List of ''Rising Damp'' episodes

This list includes synopses and broadcast information for the 28 episodes of Rising Damp. Rising Damp is a British sitcom written by Eric Chappell. It stars Leonard Rossiter as a landlord named Rigsby, Richard Beckinsale as Alan, Frances de la Tour as Miss Jones, and Don Warrington as Philip. Alan, Miss Jones, and Philip reside as tenants in Rigsby's house.

The original run of Rising Damp was transmitted on ITV in four series from 1974 to 1978. Rising Damp (1980), a feature film based on the programme, premiered on 5 March 1980. It was written by Eric Chappell, and directed by Joseph McGrath.

Series overview

Series Episodes Originally aired DVD release date
Series premiere Series finale Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1 7 2 September 1974 27 December 1974 10 January 2006 7 May 2001 7 September 2007
2 8 7 November 1975 26 December 1975 6 June 2006 14 June 20041 7 September 2007
3 7 12 April 1977 24 May 1977 16 January 2007 14 June 2004 24 April 2008
4 6 4 April 1978 9 May 1978 17 July 2007 14 June 2004 24 April 2008
1.^ The box set published by Cinema Club on 14 June 2004 (titled Rising Damp: The Works, Series 1–4), omits series two's Christmas episode, "For the Man Who Has Everything". Cinema Club previously published this episode in their 2002 compilation, The Very Best of Rising Damp. The first set to include series two in its entirety was Rising Damp: The Complete TV Series Plus the Movie, published on 21 November 2005 by ITV DVD.

Series 1 (1974)

#TitleOriginal airdateCode
1"The New Tenant"2 September 1974 (1974-09-02)101

Rigsby has an empty room to let. Miss Jones's acquaintance, Philip, moves in - with some reluctance.

This episode is alternatively titled "Rooksby", after the character in the stage play The Banana Box, from which Rising Damp was adapted. The character was renamed to Rigsby because a real-life landlord named Rooksby complained.[1]
2"Black Magic"22 November 1974 (1974-11-22)102
Rigsby is sceptical but intrigued by a ritual which Philip shows him - banging his spear on the ground to summon a woman. When Philip does so, Miss Jones comes to the room seconds later. Rigsby hope that doing likewise will result in a similar outcome - but it does not.
3"A Night Out"29 November 1974 (1974-11-29)103
Rigsby, Alan, Philip and Ruth go out to a fancy restaurant for Miss Jones's birthday. Rigsby borrows his new lodger Spooner's suit, without his permission. Spooner shows up and demands the suit be returned to him. A scuffle ensues, in which a sleeve is ripped off the suit. The restaurant's manager throws Rigsby and Alan (who is not wearing a tie) out for being improperly dressed.
4"Charisma"6 December 1974 (1974-12-06)104

Alan sports an earring to attract the opposite sex, which Rigsby disapproves of. Alan sneaks Maureen into his room; Rigsby hears her and ejects her.

Rigsby asks Miss Jones to a wrestling match, which she declines. Alan gives him some tablets and a Matt Monro LP, suggesting that he one of the tablets and play the record whilst talking to her. Philip gives Rigsby a medallion to wear. After Rigsby leaves the room, Alan informs Philip that the tablets are tranquillisers which were withdrawn from the markets because they turn the patients' urine green. Rigsby plays the record at the wrong speed, and she rejects his attempt to seduce her. He collapses and falls asleep for 24 hours. He sees a doctor, who tells him that the tablets are for pregnant women. Philip advises Rigsby to burn the wood of the love tree outside Miss Jones' room as an aphrodisiac. She finds the smell unpleasant, so she sprays Rigsby and the wood with water. Philip tells him that the piece of wood came off the wardrobe.
5"All Our Yesterdays"13 December 1974 (1974-12-13)105
Spooner annoys the household by playing his radio loudly. Rigsby is annoyed, but finds it difficult to pluck up the courage to confront him about it. He fires his gun, which he wrongly believed was not loaded. He thinks that he shot Spooner through his door, but after going into Spooner's room he realises that he did not.
6"The Prowler"20 December 1974 (1974-12-20)106
Miss Jones sees a prowler through her window, and Rigsby suspects everyone else. A police detective appears and begins to investigate. When the police arrive later, Rigsby realises that the detective was bogus - and that he stole Rigsby's money.
7"Stand Up and Be Counted"27 December 1974 (1974-12-27)107
An election polarises the household: Rigsby supports the Conservatives, Alan and Philip lean towards Labour, and Miss Jones is impressed with the Liberal candidate. After being disapproved of by the Conservative candidate, Rigsby switches his allegiance to Labour.

Series 2 (1975)

#TitleOriginal airdateCode
8"The Permissive Society"7 November 1975 (1975-11-07)201

Alan and Philip return from an unsuccessful double date. Alan tells Philip that he is a virgin, and Philip says that he first had sex at age 14 as part of his coming-of-age initiation. Alan encourages Rigsby to pursue Miss Jones. Philip advises Alan to pursue her. Alan goes into her room to make a move on her, but Rigsby enters the room before she sees Alan, so Alan hides in her wardrobe. She rejects Rigsby's advances. Rigsby hears Alan, and opens the wardrobe door. Seeing Alan, she is surprised and Rigsby is angry.

