Rising Damp (1980)

Interesting facts

• Based on: Rising Damp

Rising Damp is a 1980 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath, based on the British situation comedy Rising Damp, which aired on ITV from 1974 to 1978. The television series was, in turn, adapted from Eric Chappell's stage play The Banana Box. Chappell adapted the play to television, and wrote the screenplay for this feature film. The film stars Leonard Rossiter, Frances de la Tour, and Don Warrington, reprising their roles from the television series, with Christopher Strauli and Denholm Elliott.

Production

The sitcom Rising Damp, produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV, was originally broadcast over four series from 2 September 1974 until 9 May 1978, spanning 28 episodes. In the 1970s, film versions of British television comedies were not uncommon; programmes such as Till Death Us Do Part, Dad's Army, On the Buses, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Steptoe and Son, Nearest and Dearest, Bless This House, Father, Dear Father, The Lovers, Love Thy Neighb…

The film went into production in July 1979. In adapting Rising Damp to film, the setting was changed from Yorkshire to inner-city London. Richard Beckinsale, who appeared in the first three series of Rising Damp but was absent from the fourth due to theatre commitments, was intended to take part in the film.

I got on very well with Leonard Rossiter... [Richard Beckinsale] was supposed to be in the film, but he died. I liked Richard very much. In fact, it caused a load of trouble when he died in that Leonard didn't want to do the film, but eventually he said that he would do it. So we ended up with Christopher Strauli, who took Richard Beckinsale's place, at the suggestion of [Eric Chappell]. So, Christopher arrived and he felt a real outsider.

It was agreed that the film version of Rising Damp would adapt scenes and dialogue material from the television series. The film had a budget of approximately £400,000.00, which was relatively low for a film production but being higher than the budget allocated to the television series meant the film could be shot on location, rather than being entirely studio-bound as the series was. Joseph McGrath recalled,

I didn't find the shoot difficult. I made my mind up not to find it difficult. I made my mind up to be especially nice to the new actor, Christopher. About a week into the shoot, he asked if he could have lunch with me one day. I said, "Yes, sure." Then he confided that he felt a real outsider because the rest of the cast just left him alone... This was a week into the shoot...

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