How many rising damp episodes

With a young family to bring up, Eric found himself getting up early in the mornings to write, but with only seven weeks to write five Rising Damp scripts and with three drafts per script meaning one script took three weeks , Eric soon became mentally and physically exhausted. A vast amount of work goes on behind the scenes of a sitcom, and Rising Damp was no exception. Each episode took one week from the receipt of the script to the recording. Scripts would be amended, then a read-through would take place in London.

For the first series this happened at St. Paul's Church Hall in Hammersmith. Studio times would be booked, any additional casting of peripheral characters would be made, and all involved members of staff would attend the rehearsals: designer, wardrobe, make-up artists, cameramen, all noting down the requirements their particular department calls for for each episode.

They would then return to Leeds to gather props and set the scene in the studio. The actors would arrive in the Leeds studio for rehearsals on Fridays, first for a camera position run, then a dress rehearsal, and then the recording in front of a studio audience, who would arrive at 7.

The cast would then travel home on Saturday, and the whole thing would start over again on Sunday. The set designer, Colin Pigott, was in his element working on Rising Damp.

The cramped surroundings of the bedsit were easy to cater for: cheap, miserable wallpaper and tatty carpets. The sets were actually scaled down to further enhance the cramped, claustrophobic atmosphere.

For example, the beds in the students' attic room were far too short to sleep in, but the viewer never got to see the whole bed, so it went unnoticed, and the attic room itself was built on an elevated stage, so that anyone exiting through the door really would have to 'go downstairs'.

The lighting, too, was fittingly dull for a squalid bedsit, giving the appearance of a solitary light in the centre of each room, and illuminated by a low-watt bulb at that. Even the characters' costumes had days of research put in to them.

It was decided that Rigsby should wear plimsolls around the house, so that he could appear in his tenants' rooms without detection. His threadbare cardigan was picked up from a charity shop and his trousers were polished to provide that 'well-worn' look. Don was always well-dressed, as befits an apparent African prince, and Alan had to wear a wig until the episode Stage Struck as Richard Beckinsale was playing a convict with obligatory short-cropped hair in Porridge at the same time as recording Rising Damp.

Even Alan's training anatomical skeleton becamely progressively clothed as the series went on. The four main characters See Main Biographies page for appearances and biographies.

Rupert Rigsby played by Leonard Rossiter Landlord of the boarding house. Extremely prejudiced, especially toward students and blacks examples of both of which reside in his home. Married Veronica, during wartime, and on pain of death by her father's shotgun , but now separated.

Has a shoplifting brother, Ron, in Accrington. Wears one set of clothes: holey green cardigan, minus most buttons, shiny grey trousers, worn red slippers but still has his demob suit, minus its pockets' linings. Participation in World War II sketchy at best. Has tendency to embellish war stories. Dislikes children after receiving a singed beard while playing Santa one Christmas. Has barred any romance in the house probably based on jealousy.

Lusts after Ruth Jones, a tenant and spinster. Only companion is Vienna, his flea-bitten cat. Ruth Jones played by Frances de la Tour Tenant of the boarding house. University administrator, responsible for the accommodation of students. Thirty-something spinster with few previous beaus one being a policeman who always wore his uniform, hence the need to keep swinging their arms to show they weren't handcuffed together. Has brought a womanly touch to the dingy lodgings eg.

Alan Moore played by Richard Beckinsale Tenant of the boarding house. After his divorce from Veronica comes through Rigsby proposes to Ruth - who accepts. His shifty brother Ron turns up to be the best man and Ruth's upper-crust mother initially mistakes him for the groom as he looks very smart. She does not believe that Ruth should marry Rigsby and tries to talk her out of it but seemingly in vain.

On the day of the wedding the Rigsby brothers go to the wrong church and by the time they locate the right one the wedding party has gone home. He confesses this to Ruth, who admits that she had cold feet about their wedding and never went See also TV Schedule. Getting Started Contributor Zone ». Top Gap. See more gaps ». Add episode. Create a list ». My list of complete 'T. British Comedy Faves. Classic Comedy. My top 40 British Sitcoms of all time. See all related lists ».

Quotes Rupert Rigsby : [Describing the state of the nation] This country gets more like the boiler room of the Titanic every day. User reviews 22 Review.

Top review. Leonard Rossiter's character Rigsby was created to be racist but his tenants were there to continually point out his ignorance. He was the star of the sitcom.

The sitcom was indeed one of the best from Uk. A lot of people in Britain will be surprised to learn that the sitcom is often on TV in countries in Africa. I fell in love with it a long time ago when I first saw an episode in Africa. Just watched an episode on ITV today and could not stop laughing. Rigsby got into a boxing match with Philip.

The plot was hilarious. I can understand why some people find the comedy racist in today's PC world. In my view the writers were using the sitcom to educate people with views similar to those of Rigsby back then. If they succeeded in changing the thinking a few such people then they achieved a lot. That crusade is still relevant today. I don't find it racist even after years in the Uk as a black man.

Art is a great way to initiate change and in my view to seek to remove from TV anything that we perceive as controversial or uncomfortable is a wrong approach. Details Edit.

Release date September 2, United Kingdom. United Kingdom. Official site. Esto se hunde. Yorkshire Television YTV. Technical specs Edit. Runtime 30 minutes. Related news. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content. Top Gap.