1
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,190
It's one of the greatest comedy
series of all time.

2
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,010
You what?

3
00:00:09,020 --> 00:00:12,210
And an extraordinary tale that went
from the stage to our screens.

4
00:00:12,220 --> 00:00:17,220
The fact that it lives in people's
imaginations is fantastic.

5
00:00:17,230 --> 00:00:20,160
This is the story of the fab four
of sitcom.

6
00:00:20,170 --> 00:00:22,150
It is very well written,

7
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:26,000
but they've really kind of made
the character leap off the page.

8
00:00:26,010 --> 00:00:29,120
That's my trouble, I'm too modest.
Don't forget me exceptional looks.

9
00:00:29,130 --> 00:00:32,080
But what really went on
between these walls?

10
00:00:32,090 --> 00:00:35,230
Frances leaned over to me and said,
"He doesn't want to kiss me".

11
00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,120
Right.

12
00:00:37,130 --> 00:00:39,070
Tonight, in Rising Damp Forever...

13
00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:40,120
Crumpet, anyone?

14
00:00:40,130 --> 00:00:42,040
..the secrets of life on set.

15
00:00:42,050 --> 00:00:44,100
One, two, three.

16
00:00:44,110 --> 00:00:46,090
He had her sacked
and somebody had  to come in

17
00:00:46,100 --> 00:00:48,220
and learn the role in a day
and a half and appear on screen.

18
00:00:48,230 --> 00:00:52,210
I didn't know you were looking for
that sort of a affinity in a woman.
Of course, I am.

19
00:00:52,220 --> 00:00:54,180
That and a decent pair of knockers.

20
00:00:54,190 --> 00:00:58,130
We'll reunite the people who brought
it to our screens.

21
00:00:58,140 --> 00:01:00,120
Cheers!

22
00:01:00,130 --> 00:01:03,240
And we'll find out what happened when
Rigsby and co went to The Movies...

23
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,160
He said, "If it doesn't work now,
it's gonna be your fault."

24
00:01:06,170 --> 00:01:10,070
..as we chart the incredible rise
and rise of a series

25
00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,020
that just got better and better.

26
00:01:12,030 --> 00:01:14,010
Every single time I see it, I howl,

27
00:01:14,020 --> 00:01:16,110
proper, proper, proper howl
with laughter.

28
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,040
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

29
00:01:19,050 --> 00:01:21,210
I love it. Just thinking about it
makes me smile.

30
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:37,000
After giving ITV its breakthrough
comedy hit of 1974...

31
00:01:37,010 --> 00:01:39,080
Oh, God!
Ahh!

32
00:01:39,090 --> 00:01:40,200
Ohh!

33
00:01:40,210 --> 00:01:44,000
..a year later the cast of Rising
Damp were brought back together

34
00:01:44,010 --> 00:01:45,190
to do it all over again.

35
00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,090
Bloody hell!
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

36
00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:50,140
There will be more adventures
in store

37
00:01:50,150 --> 00:01:52,150
for tight-fisted landlord Rigsby...

38
00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:54,020
Watch your tongue.

39
00:01:54,030 --> 00:01:57,120
..and his three tenants,
students Alan and Philip...

40
00:01:57,130 --> 00:02:00,100
How old were you when you er...
when you first...?

41
00:02:00,110 --> 00:02:02,010
On my 14th birthday.

42
00:02:02,020 --> 00:02:04,240
Pphh... All I got was a bike.

43
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,170
..and lovelorn spinster and
university administrator Miss Jones.

44
00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,130
Are you all right for butter?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

45
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,060
Oh.
Excuse me.

46
00:02:19,070 --> 00:02:22,060
M-M-My name's Platt.
I'm your Liberal candidate.

47
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,150
But alongside its regular cast
of four,

48
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,220
Rising Damp also welcomed
a host of other actors.

49
00:02:29,230 --> 00:02:33,190
Those characters would soon become
embroiled in the domestic dramas.

50
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,160
When you have people working
together all the time,

51
00:02:36,170 --> 00:02:39,090
they have their own rhythms,
their own understanding,

52
00:02:39,100 --> 00:02:42,030
so it's very good
to have somebody fresh coming in

53
00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,050
cos they have to think how their
gonna react to this character etc,

54
00:02:45,060 --> 00:02:46,230
so it worked very well.

55
00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,140
(KNOCK ON DOOR)

56
00:02:51,140 --> 00:02:54,040
Hello, I was looking for Philip.

57
00:02:54,050 --> 00:02:58,010
Also, the show was so enormous
that a lot of people thought

58
00:02:58,020 --> 00:03:02,040
it was a great tribute to be
invited onto Rising Damp.

59
00:03:02,050 --> 00:03:05,090
Indeed, some of televisions best
loved comedy actors were attracted

60
00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:08,040
by a part in the show,
including Andrew Sachs,

61
00:03:08,050 --> 00:03:11,060
by then famous in Fawlty Towers.

62
00:03:11,070 --> 00:03:13,110
Excuse me, my name is Snell.

63
00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,060
Well, we've all got problems.

64
00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:20,030
Comedian Les Dawson's sidekick
Roy Barrowclough.

65
00:03:21,210 --> 00:03:23,140
Do we hear the tinkle of ice cubes?

66
00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,150
Perhaps a slice of lemon.

67
00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,080
You wouldn't like a cherry as well,
would you?  Yes, I would.

68
00:03:31,090 --> 00:03:33,130
And Peter Bowles who would soon get

69
00:03:33,140 --> 00:03:36,010
his own starring role
in To The Manor Born.

70
00:03:36,020 --> 00:03:39,050
I'm going to kiss you in a way that
you've never been kissed before.

71
00:03:44,180 --> 00:03:47,020
But not every actor invited
to join the gang

72
00:03:47,030 --> 00:03:50,030
would make it past Leonard Rossiter
into the final cut.

73
00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,120
Len could sniff out a duff actor
with no trouble at all.

74
00:03:54,130 --> 00:03:56,110
I mean on one show, not mine,

75
00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,200
I think they rehearsed
for about three days,

76
00:03:58,210 --> 00:04:01,200
and he just realised that this
woman, whoever the poor thing was,

77
00:04:01,210 --> 00:04:04,000
wasn't gonna come up
to his  standards

78
00:04:04,010 --> 00:04:07,010
and what he wanted on the show,
and he had her sacked.

79
00:04:07,020 --> 00:04:10,030
And somebody else had to come in and
learn the role in a day and a half

80
00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:14,120
and appear on screen, so he knew
exactly what he wanted

81
00:04:14,130 --> 00:04:19,100
and 99 times out  of 100
he was exactly right.

82
00:04:19,110 --> 00:04:21,050
Hello, Darling.
Hello, pet.

83
00:04:22,060 --> 00:04:25,180
One actress who did meet with
Rossiter's approval was Helen Fraser.

84
00:04:25,190 --> 00:04:28,080
Sometimes I think you're avoiding
me, you know, Billy.

85
00:04:28,090 --> 00:04:32,100
The pair both had roles
in the 1963 movie Billy Liar.

86
00:04:32,110 --> 00:04:34,100
Too much laxity.
Far too much laxity.

87
00:04:34,110 --> 00:04:38,010
I knew him from the film
It's Mr  Shadrack.

88
00:04:38,020 --> 00:04:40,190
And then I heard that this Rising
Damp had got sort of started

89
00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,200
and I thought,
"Perhaps I'll be in it',

90
00:04:42,210 --> 00:04:46,090
but it was nothing to do with Len,
it came through agents and casting,

91
00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:48,090
but he was so pleased to see me.

92
00:04:48,100 --> 00:04:50,210
(KNOCK ON DOOR)

93
00:04:50,220 --> 00:04:53,080
Mr Rigsby.
Yes, that's right, yes.

94
00:04:53,090 --> 00:04:56,200
I'm so glad to pop in with this.
I think it's a Christmas card.

95
00:04:56,210 --> 00:04:58,190
I watched it the other night.

96
00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:02,240
Somebody found it for me on
YouTube. Who's that little girl?

97
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:07,040
I loved my uniform, my post
mistress's uniform - I loved that.

98
00:05:07,050 --> 00:05:09,100
Oh. Oh, goodness me.
What?

99
00:05:09,110 --> 00:05:12,070
We appear to be standing under
the mistletoe, look.  Are we?

100
00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,030
You can't quarrel with fate, eh?

101
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,200
Oh, Mr Rigsby, I'm in uniform.
It's all right, I don't mind

102
00:05:16,210 --> 00:05:19,000
Mr Rigsby, please.

103
00:05:19,010 --> 00:05:20,230
I must have watched it at the time,

104
00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,130
but, yes, I got more pleasure
watching it last week

105
00:05:24,140 --> 00:05:28,150
cos I said, "Did I do that?
Did I look like that? Did I?"

