The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

The mysterious and diabolical character played by Peter Cook may be seen as an unaffectionate parody of the film's executive producer, David Frost. Frost was once said to have "risen without trace", which is more or less what Rimmer does in the film; he achieves fame via television much as Frost did in the early 1960s; he becomes influential in politics as Frost allegedly sought to do with his famous "power breakfasts"; and, the most obvious resemblance, he is seen sitting in a hanging chair of the type known as an "orange bomb", exactly like the much-photographed one which Frost had in his home. Peter Cook - who once said that the only thing he really regretted in his life was saving Frost from drowning - acknowledged that Frost had been quite peeved by the resemblances in the portrait of Rimmer.

During the sex survey scene, Michael Bate's character exclaims that the last time he and his wife made love was Tuesday June 3rd 1953 and it was the Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II that 'got her going'. Whilst he may remember the occasion with some nostalgia, he doesn't remember the day as June 3rd 1953 fell on a Wednesday.

Featured in Omnibus: Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cook (1995)