--- title: "Rising Damp" year: 1974 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/rising-damp" fi1m_score: 84 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-09-16T16:37:36.622462+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T16:37:36.939074+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rising Damp (1974) Created by Eric Chappell · 30m · Comedy **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Leonard Rossiter talks as though pausing might allow someone else to be right > *Rising Damp* is sharply funny, with Leonard Rossiter setting a pace the ensemble can match. A few lines need the actors’ help, but the characters’ unhappiness gives us a reason to care after the laughter stops. ## Synopsis Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) trades words with Ruth (Frances de la Tour), Alan (Richard Beckinsale) and Philip (Don Warrington). His quick speech and physical reactions set the pace of encounters shaped by longing, disappointment and the possibility of reconciliation. The comedy follows the tensions between these people, with the others answering a man who rarely seems short of something to say. Their exchanges leave room for feelings that persist beyond the immediate disagreement. Created by Eric Chappell, *Rising Damp* unfolds in half-hour episodes across four series. ## Review *Rising Damp* is sharply funny, and its disappointments hurt enough to keep the comedy from becoming merely busy. Created by Eric Chappell, it gives Leonard Rossiter the chance to dominate an exchange without reducing everyone else to an audience. The acting is the reason to recommend it, with a small reservation about lines that need more help than they should. We would happily spend another half-hour with this cast. As Rigsby, Leonard Rossiter speaks at a speed that seems to leave no time for reconsideration. The words arrive quickly, and the physical comedy keeps the agitation visible even when the dialogue might be enough on its own. We laughed at that restless combination of voice and movement. The performance keeps Rigsby’s unhappiness in view, too, so that the laughter comes with an uncomfortable awareness of how much effort he is expending. That performance needs people who can share a scene without competing for the same effect. Frances de la Tour as Ruth, Richard Beckinsale as Alan and Don Warrington as Philip give the exchanges the variety they need. Their contribution is easy to undervalue if we remember only the busiest performance; the comedy depends on what happens between the actors and how they answer one another. The ensemble feels properly matched, and the programme benefits whenever it allows us to appreciate someone besides Rigsby. The weakness is easier to hear when a line attracts attention chiefly because of the way it has been delivered. Some of the dialogue feels thinner than the actors make it sound, and the brisk pace can hurry us past that rather than repair it. Eric Chappell’s comedy has enough feeling to survive the unevenness, but that dependence on performance is noticeable. A quieter delivery would leave a few jokes exposed, particularly when the pleasure comes almost entirely from the timing. Produced by Ronnie Baxter, the half-hour programme gives the actors enough room to establish a rhythm without making every exchange feel laborious. The speed is useful, but so is the sense that these performers are listening to one another. Against the ordinary demands of a character sitcom, that is a substantial achievement, and it explains why the comedy sustains our attention. Rigsby is strongly drawn, the other performers remain distinct, and the writing gives them feelings to play as well as jokes. The uneven lines are worth acknowledging, though they are a modest reservation about a series with this much comic skill. Across four series, the attraction is the ensemble and the complicated feelings it can bring into a short exchange, including the possibility that these people might find some accommodation with one another. Give it an episode rather than treating it as familiar background noise. Come for Leonard Rossiter, but keep an ear on the people answering him. *Fi1m score 84, published 16 September 2026.* ### Reviews we read (3) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic argues that Rising Damp has aged even better than Fawlty Towers due to its faded, snappy style and Leonard Rossiter's rapid delivery. It singles out the physical comedy and the depth of hopelessness, yearning, and reconciliation beneath the surface. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2009/nov/20/rising-damp-box-set) - **The Telegraph** (90/100, inferred): The piece marks the 50th anniversary by calling Rising Damp sitcom gold that could never be made today, praising its enduring appeal and Leonard Rossiter's uniquely complex Rigsby character. It highlights the rich interplay and how the show transcended its era through writing and performance. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2024/09/01/rising-damp-leonard-rossiter-itv/) - **The Independent** (70/100, inferred): The retrospective marks the 25th anniversary by calling it a landmark of TV comedy that was quickly commissioned after a strong pilot. It quotes contemporary praise for the cast and writing while noting its lasting legacy despite varying initial views on the scripts. [Read](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/television-it-was-25-years-ago-today-rising-damp-a-landmark-of-tv-comedy-1118134.html) ## Details - **Created by:** Eric Chappell - **Creator:** Eric Chappell - **Producer:** Ronnie Baxter - **Cast:** Leonard Rossiter as Rigsby; Frances de la Tour as Ruth; Richard Beckinsale as Alan; Don Warrington as Philip; Elizabeth Adare as Lucy; Ian Lavender; George Sewell as Detective Constable Baker; Robert Gillespie as Gasman - **Runtime:** 30m - **Release (the US):** 2 September 1974 - **Genres:** Comedy ## Where to watch in the US - BritBox: streaming, hd - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Tubi: free, sd - Amazon Prime Video: free - The Roku Channel: free, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: CA, GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - BAFTA Television Awards 1979: Best Entertainment Performance (nominated) - BAFTA Television Awards 1978: Best Situation Comedy (won) ## If you liked this - *Steptoe and Son* (1962), Fi1m 83: Another prickly comic relationship made painful by disappointment and the need for company. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/steptoe-and-son.md) - *The Odd Couple* (1968): Petty domestic grievances give two exact comic actors plenty to work with. - *Tampopo* (1985): For precise ensemble comedy that lets appetite, embarrassment and ordinary longing coexist. - *The Dinner Game* (1998): Smugness meets patient comic punishment in a farce with little wasted motion. - *Fisk* (2021): Dry delivery and awkward encounters, with room for the supporting cast to matter. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. 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