106
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,160
It's a long time ago. (LAUGHS)

107
00:05:31,170 --> 00:05:35,100
I'm sorry.  It could have been your
lucky day, that's all.

108
00:05:38,210 --> 00:05:43,120
Meanwhile, actress Judy Buxton joined
the cast of Rising Damp in 1977.

109
00:05:43,130 --> 00:05:45,230
You certainly kept this
a big secret.

110
00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,090
'I remember that outfit.'

111
00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:49,060
I'd  begun to wonder if you got one.

112
00:05:49,070 --> 00:05:52,220
And he's snazzy. Ha ha!

113
00:05:52,230 --> 00:05:56,230
Perhaps best known for her role as
Nurse Katie Shaw in General Hospital,

114
00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,080
she was first cast
as Alan's girlfriend

115
00:05:59,090 --> 00:06:01,120
in an episode called Clunk Click.

116
00:06:01,130 --> 00:06:04,160
Coming into a well established
series like Rising Damp,

117
00:06:04,170 --> 00:06:08,080
it was quite scary and especially
meeting up with Leonard,

118
00:06:08,090 --> 00:06:12,120
cos he was, I found,
a bit naughty at the time.

119
00:06:15,140 --> 00:06:19,190
I remember being nervous about
this bit, starting a car up.

120
00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,240
Ooh! It's scary.
(REVS ENGINE)

121
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,090
Ha ha ha!

122
00:06:24,100 --> 00:06:26,060
I'll just go and ring Mummy.

123
00:06:29,060 --> 00:06:30,210
I've just remembered that now.

124
00:06:33,060 --> 00:06:37,000
Judy Buxton impressed a choosy
co-star Rossiter so much

125
00:06:37,010 --> 00:06:38,220
that he suggested she return

126
00:06:38,230 --> 00:06:41,070
to play the same character
in another episode.

127
00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,050
When we started
rehearsing Clunk  Click,

128
00:06:44,060 --> 00:06:48,230
Leonard had obviously read the
scripts for the rest of that series,

129
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,050
and he said to me, he said,

130
00:06:51,060 --> 00:06:54,110
"In two episodes time,
there's another girlfriend

131
00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,050
for Richard Beckinsale's
character, Alan.

132
00:06:57,060 --> 00:07:02,040
She comes in and I think it seems
silly that you don't do that."

133
00:07:02,050 --> 00:07:05,090
So I'd now got two episodes
of Rising Damp

134
00:07:05,100 --> 00:07:08,240
and it was a bigger  part than the
one I played in the first one.

135
00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,230
Obviously, I did something right

136
00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,140
for him to want me to be
in the other one as well.

137
00:07:13,150 --> 00:07:15,050
Comfortable, darling?

138
00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:17,150
No, I'm sitting on a spring.

139
00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,120
Richard was wonderful to work
with and very, very funny.

140
00:07:21,130 --> 00:07:23,130
He made me laugh a lot.

141
00:07:23,140 --> 00:07:27,020
Well, go and sit on the bed.
No, Mummy wouldn't like it.

142
00:07:27,030 --> 00:07:29,050
I wasn't thinking of asking Mummy.

143
00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,100
Alan.
Oh, Karen.

144
00:07:35,110 --> 00:07:37,170
I'd forgotten
I'd had a  little kiss with him.

145
00:07:37,180 --> 00:07:40,160
Mm. Oh, Alan.

146
00:07:40,170 --> 00:07:43,140
What?
I've landed on something sticky.

147
00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:48,180
Oh, dear. Oh, just look at it.

148
00:07:48,190 --> 00:07:50,220
Here we go, green knickers.

149
00:07:50,230 --> 00:07:53,050
Ha ha ha!

150
00:07:53,060 --> 00:07:54,230
Crumpet, anyone?

151
00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,080
Scenes like these were filmed here

152
00:08:01,090 --> 00:08:03,180
at Yorkshire Television Studios
in Leeds.

153
00:08:05,190 --> 00:08:08,160
Today, for the first time
in nearly 40 years,

154
00:08:08,170 --> 00:08:11,100
Don Warrington is back in the city
to visit the studios

155
00:08:11,110 --> 00:08:14,070
where he shot to fame as Philip.

156
00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,220
Five, four, three, two, one.

157
00:08:18,230 --> 00:08:20,150
In the 1970s, this was one

158
00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,020
of television's leading lights
in entertainment.

159
00:08:23,030 --> 00:08:26,130
And the cast of Yorkshire's new hit
sitcom shared the canteen

160
00:08:26,140 --> 00:08:30,000
with some of the biggest names
in music and comedy.

161
00:08:30,010 --> 00:08:34,020
I remember meeting Les Dawson,
a very funny man.

162
00:08:34,030 --> 00:08:37,130
We would sit with him and he'd just
tell me lots of jokes,

163
00:08:37,140 --> 00:08:41,130
which was very  funny
and made me laugh.

164
00:08:41,140 --> 00:08:45,170
The kitchen was run by ferocious
Yorkshire women,

165
00:08:45,180 --> 00:08:48,070
and you weren't allowed
to get away with anything.

166
00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,040
It doesn't matter who you were,

167
00:08:50,050 --> 00:08:54,030
you waited in the queue
and crossed them at your peril.

168
00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,190
But underneath it,
they were warm and lovely people.

169
00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:03,030
And sometimes if  they liked you,
you could get extra chips.

170
00:09:05,090 --> 00:09:08,230
While the days of comedy and light
entertainment here are long gone,

171
00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,200
today, much of the main building
remains the same.

172
00:09:11,210 --> 00:09:15,030
Now occupied by the cast
and crew of Emmerdale,

173
00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:16,240
the dressing rooms and makeup rooms

174
00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,150
are largely as they were
when Rising Damp was in town.

175
00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:23,140
This is where I came for them
to put on my scars.

176
00:09:23,150 --> 00:09:27,020
Hey, hey, did you hear that?
Did you see that mark on his cheek?

177
00:09:27,030 --> 00:09:28,230
Initiation ceremony.

178
00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,220
That's no different from the Germans
and their duelling scars.

179
00:09:31,230 --> 00:09:34,090
He didn't get that in Heidelberg!

180
00:09:34,100 --> 00:09:37,130
I think it was this cheek.
That was the nature of the scars,

181
00:09:37,140 --> 00:09:40,010
they'd move  from cheek to cheek.

182
00:09:41,050 --> 00:09:43,200
I didn't recognise him, did you?
No, it must be the suit.

183
00:09:43,210 --> 00:09:47,020
I've never seen you in a suit before
Rigsby. Have you had a bereavement?

184
00:09:52,060 --> 00:09:55,140
Yorkshire Television's wardrobe
department was once home

185
00:09:55,150 --> 00:09:59,020
to Rigsby's famously threadbare
cardigan and frayed shirts.

186
00:09:59,030 --> 00:10:02,210
But Don Warrington's costumes
were considerably more upmarket.

187
00:10:02,220 --> 00:10:05,190
All my clothes were bought
in London,

188
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,050
and what I remember
is going  shopping

189
00:10:08,060 --> 00:10:10,140
with the wardrobe supervisor,

190
00:10:10,150 --> 00:10:13,010
which was a very, very happy
experience, indeed,

191
00:10:13,020 --> 00:10:18,070
because we went to a very exclusive
shop in South Molton Street,

192
00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,070
a shop called Browns.

193
00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:26,150
When we arrived, they would have
all these clothes laid out

194
00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,170
for us to pick and choose from.

195
00:10:28,180 --> 00:10:31,040
It was a delicious experience,
really.

196
00:10:31,050 --> 00:10:33,160
I felt really really pampered.

197
00:10:35,010 --> 00:10:40,140
And Philip wore some very beautiful
clothes, which I later claimed,

198
00:10:40,150 --> 00:10:43,130
so  his wardrobe became my wardrobe.

199
00:10:43,140 --> 00:10:48,010
By the end of 1977, Rising Damp
had run for three series

200
00:10:48,020 --> 00:10:50,030
and hit new comedy heights.

201
00:10:52,030 --> 00:10:54,010
Cut the robe.  Cut the robe.

202
00:10:54,020 --> 00:10:56,000
No. Grab him.

203
00:10:56,010 --> 00:10:58,160
Understandably,
ITV still wanted more,

204
00:10:58,170 --> 00:11:01,140
but could it really return
without one of its stars?

205
00:11:01,150 --> 00:11:04,010
I don't think this acting
really is my cup of tea

206
00:11:04,020 --> 00:11:06,060
and I don't really think
I'm cut out for it.

207
00:11:06,070 --> 00:11:10,000
Richard didn't approve of Alan
and didn't approve of the part.

