Reggie goes to see C.J. about a £30,000 loan to open 'Grot'. His irascible ex-boss mistakenly thinks he wants blackmail money, and so, wishing to keep his attempted seduction of Elisabeth secret, agrees.
'Grot' opens its doors to the public. Among the worthless items on sale are Dr.Snerd's paintings of the Algarve, Tom's sprout and parsnip wine, square hoops, cruet sets without holes, silent long-playing records, and so on. After initial bewilderment, the public begins to see the practicality of buying rubbish - an elderly man ( Michael Bilton ) buys a bottle of Tom's wine to upset a relative, while a boy purchases a square hoop simply because it is something his friends have not got. A craze for square hoops sweeps the nation. 'Grot' takes off, and soon branches are springing up everywhere.
When Reggie returns to Sunshine Desserts to repay the loan, he finds the company on the verge of bankruptcy...
Could 'Grot' conceivably work in real life? When Gerald Ratner famously described his company's low-price jewellery as 'crap', profits took such a nose dive that he had to resign. But then he was not Reggie. One of the great things about this episode is the spectacle of Perrin flogging junk to the public, he makes a marvellous salesman. His scene with the Michael Bilton character is especially funny.
The story moves on with the demise of Sunshine Desserts ( and this in the pre-credit crunch days ) and Tony marrying Joan ( it does not stop Reggie still fantasising about her ). David has married too; to Prue ( although she is not in this episode ). Statistic-quoting Esther Pigeon ( the lovely Jacki Piper ) and third-rate ideas man Morris Coates ( Roland Macleod ) reappear - they were in the very first episode. Poor Jacki. Those figures must have been a nightmare to learn.
Funniest moment - Tom's outrage on learning his wine is on sale in 'Grot'. "Isn't that an offence under the Trades Decriptions Act?", he asks. "No!", says a straight-faced Reggie.
'Grot' opens its doors to the public. Among the worthless items on sale are Dr.Snerd's paintings of the Algarve, Tom's sprout and parsnip wine, square hoops, cruet sets without holes, silent long-playing records, and so on. After initial bewilderment, the public begins to see the practicality of buying rubbish - an elderly man ( Michael Bilton ) buys a bottle of Tom's wine to upset a relative, while a boy purchases a square hoop simply because it is something his friends have not got. A craze for square hoops sweeps the nation. 'Grot' takes off, and soon branches are springing up everywhere.
When Reggie returns to Sunshine Desserts to repay the loan, he finds the company on the verge of bankruptcy...
Could 'Grot' conceivably work in real life? When Gerald Ratner famously described his company's low-price jewellery as 'crap', profits took such a nose dive that he had to resign. But then he was not Reggie. One of the great things about this episode is the spectacle of Perrin flogging junk to the public, he makes a marvellous salesman. His scene with the Michael Bilton character is especially funny.
The story moves on with the demise of Sunshine Desserts ( and this in the pre-credit crunch days ) and Tony marrying Joan ( it does not stop Reggie still fantasising about her ). David has married too; to Prue ( although she is not in this episode ). Statistic-quoting Esther Pigeon ( the lovely Jacki Piper ) and third-rate ideas man Morris Coates ( Roland Macleod ) reappear - they were in the very first episode. Poor Jacki. Those figures must have been a nightmare to learn.
Funniest moment - Tom's outrage on learning his wine is on sale in 'Grot'. "Isn't that an offence under the Trades Decriptions Act?", he asks. "No!", says a straight-faced Reggie.
