Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 11th January 2015, 10:17 PM GMTNever miss his interviews - he has the knack of making them so interesting by asking the right questions and clearly listens to the replies.
She came across well too, very frank and entertaining. The polar opposite of Miriam Margolyes who displayed a fair amount of hubris last year.
Caught the boxing episode t'other day. Hilarious!
For sure Rigsby is one of the greatest sitcom characters and Rossiter among the very best comedy actors but for Rossiter and other acclaimed greats to shine they need a high quality foil. Both Rossister and Ronnie Barker had that in Richard Beckinsale. Someone mentioned he'd have made a good Rodney Trotter. I agree, I think he'd have been better than Nicholas Lyndhurst who frankly hasn't been in anything great outside of OFAH. I don't have much to say about The Piglet Files, Butterflies and Goodnight Sweetheart. Series 4 of RD dipped in quality because RB wasn't in it.
Quote: Alexei Q @ 16th January 2015, 10:27 AM GMTFor sure Rigsby is one of the greatest sitcom characters and Rossiter among the very best comedy actors but for Rossiter and other acclaimed greats to shine they need a high quality foil. Both Rossister and Ronnie Barker had that in Richard Beckinsale. Someone mentioned he'd have made a good Rodney Trotter. I agree, I think he'd have been better than Nicholas Lyndhurst who frankly hasn't been in anything great outside of OFAH. I don't have much to say about The Piglet Files, Butterflies and Goodnight Sweetheart. Series 4 of RD dipped in quality because RB wasn't in it.
An interesting post. Rossiter was outstanding in both "Rising Damp" and "...Perrin". I saw an episode of the first last night. A bit shocked at how young he looked. Well, young-ish. I always liked the series. It felt comfortable. It was one of my Mum and Dad's programmes rather than mine. Probably the Beckinsale connection as they has earlier watched "The Lovers". "Perrin" was neither theirs or mine as it wasn't their kind of thing and it went out late while I was doing homework. Oddly from today's perspective, it was considered by the broadcasters "adult" humour. Later, I loved "Perrin" as its wacky way appealed to me. An overly relaxed friend at university did his major sociology essay on the series in a college bar, got a 3rd and died unexpectedly at 40 from a brain tumour. So since 2004 when that happened, it's had added piquancy.
In contrast, "Rising Damp" still feels cosy in its undoubted quality, especially by ITV standards. Not many of theirs were better. Beckinsale would indeed have made a good Rodney. While the nature of his tragically early death now seems to have been agreed, there remains a feeling of uncertainty there. Much like the very sporty family friend whose wife found him dead in the bath. Natural causes but still one can't help but wonder. I agree that Lyndhurst has not been as versatile as hoped and arguably he has been less versatile than Beckinsale. But that, I think, is because he was so right as Rodney. He was more right as Rodney than Beckinsale could have been and more right than he himself could have been for any subsequent character.
Quote: Ben @ 14th January 2015, 11:45 PM GMTCaught the boxing episode t'other day. Hilarious!
Very funny! 
Quote: A Horseradish @ 16th January 2015, 1:34 PM GMTAn interesting post. Rossiter was outstanding in both "Rising Damp" and "...Perrin". I saw an episode of the first last night. A bit shocked at how young he looked. Well, young-ish. I always liked the series. It felt comfortable. It was one of my Mum and Dad's programmes rather than mine. Probably the Beckinsale connection as they has earlier watched "The Lovers". "Perrin" was neither theirs or mine as it wasn't their kind of thing and it went out late while I was doing homework. Oddly from today's perspective, it was considered by the broadcasters "adult" humour. Later, I loved "Perrin" as its wacky way appealed to me. An overly relaxed friend at university did his major sociology essay on the series in a college bar, got a 3rd and died unexpectedly at 40 from a brain tumour. So since 2004 when that happened, it's had added piquancy.