208
00:11:18,210 --> 00:11:22,180
1978 and just four years since
the start of Rising Damp,

209
00:11:22,190 --> 00:11:25,030
a very different Britain had emerged.

210
00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:29,160
The worlds' first IVF baby Louise
Brown was born in Oldham,

211
00:11:29,170 --> 00:11:34,140
and Anna Ford became the first
female newscaster on News At Ten.

212
00:11:34,150 --> 00:11:37,230
Meanwhile, Rising Damp was making
headlines of its own,

213
00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,080
picking up a BAFTA
for Best Situation Comedy.

214
00:11:40,090 --> 00:11:43,070
Oh, my God, it's got me!

215
00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,030
A new series had been commissioned
by ITV,

216
00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,050
but would Richard Beckinsale,

217
00:11:49,060 --> 00:11:52,090
by now leading the way in a new
generation of sitcom stars,

218
00:11:52,100 --> 00:11:54,030
still be part of the gang?

219
00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,050
I've decided to change me image,
I've been neglecting myself.

220
00:11:57,060 --> 00:12:00,000
He was, I think quite frustrated
by everyone thinking

221
00:12:00,010 --> 00:12:03,010
that he was very much like
the characters he played

222
00:12:03,020 --> 00:12:06,010
and that he played himself all the
time, which he really didn't.

223
00:12:06,020 --> 00:12:09,140
But because he made it seemed
so effortless and so  natural,

224
00:12:09,150 --> 00:12:13,020
I think people thought that he was
turning up and being himself.

225
00:12:13,030 --> 00:12:15,130
No, it isn't easy.
It takes a lot of practice.

226
00:12:15,140 --> 00:12:19,070
Richard didn't approve of Alan
and didn't approve of the part.

227
00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:23,090
He said, "I'm over 30 and I'm still
playing these virginal young men".

228
00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:25,160
I haven't trifled
with Miss Jones's feelings.

229
00:12:25,170 --> 00:12:27,200
I haven't trifled
with anybody's feelings.

230
00:12:27,210 --> 00:12:30,230
What do you mean? You mean, there's
never been any coloured lights,

231
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,170
no sea crashing up
against the rocks?

232
00:12:32,180 --> 00:12:34,110
No, never, ever, never.

233
00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,100
You're a member
of the British society.

234
00:12:36,110 --> 00:12:39,120
You're supposed to know
where the erogenous regions are.

235
00:12:39,130 --> 00:12:42,030
I know where the Himalayas are,
but I've never been up 'em.

236
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:46,210
And I said, "Richard, there'll be
a day come when you'll be able

237
00:12:46,220 --> 00:12:49,040
to play this older part
and you're lucky to be able

238
00:12:49,050 --> 00:12:50,230
to play him as young as this."

239
00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,230
Keen to broaden his range,

240
00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,240
Beckinsale took on the lead role in
the West End play I Love My Wife.

241
00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,050
The fourth series of Rising Damp
moved into production without him,

242
00:13:00,060 --> 00:13:02,120
but could it retain its magic?

243
00:13:02,130 --> 00:13:07,150
If anything, series four
was the best we'd done.

244
00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:11,180
By that stage, we knew the
characters very, very well,

245
00:13:11,190 --> 00:13:16,010
and we were very  comfortable
working with each other.

246
00:13:16,020 --> 00:13:21,000
And I think we achieved in that
series a kind of intimacy

247
00:13:21,010 --> 00:13:24,010
simply because of of having
three rather than four,

248
00:13:24,020 --> 00:13:27,170
so in that sense we  didn't miss him.

249
00:13:28,180 --> 00:13:31,230
At the helm of the latest series
with that scaled-down cast

250
00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,030
was new Director, Vernon Lawrence.

251
00:13:37,170 --> 00:13:42,100
The first three series were produced
and directed by Ronnie Baxter

252
00:13:42,110 --> 00:13:44,220
who was an extremely
experienced director,

253
00:13:44,230 --> 00:13:48,230
but he didn't get on particularly
well with artists.

254
00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,160
So Len would not do any more shows,

255
00:13:53,170 --> 00:13:56,220
and so it was decided that Ronnie
should move on to other things

256
00:13:56,230 --> 00:14:00,110
and I was brought in to take over,
which was a bit breathtaking for me

257
00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,060
because you don't want to inherit
somebody else's success.

258
00:14:03,070 --> 00:14:05,180
And Ronnie had certainly
had a major success with it.

259
00:14:07,210 --> 00:14:09,200
Eeh!

260
00:14:09,210 --> 00:14:11,160
These cat hairs get everywhere.

261
00:14:11,170 --> 00:14:15,060
If you don't stop moulting, I'm
going to give you a coat of varnish.

262
00:14:15,070 --> 00:14:18,040
And don't look at me like that.
No-one's indispensable.

263
00:14:18,050 --> 00:14:21,030
If you're not careful, you might be
replaced by a blue Persian,

264
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,020
someone more in keeping
with my status.

265
00:14:23,030 --> 00:14:27,170
Good morning, Mr Rigsby. My, we do
look smart this morning.  Thank you.

266
00:14:27,180 --> 00:14:32,100
Eric used to have to write about
another five to ten pages

267
00:14:32,110 --> 00:14:35,130
because of Len's speed
at which he spoke

268
00:14:35,140 --> 00:14:39,200
and his enthusiasm
and eagerness for it all.

269
00:14:39,210 --> 00:14:41,190
I've come to see Mr Rigsby

270
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,160
regarding the estate of his late
Uncle George Rigsby.

271
00:14:44,170 --> 00:14:46,110
You mean he's been left something?

272
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,180
Yes, he gets the residue
of the estate.

273
00:14:48,190 --> 00:14:51,150
Is it much?
Oh, it's a considerable sum.

274
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,130
What would you call
a considerable sum?

275
00:14:54,140 --> 00:14:58,120
Well, a figure not un-adjacent
to £50,000.

276
00:14:58,130 --> 00:15:00,120
Whoo-hoo-hoo!

277
00:15:00,130 --> 00:15:03,030
Rigsby's in the money!

278
00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:05,050
Vernon was wonderful to work with

279
00:15:05,060 --> 00:15:07,240
because he just sat there,
watching him and laughing,

280
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:14,110
and he simply pointed the camera
where he saw the humour taking place

281
00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,070
and that was lovely for us.

282
00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,240
That's the condition, you see.
I see yes, yes.

283
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,180
You also should be happily married.

284
00:15:22,190 --> 00:15:24,000
You what?

285
00:15:30,220 --> 00:15:33,000
While the series was filmed in Leeds,

286
00:15:33,010 --> 00:15:35,170
rehearsals for the actors,
who all lived in London,

287
00:15:35,180 --> 00:15:39,080
took place here at the Sulgrave Boys'
Club in Shepherds Bush.

288
00:15:39,090 --> 00:15:42,210
Rising Damp started with a read
through on a Sunday afternoon.

289
00:15:42,220 --> 00:15:45,190
Rehearsals proper started
on a Monday.

290
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,060
We rehearsed Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday

291
00:15:48,070 --> 00:15:50,080
up until lunchtime each day.

292
00:15:51,110 --> 00:15:55,060
On Thursday afternoons, the cast
would travel up to Leeds.

293
00:15:56,140 --> 00:15:59,110
During that day, the set had been
put in to the studio,

294
00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,190
so we assembled in the studio
at seven o'clock

295
00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,010
and we did a run through
for the cameras.

296
00:16:04,020 --> 00:16:07,180
And then we started rehearsals
in the studio on Friday morning

297
00:16:07,190 --> 00:16:10,180
culminating with a show
in front of an audience

298
00:16:10,190 --> 00:16:12,240
at 7:30 on a Friday evening.

299
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,220
YTV, Rising Damp, part one,
take one.

300
00:16:15,230 --> 00:16:17,230
With the recording about to start,

301
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,100
Vernon Lawrence would take his place
in the gallery

302
00:16:20,110 --> 00:16:22,200
alongside production assistant
Ellie Hurst.

303
00:16:22,210 --> 00:16:24,240
Lovely to see you.
Are you well?

304
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:26,190
I am.  You look wonderful.

305
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,110
There was a tremendous buzz.

306
00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:34,010
I joined in '69 and left in '79,

307
00:16:34,020 --> 00:16:40,070
and that ten years was incredible
for programme making.

308
00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:43,160
You mean, you want me to impersonate
your wife, Mr Rigsby?

309
00:16:43,170 --> 00:16:45,120
It's only for a few hours,
Miss Jones.

310
00:16:45,130 --> 00:16:47,230
I couldn't do it. It would be wrong
it would be illegal.

311
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,220
You're supposed
to be happily married.

312
00:16:49,230 --> 00:16:53,060
We are. She lives in Cleethorpes,
I live here.  Well, I'm sorry.

