopotamus and is finding no enthusiasm for marketing his boss C.J.'s latest line: exotic ices. He wants something better for his life, but is unsure what.

Life is beginning to get on top of Reggie as he begins dictating abusive letters. Perhaps he needs a nice peaceful holiday. Unfortunately, his daughter Linda asks him to take her and her family to a safari park, as her husband Tom has crashed their car. Being cooped up in a hot car in a safari park is too much for Reggie, who gets out for a walk and has to be rescued from the lions.

Elizabeth has gone to stay with her sick mother so Reggie seizes the opportunity for some afternoon delight with his glamourous secretary Joan, who proves to be up for it. Sadly, just as they're about to unleash their passions, Reggie is visited, first by his layabout son, resting actor Mark, and then by Elizabeth's right-wing, scrounging brother Jimmy, seeking food.

Still at her mother's, Elizabeth rings Reggie to remind him that she planned a dinner party but Reggie doesn't cancel. Instead he asks C.J. and his wife, young colleague David who toadies to C.J., the well-endowed Davina from the custards department and his rude uncle Percy, who makes sexist comments about Davina.

A nervous Reggie is to address the British Fruit Association and mixes Dutch courage with sedatives, resulting in a disaster and he has to be dragged off. Now at his breaking point, Reggie tells C.J. that blood will flow.

Reggie tries out various new identities, including Lord Amherst (which attracts the attention of the comely Jean) and Donald Potts (which attracts the less comely Miss Pershore). However, he misses Elizabeth and is upset to find that, since she assumes that Reggie is dead, she's seeing an old flame.

Under the alias Martin Wellbourne, an alleged friend of the deceased newly arrived from Brazil, and sporting a curly beard, Reggie gate-crashes his own memorial service where a vague vicar plugs Mark's new play and people seem to miss Reggie less than he'd hoped.

Maintaining his identity as Martin Wellbourne becomes more wearing for Reggie. Revealing his true identity to CJ does not go down well...

Reggie is reduced to working at a pig farm. Elizabeth decides to get a job, gaining a new admirer and becoming the bread winner but isn't keen to let Reggie know where, leading him to suspect she is having an affair.

Reggie confronts CJ and hatches a plan for a very unusual shop after talking to Jimmy.

Reggie asks CJ for a start-up loan to establish his shop Grot which becomes a huge success selling all sorts of useless products.

Sunshine desserts goes bankrupt and Reggie hires his old coworkers and boss to Grot.

Reggie is bored with his success and plans to destroy Grot by hiring totally unsuitable personnel.

Reggie's plan fails. He tries more extreme tactics which also fail. Only one more thing left to do...

Reggie decides to open a commune helping people to live in peace and harmony. But first he needs staff...

Having recruited all the old faces, Reggie welcomes his one and only guest to "Perrin's"

After an unique advertising campaign, "Perrin's" gains another guest.

Business is booming and Reggie is content... but for how long?

Money and jewelery begin to disappear at Perrin's and a female guest starts to be suggestible with the male staff.

Perrin's loses face in the community as McBlane attacks a Salvation Army woman and there is a backlash against his "Peacekeeping Force"

Perrin's closes and everyone says their goodbyes. Reggie gets a new job but finds himself again working for C.J. and his brother F.J. Is the coast calling again?

After nearly 20 years apart all the characters are brought together by the death of Reggie Perrin. After attending the funeral they are all summoned to Geraldine Hackstraw's office (the solicitor dealing with reggie's estate) to hear the reading of the will. Everyone is left a million pounds on the condition that they carry out an absurd act the level of absurdity to be judged by Ms Hackstraw

Eager to claim their share of Reggie's fortune, everyone embarks on individual attempts at absurdity, but fail dismally. They decide to pool their resources but wong as a group is less than effective until they adopt Jimmy as their unlikely leader!

Joan introduces a new face to the group. Hank, Joan's new boyfriend. Is voted into the team in their quest for absurdity. Deciding to form the Bloodless Revolution of Senior Citizens and the Occupationally Rejected (BROSCOR), everyone sets out on a recruitment drive for new members. Ms Hackstraw, meanwhile recieves constant invites to dinner from certain members of the team eager for her affections.

A dearth of ideas dampens morale until Jimmy (trying to pass Elizabeth's ideas off as his own, with her consent, of course) suggests splitting into two units: one as a Think Tank, the other as a Policy Research Unit. Things get a bit confusing when Jimmy decides being leader means he has to be on both units. Romance is in the air once again for Tom and Linda, who try rekindling their love for each other. C.J. begins acting suspiciously.

C.J is not himself (or so everybody thinks) because he is being incredibly nice. Suspicious of his motives, Jimmy nominates Tom and David to keep an eye on C.J. to find out what is behind his sudden change of mood. BROSCOR gets its first recruit. The double wedding of Tom and Linda, and Hank and Joan takes place, and David unfortunately drinks to much at the reception.

After the wedding reception, David (nursing a hangover) worries that he may have blown the security surrounding the group's idea for taking over the Goverment. Jimmy has an inspiration that becomes extremely complex; he also begins a relationship with Ms Hackstraw.

It is the day of the revolution and thousands of OAPs converge on London in coaches hijacked by the team for their bloodless revolution. As well as marching on Whitehall to take over the Goverment, the team nominate Jimmy to oust Angela Rippon from her seat on the national news in order to deliver an appeal on TV in support of the revolution. Sadly, it seems as if the authorities have been tipped off and prevent the OAPs from descending on Parliament. It is judgment day: Ms Hackstraw gives her verdict on the team's attempts at being absurd, and on the future of her relationship with Jimmy.