What was the series all about?
Why 'Rising Damp'?
When was it shown?
Where was it set?
Was there just the TV series or other media too?
Who wrote it?
Why has it become a 'classic'?
 
 

What was the series all about?
Rising Damp was a situation comedy about a lonely, bigoted, mean-spirited landlord called Rupert Rigsby and the tenants of his boarding house, particularly students Alan and Philip and college administrator Ruth (although many other tenants stayed in the boarding house throughout the four series). The comedy situation presented itself on many levels:  the presence of Philip, a black man, which Rigsby took a long time to get used to;  the daily occurrence of the students getting one over on Rigsby and making him see the error of his ways, especially with regard to his claims and boasts which always proved groundless. There were also the frustrations of Rigsby's adorations for Ruth which were never returned, as she had her eye on Philip instead.

Why 'Rising Damp'?
Rising Damp is a term associated with buildings and can be defined as the vertical flow of water up through a permeable wall structure, the water being derived from ground water. The water rises through the pores (capillaries) in the masonry. In other words the masonry acts like the wick of a candle. This condition is often associated with old buildings, of which Rigsby's boarding house was certainly one. The name immediately sets the scene of the comedy in the run-down house.

When was it shown?
The pilot episode was first broadcast on the 2nd September 1974, with the first series continuing from the December to January 1975. Series Two aired from November to Christmas 1975 with a Boxing Day special on the 26th December. Series Three ran from April to May 1977 and Series Four similarly from April to May 1978. A movie version was released in 1980.

Where was it set?
"Anywhere" is the creator's reply to this question. One of the shows' timeless qualities is that students still stay in boarding houses and bedsits today, and the author decided that the original play should be deliberately devoid of any geographical location, so that wherever the play was performed it would fit the locality of the venue. This has also become true of the TV series.

Was there just the TV series or other media too?
Rising Damp started life as a stage play called The Banana Box. After the series ended in 1978, a movie was planned and was released in 1980.

Who wrote it?
The original play, The Banana Box was written by Eric Chappell. Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire in 1933, Eric was still working for the East Midlands Electricity Board when his play was accepted for production. He wrote all episodes of the TV series and the screenplay for the movie. Eric has since had many sitcom successes including Squirrels, Only When I Laugh and Home To Roost. He continues to write plays for the theatre.

Why has it become a 'classic'?
Classic sitcoms can be defined as ones which never date over time, which never become less funny with repeated viewings, which have unusual or unlikely settings, which are written so tightly that there are no superfluous moments and which are acted out by the cream of acting talent. All these are certainly true of Rising Damp. The performers, particularly the versatile, perfectionist that was Leonard Rossiter; the dark, dank rooms and halls which were created for us; the brilliantly inventive storylines and the hilarious dialogue, all came together to produce a programme of timeless humour. It also has to be said that this is one of the very few classic sitcoms NOT born of the BBC. Rising Damp was, and is, ITV's most successful situation comedy ever.
 

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(c) Paul Fisher