313
00:16:53,070 --> 00:16:55,200
The biggest problem, really,
for the actors was

314
00:16:55,210 --> 00:16:57,230
that when they went
in front of an audience,

315
00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,220
they weren't guaranteed of something

316
00:16:59,230 --> 00:17:02,170
that Ellie and I laughed like drains
at throughout the week.

317
00:17:02,180 --> 00:17:05,020
The audience might sit there
in stone cold silence

318
00:17:05,030 --> 00:17:06,240
and not think it's funny at all.

319
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,240
On the other hand, something that we
had just thought was mildly amusing,

320
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,080
the audience might laugh like
drains, so you never really knew.

321
00:17:14,090 --> 00:17:16,090
What was she like?
What was she like?

322
00:17:16,100 --> 00:17:19,000
She was erm... Well, it's difficult
to describe, really.

323
00:17:19,010 --> 00:17:22,050
She was er...
The exact word evades me.

324
00:17:22,060 --> 00:17:24,130
You must remember.
Now, don't be horrible.

325
00:17:24,140 --> 00:17:26,110
Horrible, that's it.

326
00:17:27,120 --> 00:17:31,000
The gallery was always the domain
of the Director and the PA,

327
00:17:31,010 --> 00:17:34,130
but Don Warrington has been granted
special permission to join them.

328
00:17:34,140 --> 00:17:37,180
Dear heart.  Hello, Vernon?
Lovely to see you.

329
00:17:37,190 --> 00:17:39,200
Lovely to see you.
Wonderful to see you.

330
00:17:39,210 --> 00:17:42,070
Now, while you were working hard
downstairs,

331
00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:44,060
this is where we had our parties.

332
00:17:44,070 --> 00:17:46,070
It was incredibly relaxing.

333
00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,090
Oh, good,
because it wasn't downstairs.

334
00:17:48,100 --> 00:17:50,040
Of course it was.

335
00:17:50,050 --> 00:17:52,080
We used to wait downstairs

336
00:17:52,090 --> 00:17:55,030
and we'd hear the floor manager say,
"Vernon's coming down".

337
00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,100
You didn't feel nervous?
Well, a little nervous.

338
00:17:57,110 --> 00:18:00,130
You didn't feel as though your
career was threatened in any way?

339
00:18:00,140 --> 00:18:03,080
There were moments, Vernon,
when I thought,

340
00:18:03,090 --> 00:18:06,050
"Am I going to survive this?"

341
00:18:08,130 --> 00:18:12,000
But while the fourth series of Rising
Damp was in production in Leeds,

342
00:18:12,010 --> 00:18:14,130
elsewhere its former star
Richard Beckinsale

343
00:18:14,140 --> 00:18:16,110
was embarking on new ventures.

344
00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:18,240
(WHISTLES) Get in, sport.

345
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,010
Longing to be taken seriously
as an actor,

346
00:18:21,020 --> 00:18:23,130
In 1977, he jumped at the chance

347
00:18:23,140 --> 00:18:26,070
of appearing in the ITV drama
Last Summer.

348
00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,110
I was making a film
about a car thief

349
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:32,170
and we started off with one actor
and it turned out he couldn't drive

350
00:18:32,180 --> 00:18:35,120
and didn't have a license, you know,
all  that nonsense,

351
00:18:35,130 --> 00:18:37,160
and so he had to be replaced.

352
00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,150
And Richard took over in our film
and was dazzling.

353
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,220
Yeah, I look right.
Part of the job, you know.

354
00:18:47,230 --> 00:18:50,000
Yeah, I'm gonna get some new stuff
Saturday.

355
00:18:50,010 --> 00:18:52,050
Don't get it around here,
it's mainly rubbish.

356
00:18:52,060 --> 00:18:56,020
I usually go up west. Stanley
Hanley's got some nice stuff.

357
00:18:56,030 --> 00:18:57,210
He was top of the crumpet list,

358
00:18:57,220 --> 00:19:01,020
which meant that he was very very
talented and very, very beautiful.

359
00:19:02,180 --> 00:19:06,130
I have had over the years quite
a  considerable number of women

360
00:19:06,140 --> 00:19:09,130
who come up to me and say,
"Oh ,I really fancied your dad.

361
00:19:09,140 --> 00:19:11,100
I hope you don't mind me saying".

362
00:19:11,110 --> 00:19:15,170
So, yeah, he was a big heartthrob.

363
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,000
He'd take you to one side, pull back
his cheekbones and said,

364
00:19:20,010 --> 00:19:22,070
"Look, one-sixteenth Burmese."

365
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,120
You could see what all the fuss
was about.

366
00:19:24,130 --> 00:19:27,030
But he  was a very, very good actor.

367
00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,170
Ahh!
SShh!

368
00:19:29,180 --> 00:19:31,060
It's only me.

369
00:19:31,070 --> 00:19:34,050
But despite his good looks
and acting ability,

370
00:19:34,060 --> 00:19:37,240
Beckinsale was still struggling to
emerge from the shadow of the sitcom.

371
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,120
He was quietly angry.
He was angry that he'd...

372
00:19:40,130 --> 00:19:43,120
Because he was a comic actor
they didn't take him seriously.

373
00:19:43,130 --> 00:19:46,100
Of course, he should have been
at the National, playing leads.

374
00:19:46,110 --> 00:19:49,160
I mean, I'd cast him in quite
straight things,

375
00:19:49,170 --> 00:19:52,140
so that was why I think
he liked me so much.

376
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:57,210
Director and actor would work
together again in 1979

377
00:19:57,220 --> 00:19:59,220
in the gritty drama Bloody Kids.

378
00:20:01,020 --> 00:20:03,200
I hope you don't lie as badly
as that usually, constable.

379
00:20:05,190 --> 00:20:08,110
It's the third time today
you've forgotten, Williams.

380
00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:10,230
I will not have  slackness
on my unit.

381
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,050
The former comedy star
was finally starting

382
00:20:13,060 --> 00:20:15,070
to establish himself
as a serious actor,

383
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,210
but midway through a production
of Bloody Kids tragedy struck.

384
00:20:18,220 --> 00:20:20,230
Oh, let's go.

385
00:20:24,190 --> 00:20:27,140
On the 19th of March, 1979,

386
00:20:27,150 --> 00:20:30,200
Richard Beckinsale died
of a massive heart attack.

387
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,010
He was just 31.

388
00:20:35,060 --> 00:20:37,060
It was later discovered he'd suffered

389
00:20:37,070 --> 00:20:39,190
from an undetected
congenital heart problem.

390
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,050
I was filming a scene
in a night club in Southend.

391
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:51,180
I can remember the man coming down
telling me that he'd died.

392
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,050
Richard's role was recast,

393
00:20:56,060 --> 00:20:59,100
but to this day the director
still misses his leading man.

394
00:21:00,150 --> 00:21:03,140
Every time I see bits of the film,
there are shots I think,

395
00:21:03,150 --> 00:21:05,130
"Oh, Richard's behind that door,"

396
00:21:05,140 --> 00:21:08,130
and then another actor, of course,
comes through.

397
00:21:12,140 --> 00:21:15,180
Awful.
It shouldn't happen to anyone.

398
00:21:15,190 --> 00:21:18,090
Hello. Welcome to Bleak House.

399
00:21:19,150 --> 00:21:21,160
Mind if I come in for a warm?

400
00:21:21,170 --> 00:21:24,030
I'm Alan Moore, I live upstairs.

401
00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,240
Philip Smith.
How do you do?

402
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,220
I was walking home and a car went
passed me in the street,

403
00:21:31,230 --> 00:21:36,200
and somebody  shouted out,
"Oi, your mate's dead."

404
00:21:37,210 --> 00:21:40,150
I had no idea
what they were talking about.

405
00:21:41,150 --> 00:21:47,040
And I went home and I put on the
six o'clock news and up it came.

406
00:21:47,050 --> 00:21:49,090
It was really, really,
really shocking.

407
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,150
Sam and Kate Beckinsale were aged
just twelve and five

408
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,100
when they lost their dad.

409
00:21:58,110 --> 00:22:01,210
I mean, it sucks having your parent
die that young.

410
00:22:01,220 --> 00:22:05,090
He is always the Beckinsale
that's really important

411
00:22:05,100 --> 00:22:07,080
and I'm really happy about that.

412
00:22:07,090 --> 00:22:10,020
Like, I love it when I'm
in Marks and Spencer's

413
00:22:10,030 --> 00:22:12,060
and someone says "Excuse me,"

414
00:22:12,070 --> 00:22:15,240
and I know in England it's going
to be, "I really loved your dad."

415
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,120
I know it's going to be that
and I'm really happy and grateful

416
00:22:19,130 --> 00:22:23,060
that people remember him and that
I get to enjoy how loved he was.