In contrast, "Rising Damp" still feels cosy in its undoubted quality, especially by ITV standards. Not many of theirs were better. Beckinsale would indeed have made a good Rodney. While the nature of his tragically early death now seems to have been agreed, there remains a feeling of uncertainty there. Much like the very sporty family friend whose wife found him dead in the bath. Natural causes but still one can't help but wonder. I agree that Lyndhurst has not been as versatile as hoped and arguably he has been less versatile than Beckinsale. But that, I think, is because he was so right as Rodney. He was more right as Rodney than Beckinsale could have been and more right than he himself could have been for any subsequent character.
Lyndhurst did a very good job as Rodney, getting the whole gormless and clueless spiel off pat though I think Beckinsale would've been great in the part.
Rodney was Lyndhurst's finest hour, his lankiness and the fact he looked nothing like his brother made it all the funnier.
Anyway, RD docs very good and extremely well deserved. Certainly not before time. Don Warrington is a natural presenter and interviewer, I'm amazed he's not used on arty shows with his fine voice and manners. He's extremely reverential to the sitcom he made his name in, which is very nice to see.
What a great cast that was, just four assured comedy actors who all hit it off. Been watching the repeats too seeing some I hardly remember even though it's one of my most prized boxsets. Rossiter mesmerising at times, it's like he's on a drug crazed trance, he just goes into some hyper mode leaving everyone else behind, what a performance he gave as Rigsby! There must have been much higher paid better known actors at the time not putting a tenth of the energy he put into each episode.
Always loved the unrealisticness of it, a landlord who's never out of the tenants' rooms, the tenants who are never out. It's a cartoon sitcom really but extremely funny and well scripted.
I don't remember Rising Damp much but I do have memories of it. Mainly Rigsby saying "ohhh Miss Jones" a lot and Miss Jones being as theatrical as Nurse Pam Sandwich from Let The Blood Run Free with her rejections. I didn't remember Richard Beckinsale much but enough to see how much his daughter Samantha looks like him. I have very fond memories of when she was in London's Burning. Blue Watch to be exact! Very fond memories indeed.
(In fact she is another one I can add to the endless list of people I fancy)
The Rising Damp Forever documentary that is currently airing is brilliant but is there any particular reason why Frances De La Tour was not included?
Quote: Woozie @ 28th March 2016, 8:11 AM BSTThe Rising Damp Forever documentary that is currently airing is brilliant but is there any particular reason why Frances De La Tour was not included?
There were several "co-stars" included that have had two minute appearances in the original series instead. Nice to see them again...but somewhat inessential.
Frances De La Tour's absence was almost as strange as Ade Edmondson's in the Rik Mayall doc.
But otherwise a good documentary I think.
The episode where Rigsby and Miss Jones both put adverts in the Lonely Hearts column and end up in the same pub is my favourite. I can watch it again and again...
Quote: Woozie @ 28th March 2016, 8:11 AM BSTThe Rising Damp Forever documentary that is currently airing is brilliant but is there any particular reason why Frances De La Tour was not included?
'Swhat I wondered on the other thread, but it maybe something along the lines of Kenneth Williams would never be drawn into questions about Tony Hancock, by saying that what was great could not be enhanced by him adding his two pennyworth. Having said that, it was Hancock who got Williams removed from the HHH series as he didn't like the "Snide" character and was against same using funny voices, which Hancock didn't think necessary, so maybe that grated with KW..........speaking of which:-
There was no love lost between the two of them (Frances and Leonard), being politically poles apart so that they rarely spoke to each other outside of the recording of Rising Damp.
There are a few I think script similarities with Fawlty Towers that have been pondered over in the past. A couple of similar funny lines delivered by Rigsby and Fawlty and two very similar episode narratives in A Touch of Class FT/A Fine Gentleman RD and The Kipper and the Corpse FT/Suddenly At Home RD. It's already been mentioned how similar Fawlty and Rigsby are in many traits and actual role so it does beg at least one question - Were Cleese and Chapple fans of each other's masterpiece sitcom and how closely did they watch them?
Just a polite pondering, I doubt very much if anything was intentionally pinched by either but there's subliminal influence always in writers' creations. Maybe one for their memoirs.
Just managed to watch the second part of Forever on catch-up - how odd that Frances de la Tour should be in the audience of Loot on the night that he died.