The angry father of a girl whom Alan is dating comes to the boarding house, wanting to know how far she and Alan have gone sexually. Rigsby sends him off.
9"Food Glorious Food"14 November 1975 (1975-11-14)202
Philip wagers Rigsby £5 that he cannot fast for 48 hours. Philip gives him £5 for winning the bet, despite Rigsby having cheated by having eaten food which he thought was left for him by Alan - but was actually leftovers left by Philip for Vienna. Miss Jones takes Rigsby's winnings to give to famine relief, which she is collecting for.
10"A Body Like Mine"21 November 1975 (1975-11-21)203
Miss Jones and Alan decide to get into shape. Rigsby claims to be fit, but feels inadequate when he is unable to open a jar for Miss Jones, but Philip is. Rigsby starts improving his fitness, then challenges Philip to a boxing match. After Philip accepts his challenge, Risby is horrified to find out from Alan that Philip is a competent boxer. Miss Jones says that she will go out with the winner. Philip deliberately loses in order to avoid a date with Miss Jones. Rigsby strains his back whilst weight training, so he cannot go on the date.
11"Moonlight and Roses"28 November 1975 (1975-11-28)204

Miss Jones is dating Desmond, a poetic librarian, and the couple become engaged. Philip advises Rigsby to compliment her, but she angrily rejects Rigsby, throwing flowers and water at him. Rigsby tries to scare Desmond off Miss Jones by falsely claiming that she is a violent alcoholic, but he still wants her.

Alan invites Brenda to move in, claiming that it will be easy for him to convince Rigsby to let her do so. Rigsby tries the same lines on Brenda that he did on Miss Jones, after which the latter leaves.
12"A Perfect Gentleman"5 December 1975 (1975-12-05)205
New lodger Seymour preys on Rigsby's gullibility by conning him out of money by recommending he buys shares in an oil company which drills in the Pennines. Seymour tells Rigsby that he is inviting the mayor to the boarding house and asks Rigsby to give him money to buy champagne for dinner with the mayor. When Philip tells him that Seymour has left permanently, Rigsby realises that Seymour is a conman, that the mayor is not coming and that the shares he 'bought' on Seymour's recommendation do not exist.
13"The Last of the Big Spenders"12 December 1975 (1975-12-12)206
Rigsby buys new furniture to impress new lodger Brenda. The furniture is repossessed soon after.
14"Things That Go Bump in the Night"19 December 1975 (1975-12-19)207

Alan and Brenda return to the house from the cinema, where they saw Doctor Zhivago together.

Rigsby tries to scare Alan with a ghost story about 'the Grey Lady'. At Philip's suggestion, Alan wears a dress in the house at night to pose as the Grey Lady to scare Rigsby. Rigsby believes it to be the Grey Lady and brings a vicar and curate to the house to exorcise the ghost. When Rigsby finds the dress that Alan wore, he wears it to pretend to be the Grey Lady, and is seen by the vicar and curate, who angrily walk out.
15"For the Man Who Has Everything"26 December 1975 (1975-12-26)208
Rigsby has a miserable Christmas with no cards, no friends, and nobody to kiss underneath his mistletoe.

Series 3 (1977)

#TitleOriginal airdateCode
16"That's My Boy"12 April 1977 (1977-04-12)301
A baby occupies the tenants and eventually Rigsby.
17"Stage Struck"19 April 1977 (1977-04-19)302
A playwright wants Rigsby for his leading man.
18"Clunk Click"26 April 1977 (1977-04-26)303
Rigsby takes Ruth for a spin in his new car and he believes he has run over his cat, Vienna.
19"The Good Samaritans"3 May 1977 (1977-05-03)304
A suicidal man moves in to the bed-sitter.
20"Fawcett's Python"10 May 1977 (1977-05-10)305
An erotic dancer and her snake worry the tenants.
21"The Cocktail Hour"17 May 1977 (1977-05-17)306
Rigsby gives Alan advice on 'society' behaviour.
22"Suddenly at Home"24 May 1977 (1977-05-24)307
A hypochondriac is convinced he is going to die. Nobody believes his excuses, until he has eaten Ruth's soup.

Series 4 (1978)

#TitleOriginal airdateCode
23"Hello Young Lovers"4 April 1978 (1978-04-04)401
Rigsby mistakes a courting couple for newlyweds.
24"Fire and Brimstone"11 April 1978 (1978-04-11)402
A religious tenant is sent to convert Rigsby.
25"Great Expectations"18 April 1978 (1978-04-18)403
Rigsby has been left money, on condition.
26"Pink Carnations"25 April 1978 (1978-04-25)404
Rigsby and Ruth become 'lonely-hearts'.
27"Under the Influence"2 May 1978 (1978-05-02)405
A gypsy hypnotises Rigsby.
28"Come on in, the Water's Lovely"9 May 1978 (1978-05-09)406
Ruth agrees to marry Rigsby, but things don't go according to plan.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Rising Damp: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
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