417
00:22:29,110 --> 00:22:31,220
It's a bit like sitting down
and  watching home movies,

418
00:22:31,230 --> 00:22:34,160
but it's not home movies
and it's not the real person,

419
00:22:34,170 --> 00:22:37,040
so there's an element
of it being quite surreal.

420
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,230
But you do get glimpses
of the real person,

421
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,120
and to have anything that keeps
their spirit going,

422
00:22:43,130 --> 00:22:45,170
that is quite special.

423
00:22:55,180 --> 00:23:00,000
And if you have no objection,
Miss Jones, I will sit adjacent.

424
00:23:00,010 --> 00:23:04,070
At its peak, Rising Damp had been
watched by 18 million people,

425
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,000
a third of the population.

426
00:23:06,010 --> 00:23:08,090
My word, that's a big one.

427
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:14,130
But on the May 9th, 1978, the last
ever episode Damp was shown.

428
00:23:14,140 --> 00:23:18,120
It seemed its journey from stage
to screen was finally over.

429
00:23:18,130 --> 00:23:21,010
And we were told
that four series was enough.

430
00:23:21,020 --> 00:23:24,160
After that you become a cliche
and I think that was true.

431
00:23:24,170 --> 00:23:26,200
I think they felt
we made our mark with it,

432
00:23:26,210 --> 00:23:31,090
and them wanting to move on
to other things, and so did I.

433
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,160
We all wanted it to end.

434
00:23:34,170 --> 00:23:36,190
In those days, you didn't want
things to last,

435
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,200
you wanted to go off
and do other things

436
00:23:38,210 --> 00:23:44,180
because I thought then
that was the way to learn.

437
00:23:44,190 --> 00:23:46,200
It was a clear-cut decision,

438
00:23:46,210 --> 00:23:49,150
not because we thought
the show wasn't working,

439
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,210
we were nervous that if we kept
going people would get fed up.

440
00:23:52,220 --> 00:23:55,020
That was probably the truth.

441
00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:00,010
Ta-da-da-dah!
Ho ho ho, it's arrived.

442
00:24:00,020 --> 00:24:02,100
What has?
My decree absolute.

443
00:24:02,110 --> 00:24:04,130
Ho ho ho!
Congratulations, Rigsby.

444
00:24:04,140 --> 00:24:08,230
Over 15 million tuned in to watch
the show's final episode,

445
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:11,100
in which Rigsby's divorce
finally came through,

446
00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:14,040
leaving him free to propose
to his beloved Miss Jones.

447
00:24:14,050 --> 00:24:16,200
I'm a fee man. After all these
years, I'm free, eh? Ho ho ho.

448
00:24:16,210 --> 00:24:18,200
Now you're free,
what are you going to do?

449
00:24:18,210 --> 00:24:21,110
Get married.
Of course.

450
00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:23,220
It's gonna be different.
I'm going to ask Miss Jones.

451
00:24:23,230 --> 00:24:28,190
I wound it up by saying,
"Right, this is when she says yes."

452
00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,210
I never believed that.

453
00:24:30,220 --> 00:24:34,010
I don't think Len believed it
and I don't think Frances believed

454
00:24:34,020 --> 00:24:36,090
that she'd ever say to him,
"Yes, I'll marry you."

455
00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:38,120
I came this evening
with the ridiculous idea

456
00:24:38,130 --> 00:24:40,040
of asking you to marry me.

457
00:24:40,050 --> 00:24:43,210
I know you weren't expecting it and
it's preposterous, but that is it.

458
00:24:43,220 --> 00:24:46,010
Will you marry me?
What is your answer to that?

459
00:24:46,020 --> 00:24:49,120
Yes.  Yes, exactly what I thought.
I knew I'd wasted my time.

460
00:24:49,130 --> 00:24:53,010
I suppose I'm not good enough.
I don't want to see the ring again.

461
00:24:53,020 --> 00:24:54,210
I knew you wouldn't accept me.

462
00:24:54,220 --> 00:24:57,240
I always remember, I wrote on the
stage direction, "And they kiss."

463
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,150
What did you say, Miss Jones?
Would you say that again?

464
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,100
I said I will marry you.

465
00:25:02,110 --> 00:25:04,200
And Len had started mucking about,

466
00:25:04,210 --> 00:25:08,080
messing about with
the stage  directions.

467
00:25:08,090 --> 00:25:12,070
And Frances leaned over to me and
said, "He doesn't want to kiss me,"

468
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,220
and  he never did.

469
00:25:14,230 --> 00:25:18,100
Oh, Miss...Jones.

470
00:25:18,110 --> 00:25:20,140
Mr Rigsby.
Oh!

471
00:25:22,020 --> 00:25:24,020
The ring!
The ring.

472
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,170
But despite agreeing to tie the knot,
in true disastrous Rising Damp style,

473
00:25:32,180 --> 00:25:34,180
the pair never did make it
down the aisle.

474
00:25:34,190 --> 00:25:37,220
We went to the wrong church!
Just get, get, get, the car.

475
00:25:40,100 --> 00:25:42,060
You mean, you didn't even arrive?

476
00:25:42,070 --> 00:25:45,070
Oh, yes, we definitely arrived.
We're just a bit late, that's all.

477
00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:48,050
You mean, I stood you up and you
weren't even standing there?

478
00:25:48,060 --> 00:25:50,030
How could you do this to me?
No excuses.

479
00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,010
It's supposed to be the best day
of my life and you've ruined it!

480
00:25:53,020 --> 00:25:54,190
Sorry, Miss Jones.
Oh, take that.

481
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,130
The audience were going berserk.

482
00:25:56,140 --> 00:25:59,220
It was very, very funny
and very moving as well.

483
00:25:59,230 --> 00:26:02,130
It was just a wonderful tie-up
to a brilliant series.

484
00:26:02,140 --> 00:26:05,240
Feel free.
I will! There!

485
00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:12,040
But although Rising Damp's life
had ended in the small screen,

486
00:26:12,050 --> 00:26:14,190
film producer Roy Skeggs realised

487
00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,210
that the characters
still had a future.

488
00:26:16,220 --> 00:26:19,170
He believed that the comedy
was perfect for the big screen,

489
00:26:19,180 --> 00:26:23,040
having already had hits upsizing
other sitcoms of the '70s.

490
00:26:23,050 --> 00:26:26,180
The offer of the film was made
and we thought why not

491
00:26:26,190 --> 00:26:29,070
because we'd done everything else.

492
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:40,130
In July 1979, Rising Damp, The Movie,
went into production,

493
00:26:40,140 --> 00:26:42,070
and, like in the TV series,

494
00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,020
featured Rigsby's desperate attempts
to woo Miss Jones.

495
00:26:45,030 --> 00:26:48,230
Indeed, many of its scenes would bear
more than a passing resemblance

496
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,140
to what we'd already enjoyed on
television.

497
00:26:51,150 --> 00:26:56,130
I intended to cannibalise scripts
and put in a few extra moments.

498
00:26:56,140 --> 00:26:59,150
It wasn't anything we were
particularly proud off,

499
00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,100
having said that,
but nevertheless we did it.

500
00:27:02,110 --> 00:27:05,010
What would you do in my position,
Philip?  What?

501
00:27:05,020 --> 00:27:07,100
No, I mean,
what do they do in your country?

502
00:27:07,110 --> 00:27:10,090
In my country,
if a man was in your position,

503
00:27:10,100 --> 00:27:12,070
he'd get the wood of the lavatory.

504
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,070
He would burn it
outside the girl's house

505
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,240
and when she smelt the smoke
she would appear at the door.

506
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,150
He'd look deep into her eyes
and she would fall in love with him.

507
00:27:22,070 --> 00:27:24,190
Just like that?
Just like that.

508
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,140
The similarities made no difference
to The Movie's director, Joe McGrath,

509
00:27:32,150 --> 00:27:37,120
whose career CV included working
with pop's fab four, The Beatles.

510
00:27:37,130 --> 00:27:41,100
To tell the truth, I hadn't...
I  hadn't watched Rising Damp.

511
00:27:41,110 --> 00:27:43,240
I'd never seen Rising Damp
on television,

512
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,180
and I think that was a good thing

513
00:27:47,190 --> 00:27:51,120
because I approached it completely
as a motion picture.

514
00:27:52,150 --> 00:27:56,010
Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington
and Frances de la Tour all signed up

515
00:27:56,020 --> 00:27:58,020
for Rising Damp's
big screen adventure,

516
00:27:58,030 --> 00:28:01,230
but all three were still recovering
from the death of Richard Beckinsale.

517
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,060
When we came to make the film,

518
00:28:04,070 --> 00:28:11,120
it was a question of whether Len
felt he could do it without Richard.

