Plot: What’s it about?
Rupert Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) is a landlord, but he isn’t the kind of man you’d want to be a tenant for. He is rude, racist, and miserly, not an ideal person to share a building with. But he still manages to keep the rooms filled and in the case of Miss Jones (Frances de la Tour), one that has been around for a long while. Miss Jones loves the men that cross her path, falling for any she gets an eyeful of, except for Rupert, of course. That doesn’t dissuade him from trying to get into her good graces, but his advances have always failed. She isn’t the only unusual tenant however, as medical student Alan (Richard Beckinsale) is also there, not to mention an African price, named Philip (Don Warrington). Will Rupert’s antics ever drive his tenants to leave, or will they continue to have the last laugh on their landlord?
I’ve now made it through the second series of this hilarious program and in my opinion, this second series is even better than the first. That is a very generous compliment, as the first series was a lot of fun and loaded with laughs, but the second series packs even more of a comedic punch. The elements that made the first series work are still in place, but work even better this time around, such as lead Leonard Rossiter. As before, Rossiter is the central focus of the show and he is excellent, with a performance that gets every possible laugh out of the material. He plays off his co-stars well and as much as you want to hate his character, Rossiter makes sure you’re also a little endeared by him. The storylines are never complex, but work well and Rising Damp doesn’t have the same level of repetition as most sitcoms. This second series of the show is just endless fun and of course, not only is this volume recommended, but the entire Rising Damp series.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. This series was shot on video, like videotape, so the transfers don’t look that impressive. If you’ve watched many British shows from this era, you know to expect softness and a VHS type texture, so this isn’t the usual DVD level of crispness. Even so, this is by no means a bad presentation, as the image is clean and while soft, still displays solid detail, for the material. The colors aren’t that vivid and contrast is a touch dark, but overall, these episodes look decent and I doubt fans will be too disappointed.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is as basic as it gets, but that’s all the material needs. The show’s music and sound effects are audible, but don’t expect any kind of depth here. This is a mono soundtrack for a dialogue driven show from 1978, that should tell you all you need to know. The crucial element is the show’s vocals and since dialogue sounds clear in all six episodes, I can’t knock these audio tracks too much.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes production notes and cast filmographies.
