David Gordon Nobbs ( 13 March 1935 -- 9 August 2015 ) was an English comedy writer , best known for writing the 1970s series `` The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin '' , adapted from his own novels .
David Gordon Nobbs ( 13 March 1935 -- 9 August 2015 ) was an English comedy writer and humanist . He was best known for writing the 1970s series `` The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin '' , adapted from his own novels .