519
00:28:11,130 --> 00:28:14,100
Len really loved Richard

520
00:28:14,110 --> 00:28:19,200
and I think he decided to do it
as a tribute to  Richard.

521
00:28:19,210 --> 00:28:23,140
Actor Christopher Strauli,
best known for another ITV sitcom,

522
00:28:23,150 --> 00:28:27,050
Only When I Laugh, was brought in
to complete the foursome.

523
00:28:28,060 --> 00:28:29,210
Crikey.

524
00:28:31,070 --> 00:28:33,160
35 stitches in there, mate.

525
00:28:33,170 --> 00:28:36,220
Richard Beckinsale was a friend of
mine and we were at RADA together,

526
00:28:36,230 --> 00:28:41,010
so my first reaction was,
"Oh, dear, what a sad thought."

527
00:28:41,020 --> 00:28:44,210
Then I thought about it and thought,
"Well, someone's got to do it,

528
00:28:44,220 --> 00:28:48,060
so I suppose it might as well be
someone who knew Richard

529
00:28:48,070 --> 00:28:50,140
and we were friends
and it might as well be me."

530
00:28:50,150 --> 00:28:54,030
A bit of soul searching to find out
whether I really wanted to do it.

531
00:28:55,070 --> 00:28:57,030
But Strauli soon found out

532
00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:00,100
that filling Richard Beckinsale's
shoes would be no easy task.

533
00:29:00,110 --> 00:29:03,180
They had a party the night
before the filming

534
00:29:03,190 --> 00:29:06,140
and at this party I was introduced
to Leonard, who said,

535
00:29:06,150 --> 00:29:09,190
"Well, we know it works
what we did before,

536
00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:13,090
so if it doesn't work now, it's
going to be your fault, isn't it?"

537
00:29:13,100 --> 00:29:17,170
And that was the first sentence
he said to me, bless him.

538
00:29:17,180 --> 00:29:21,140
And it went on in that sort of tone
from thence, really.

539
00:29:21,150 --> 00:29:24,240
A rather difficult relationship
we had.

540
00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,000
Understandably, he wanted me to play
it as Richard would have done,

541
00:29:28,010 --> 00:29:31,010
which is what his timing's were all
worked to and what he liked to do.

542
00:29:31,020 --> 00:29:34,030
Look at this. Who is this well
dressed stranger?

543
00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:38,180
Could it be Count  Dracula, popped in
from the dead for a quick bite?

544
00:29:38,190 --> 00:29:40,070
Why don't you give it a rest?

545
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,230
And for two reasons I couldn't do it
like Richard did it

546
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:44,210
cos we're different characters

547
00:29:44,220 --> 00:29:47,010
and I wanted to try
and make it my own,

548
00:29:47,020 --> 00:29:50,050
rather than try and do a copy
of what Richard had done.

549
00:29:51,050 --> 00:29:54,100
Good heavens, it's Count Dracula,
dropped in for a quite bite.

550
00:29:54,110 --> 00:29:56,120
Ah, give it a rest, why don't you?

551
00:29:56,130 --> 00:29:58,240
So we were at loggerheads,
I think  it's fair to say,

552
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:00,160
throughout the film.

553
00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,190
Heave! Phil!

554
00:30:04,220 --> 00:30:08,130
The film's budget,
a healthy £400,000...

555
00:30:08,140 --> 00:30:10,030
Slip that card in your window.

556
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,110
..meant that the action could now
leave the studio

557
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,010
and take place on location.

558
00:30:15,020 --> 00:30:18,050
Most of the movie was filmed here
in Notting Hill.

559
00:30:18,060 --> 00:30:20,020
And today, director and actor

560
00:30:20,030 --> 00:30:23,040
are back at the house
they took over during filming.

561
00:30:23,050 --> 00:30:25,000
It's you.
No, it's me.

562
00:30:25,010 --> 00:30:27,050
You're late as usual.
Charming!

563
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:31,140
Listen, this is the place.

564
00:30:31,150 --> 00:30:34,150
I know. Yeah. I'd forgotten
all the steps, didn't you?

565
00:30:35,150 --> 00:30:37,030
Hey. Hey.

566
00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,060
Hey, hey, hey.

567
00:30:40,170 --> 00:30:42,140
It all comes back to me now.

568
00:30:42,150 --> 00:30:44,240
This was actually Rigsby's room.
Yes.

569
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,000
And you could see Rigsby appeared
in  the first scene of the film

570
00:30:48,010 --> 00:30:49,190
looking through that window.

571
00:30:55,060 --> 00:30:57,170
My first scene was here
with the car.

572
00:30:57,180 --> 00:31:00,210
And Leonard cleaning his car,  was
it?  It was exactly that, yes.

573
00:31:00,220 --> 00:31:02,160
And it was by that tree.

574
00:31:02,170 --> 00:31:04,140
Excuse me?
Yeah.

575
00:31:04,150 --> 00:31:07,100
I'm looking for a Mr Rigsby.
Oh, yeah?

576
00:31:07,110 --> 00:31:10,010
Does he live here?  No, he'd be out
this time of the day.

577
00:31:10,020 --> 00:31:12,240
Who shall I say...?
W-W-What do you want him for?

578
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:14,240
Well, he's advertising a room.

579
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,010
Oh, yes, that's right.
Yes, yes, I am, yeah. Come in.

580
00:31:18,020 --> 00:31:20,170
And is that the room where
the ceiling had to come down?

581
00:31:20,180 --> 00:31:23,060
Yes, that's the only bit of art
direction that was built.

582
00:31:23,070 --> 00:31:25,040
We had to build a false ceiling.

583
00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:27,100
Let's drink to amore.
A more what?

584
00:31:27,110 --> 00:31:29,210
Love, Miss Jones.
I don't know about that, Mr Rigsby.

585
00:31:29,220 --> 00:31:32,160
And we actually had to build two
or three false ceilings

586
00:31:32,170 --> 00:31:34,180
in case we didn't get it
on the first take,

587
00:31:34,190 --> 00:31:37,080
but we got it on the first take.
We did, didn't we? Yes.

588
00:31:37,090 --> 00:31:39,160
A lot of mess, but great, yes.
It was lovely, yeah.

589
00:31:39,170 --> 00:31:43,030
Oh, mon petite, respondez,
s'il vous plait!

590
00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,190
Tonight, Miss Jones,
the earth is going to shake!

591
00:31:53,170 --> 00:31:55,230
It wasn't an easy house
in which to  work

592
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,010
because there was very little room.

593
00:31:58,020 --> 00:32:00,150
We had a lot of climbing the stairs.
Just the two sides.

594
00:32:01,150 --> 00:32:05,080
A lot of the scenes were played with
Rigsby running up and down stairs,

595
00:32:05,090 --> 00:32:07,170
as he always did.
Yes, indeed.

596
00:32:07,180 --> 00:32:10,040
So we we really shot the,
as I would say,

597
00:32:10,050 --> 00:32:13,080
the excrement out of this house.
Ha ha ha!

598
00:32:13,090 --> 00:32:17,200
You know, we chose this place
cos it was a slum

599
00:32:17,210 --> 00:32:20,230
and now it's worth
two million pounds.

600
00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:22,150
(BOTH LAUGH)

601
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:26,100
Released in May 1980,
despite its writer's misgivings,

602
00:32:26,110 --> 00:32:30,040
Rising Damp, The Movie, proved
a massive hit at the box office.

603
00:32:30,050 --> 00:32:33,150
Rising Damp actually got
Best  Film Comedy Of The Year.

604
00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:35,180
I got Best Director.

605
00:32:35,190 --> 00:32:39,130
Leonard got a special award,
a Peter Sellers Award For Comedy,

606
00:32:39,140 --> 00:32:41,210
and Frances de la Tour Best Actress.

607
00:32:41,220 --> 00:32:43,150
You can't do better than that.

608
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:45,140
It's all in a day's work for me.

609
00:32:54,150 --> 00:32:56,190
With the release of Rising Damp,
The Movie,

610
00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:01,050
the story of Rupert Rigsby and his
unfortunate tenants was finally over.

611
00:33:01,060 --> 00:33:04,200
Its stars had become some of the most
popular names in comedy,

612
00:33:04,210 --> 00:33:07,220
but could they shake off the bedsits
and fading wallpaper

613
00:33:07,230 --> 00:33:11,200
and find bright new
opportunities ahead?

614
00:33:11,210 --> 00:33:13,150
Despite building a reputation

615
00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:16,000
as one of Britain's
finest classical actresses,

616
00:33:16,010 --> 00:33:19,100
Frances de la Tour has struggled
with the public's enduring memory

617
00:33:19,110 --> 00:33:21,040
of her as Miss Jones.

618
00:33:21,050 --> 00:33:24,140
Most recently, she's appeared
in the Harry Potter movies

619
00:33:24,150 --> 00:33:26,170
and in the IT sitcom Vicious.

620
00:33:30,030 --> 00:33:32,180
Don Warrington's career flourished
in the theatre.

621
00:33:32,190 --> 00:33:35,190
In 2013, he returned
to his comedy roots,

622
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:39,090
directing the stage version
of Rising Damp.

623
00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:41,120
Most recently, he's won plaudits

624
00:33:41,130 --> 00:33:44,080
for his role in the BBC's series,
Death in Paradise.

625
00:33:44,090 --> 00:33:46,020
Thank you.

626
00:33:48,050 --> 00:33:51,150
Miss Brevin, I do apologise.
It's fine.

627
00:33:52,230 --> 00:33:56,000
But what became
of the show's leading man?

628
00:33:56,010 --> 00:33:58,240
As one of Britain's most popular
comedy actors,

629
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,150
Leonard Rossiter also starred in The
Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin

630
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:06,100
and teamed up with Joan Collins
to make millions of us laugh

631
00:34:06,110 --> 00:34:09,120
in one of TV's best loved
ad campaigns.

632
00:34:09,130 --> 00:34:13,160
Oh, can't you just smell those
Italian wines,

633
00:34:13,170 --> 00:34:16,210
suffused with herbs and spices
from four continents?

634
00:34:16,220 --> 00:34:19,210
I'm being boring.
Oops, sorry, sorry.

635
00:34:21,130 --> 00:34:24,220
Getting your head down, sweetie?
Jolly good idea.

636
00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:28,210
In 1984, Leonard Rossiter
took on the role

637
00:34:28,220 --> 00:34:34,060
of supermarket boss Norman Tripper
in another sitcom, Tripper's Day.

638
00:34:34,070 --> 00:34:36,020
It was while working on this series

639
00:34:36,030 --> 00:34:38,100
that he met a young actor
called David John.

640
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:44,110
That autumn, Rossiter starred
in Joe Orton's black comedy, Loot,

641
00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,010
and brought in his young co-star
to play opposite him.

642
00:34:49,050 --> 00:34:51,040
Loot played to packed houses
every night

643
00:34:51,050 --> 00:34:53,010
at the West End's Lyric Theatre,

644
00:34:53,020 --> 00:34:55,240
but the play would ultimately
be remembered

645
00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,040
for much more than just
Leonard Rossiter's performance.

646
00:35:00,060 --> 00:35:04,050
Today, David John is returning
to the cast's local.

647
00:35:05,150 --> 00:35:08,230
Hi, mate. Can I have a pint, please?
A pint of bitter?

648
00:35:10,010 --> 00:35:12,050
You know, I've got great memories
of this pub.

649
00:35:12,060 --> 00:35:15,200
When it's a good company and you're
good mates, this is our social.

650
00:35:15,210 --> 00:35:17,240
It's after the show,
ten o'clock, half-ten,

651
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,230
we come in here
and have a couple of pints.

652
00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:23,110
And it was brought to such a sudden
stop, you know,

653
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:26,170
so it's quite...quite sad...
sad memories as well.

654
00:35:28,190 --> 00:35:32,010
So, the last time I was here with
Len was the night before he died.

655
00:35:32,020 --> 00:35:34,040
And we were sat round
and he did mention

656
00:35:34,050 --> 00:35:36,060
that he didn't feel
particularly good.

657
00:35:37,220 --> 00:35:40,210
He felt a bit chesty and said
"I'm only having one pint tonight,

658
00:35:40,220 --> 00:35:43,080
and I'm going to have
a little check-up tomorrow."

659
00:35:43,090 --> 00:35:47,020
And the understudy was there, saying
"Maybe I better check the book,"

660
00:35:47,030 --> 00:35:50,060
and Len said "No, no, I've never
been off in my career

661
00:35:50,070 --> 00:35:52,180
and I'm not gonna start now,
don't worry."

662
00:35:55,170 --> 00:35:58,100
The next time I saw him
was when he came off

663
00:35:58,110 --> 00:36:00,230
after the first scene
the next night,

664
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:04,190
where we had our normal evening.
"How you doing?" "Yeah, fine."

665
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:07,020
And I said, "How was the check-up?"

666
00:36:07,030 --> 00:36:09,230
He said, "Fine, no problems,
I'm fit as a fiddle,"

667
00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:12,050
and walked off to his dressing room.

668
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:19,190
I played my scene and then had
to get back for a quick change,

669
00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:21,200
so I ran back to my dressing room

670
00:36:21,210 --> 00:36:24,180
and heard immediately
that there was a problem

671
00:36:24,190 --> 00:36:26,150
because Leonard hadn't appeared.

672
00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,070
It was unheard of, you know.
It wouldn't happen;

673
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,060
there must be a problem
if he's not there.

674
00:36:33,070 --> 00:36:35,090
And I could hear the stage manager
calling him:

675
00:36:35,100 --> 00:36:37,230
"To the stage immediately,
Mr Rossiter. To the stage."

676
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:39,190
And there was no response.

677
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:44,060
So I kind of dropped everything
and ran down to his dressing room

678
00:36:44,070 --> 00:36:50,090
and found him in his chair, just sat
still not breathing, just there.

679
00:36:55,160 --> 00:37:00,240
And after maybe ten minutes,
an ambulance took him off.

680
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:04,010
And I do remember seeing one
of the doctors shake his head

681
00:37:04,020 --> 00:37:06,100
and just think, "That's it."

682
00:37:06,110 --> 00:37:09,180
Of all nights, Frances de la Tour
was in the audience.

683
00:37:09,190 --> 00:37:11,110
Now, when you think that she

684
00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:14,070
and Leonard were
not by any means friends

685
00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:17,040
and she  was actually there
when it happened.

686
00:37:17,050 --> 00:37:19,150
Life is very, very strange,
you know.

687
00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:23,190
Those are the two people you'd think
would never be together,

688
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:27,030
you know, at any function,
and, indeed, she was there.

689
00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:30,080
'The actor Leonard Rossiter
who died after collapsing

690
00:37:30,090 --> 00:37:33,000
during a performance
in the West End last night

691
00:37:33,010 --> 00:37:36,070
is thought to have had
a heart attack. He was 57.'

692
00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:39,130
'"Leonard Rossiter," his friend
said, "would appreciate the irony.

693
00:37:39,140 --> 00:37:42,050
He died, playing the lead in a black
comedy about death."'

694
00:37:43,130 --> 00:37:46,210
'During last night's sell out
performance he missed an entrance.

695
00:37:46,220 --> 00:37:49,130
Staff found him slumped
in his  dressing room.

696
00:37:49,140 --> 00:37:52,200
He was rushed to hospital,
but doctors couldn't save him.'

697
00:37:54,100 --> 00:37:58,040
It was utterly shocking
because Len  was so fit,

698
00:37:58,050 --> 00:37:59,230
so on top of his game.

699
00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:03,220
It was just a bolt from the blue.

700
00:38:13,010 --> 00:38:16,040
He was a difficult man,
I understand,

701
00:38:16,050 --> 00:38:18,020
you know,
for certain actors and stuff,

702
00:38:18,030 --> 00:38:21,090
but I never found him  difficult
to work with.

703
00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:25,240
But I knew how he felt
about doing things.

704
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,070
Put them on, hit me on the chin
as hard as you like.

705
00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:31,190
I don't want too.  Come on. I know
what it is; I'm too likeable.

706
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:35,030
I respect him and he was
a very good  friend of mine,

707
00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:39,040
and also a great actor, great actor.

708
00:38:39,050 --> 00:38:42,190
You're gonna try and surprise me,
but I'll surprise you at the speed -

709
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:53,060
No, I won't hear a word against him.
I  loved him. I just loved him.

710
00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:00,000
And there is a lesson in timing.
I just watched it the other night,

711
00:39:00,010 --> 00:39:02,150
all those head turns,
its just brilliant.

712
00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:04,200
(LAUGHS)

713
00:39:04,210 --> 00:39:06,120
You know.

714
00:39:06,130 --> 00:39:11,050
You don't see acting like that
much now. No.

715
00:39:17,190 --> 00:39:20,190
My word, you're early.
I couldn't wait.

716
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:22,230
Oh, thank you.

717
00:39:22,240 --> 00:39:25,180
Oh, good heavens, how did you guess
my favourite aperitif,

718
00:39:25,190 --> 00:39:27,200
a dry martini, shaken not stirred?

719
00:39:27,210 --> 00:39:30,050
Actually, it's a vodka and lemon.
Is it?

720
00:39:30,060 --> 00:39:34,120
He was a demanding man, but then
again the rewards were so great.

721
00:39:34,130 --> 00:39:38,070
There were one or two moments
when he was magic,

722
00:39:39,180 --> 00:39:45,190
and then when he was...
showing Richard

723
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,190
how to behave in front
of polite society

724
00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:51,170
and how to enter a room, wonderful.

725
00:39:51,180 --> 00:39:53,100
You enter a room, you're in.

726
00:39:53,110 --> 00:39:56,180
You close the door, you wait for
the conversation to die down,

727
00:39:56,190 --> 00:39:59,150
you shoot your cuffs like that,
you adjust them and leave it,

728
00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:01,110
just visible, the diamond cufflinks,

729
00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,160
that's when your beckoned to sit.
Shall I sit?

730
00:40:03,170 --> 00:40:06,060
You come over,
its fingers on the trousers,

731
00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:08,020
up, down to avoid any stiffness.

732
00:40:08,030 --> 00:40:10,240
Just a casual throw of the leg over,
like that,

733
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,070
with nonchalant ease
and there you go.

734
00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:19,080
And even to this day when I'm
writing a show, a play,

735
00:40:19,090 --> 00:40:21,210
I think what we need here
is Leonard Rossiter.

736
00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:30,080
Stay away, Mr Rigsby!
Heh heh heh!

737
00:40:30,090 --> 00:40:34,060
What are you going to do with that
gateau? Push it in my face.

738
00:40:34,070 --> 00:40:38,160
Over 28 classic episodes
from 1974 to 1978,

739
00:40:38,170 --> 00:40:41,170
Rising Damp served up the best
of British comedy

740
00:40:41,180 --> 00:40:43,140
into millions of our homes.

741
00:40:43,150 --> 00:40:45,130
Push it in my face.

742
00:40:47,070 --> 00:40:51,240
The series would be remade less
successfully in America and Portugal.

743
00:40:53,230 --> 00:40:57,090
Perhaps there was something about
the world of the grotty bedsit

744
00:40:57,100 --> 00:40:59,040
that just seemed too British.

745
00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:04,010
Ahh!

746
00:41:07,150 --> 00:41:09,110
Four decades on the studios

747
00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:12,010
where the laughter once rang out
from Rigsby and Co

748
00:41:12,020 --> 00:41:15,190
is now home to another
classic ITV series, Emmerdale.

749
00:41:18,110 --> 00:41:21,170
But today they're playing host
to a grand Rising Damp reunion.

750
00:41:21,180 --> 00:41:26,070
Joining writer Eric Chappell,
Actor Don Warrington,

751
00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:30,230
Director Vernon Lawrence and
Production Assistant Ellie Hurst,

752
00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:35,240
are former runner John Heaton
and floor manager Don Clayton.

753
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:38,100
There are a few ghosts in here now,
aren't there?

754
00:41:38,110 --> 00:41:40,180
It was that long wall, wasn't it,
where...?

755
00:41:40,190 --> 00:41:43,210
We're standing at the foot of the
audience seating, really.  Yeah.

756
00:41:43,220 --> 00:41:46,080
You remember where the audience was,
do you?  Yeah.

757
00:41:46,090 --> 00:41:48,100
I can't forget it. it was there.

758
00:41:48,110 --> 00:41:50,040
Ah, there it was.

759
00:41:50,050 --> 00:41:53,140
Because I had to do all those
warm-ups, you know, terrifying.

760
00:41:53,150 --> 00:41:55,190
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

761
00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:58,050
You're not a company director,
you're not early 40s,

762
00:41:58,060 --> 00:42:00,210
you're not an accountant
and you're not sophisticated.

763
00:42:00,220 --> 00:42:02,210
Well, nobody's perfect.

764
00:42:02,220 --> 00:42:06,120
It was a happy show, but it wasn't
a happy rehearsal room

765
00:42:06,130 --> 00:42:09,160
because we were all
so serious about things.

766
00:42:09,170 --> 00:42:13,010
I would wonder whether there was
any jokes in the script at all.

767
00:42:13,020 --> 00:42:14,240
Comedy is a very serious business.

768
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,220
The important thing
is the end product.  Yes.

769
00:42:17,230 --> 00:42:20,160
I think it's also a question
of who leads the line

770
00:42:20,170 --> 00:42:23,030
and in this case
it was Len Rossiter.  Yes.

771
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:27,070
And Len was a very serious man
about his comedy.

772
00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:29,100
You must admit,
this place has been lived in.

773
00:42:29,110 --> 00:42:31,100
It looks as if it's been slept in.

774
00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:37,030
Oh, that was Pink Carnations,
was it?

775
00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:40,090
Yeah, that's great.
Well, I'm blowed.

776
00:42:40,100 --> 00:42:43,170
It is Pink Carnations.
This is in the bar where they met.

777
00:42:45,180 --> 00:42:47,140
Yeah, well, there we are.
Mr Rigsby.

778
00:42:47,150 --> 00:42:50,140
Oh... Oh, Miss Jones.

779
00:42:50,150 --> 00:42:54,070
Oh, you're not single, attractive,
mid-20s, roguish smile, by chance?

780
00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:57,210
You're not a company director,
early 40s...?

781
00:42:57,220 --> 00:43:00,140
Roguish smile? You've been reading
Women's Own again.

782
00:43:00,150 --> 00:43:05,060
And it ended up with Joan Sanderson,
the wonderful Joan Sanderson.  Yes.

783
00:43:05,070 --> 00:43:10,070
And Len stepped back and said,
"My God, you're ugly."

784
00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:14,070
I'd like a word with you.
Oh, there you are. About time, yeah.

785
00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:16,140
Oh, cor blimey!

786
00:43:16,150 --> 00:43:20,150
And he insulted her.  She said, "I've
never been so assaulted in my life."

787
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:23,170
Vulgar little man! I've never been
so insulted in my life.

788
00:43:23,180 --> 00:43:25,200
And he said...
You should get out more.

789
00:43:25,210 --> 00:43:27,210
Boom-boom!  Thank you very much.

790
00:43:27,220 --> 00:43:30,170
Oh, Miss Jones.
That's him, the beast.

791
00:43:33,030 --> 00:43:35,190
To Len. There we go.

792
00:43:37,030 --> 00:43:38,220
It's been over 40 years

793
00:43:38,230 --> 00:43:42,070
since Eric Chappell took The Banana
Box from the stage to the screen.

794
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:46,000
What's going on? This is my room.
I beg your pardon, this is my room.

795
00:43:46,010 --> 00:43:47,130
(SNIGGERING)

796
00:43:47,140 --> 00:43:50,110
You can be brothers. Or sisters, eh?

797
00:43:51,180 --> 00:43:53,240
Is that all?
Ooh, that's enough for you.

798
00:43:56,070 --> 00:43:58,160
Despite the decades that have passed,

799
00:43:58,170 --> 00:44:02,140
the characters and storylines
remain as hilarious as ever.

800
00:44:02,150 --> 00:44:05,010
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

801
00:44:06,220 --> 00:44:10,170
And when the comedy worked,
you just couldn't stop laughing.

802
00:44:10,180 --> 00:44:12,170
You just couldn't get
through the scene

803
00:44:12,180 --> 00:44:14,230
because it was just...
cos it was funny.

804
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:18,120
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

805
00:44:20,230 --> 00:44:23,110
I remember being visited by a critic

806
00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:26,050
and she said, "Do you know
this is  going to be a classic?"

807
00:44:27,070 --> 00:44:31,140
And once you get that classic thing,
no-one knocks you anymore.

808
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:35,040
"Oh, it's a classic, you know.
Oh, it's a classic."

809
00:44:35,050 --> 00:44:37,020
"He's all right, he's a classic."

810
00:44:37,030 --> 00:44:39,030
So the critics
put away their vitriol.

811
00:44:40,140 --> 00:44:43,040
Fire.  I think you need to cool off,
Mr Rigsby.

812
00:44:45,030 --> 00:44:47,040
And here's to Rising Damp.

813
00:44:47,050 --> 00:44:50,020
Rising Damp.  Cheers, cheers, cheers,
cheers, cheers, cheers.

814
00:44:50,030 --> 00:44:52,160
Do you reckon we've given Miss Jones
a night to remember?

815
00:44:52,170 --> 00:44:54,180
Do you know what?
I still feel hungry.

816
00:44:54,190 --> 00:44:57,070
So am I am.
Do you fancy a bag of chips?

817
00:44:57,080 --> 00:44:59,070
Plenty of vinegar?
Lots of scallops?

818
00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:01,060
Mushy peas. You're on.

819
00:45:01,070 --> 00:45:03,210
It's your turn to pay. Go on.

820
00:45:03,220 --> 00:45:05,220
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDS)

821
00:45:10,170 --> 00:45:13,080
subtitles by Deluxe