Don Warrington Amazed Rising Damp Is Still Watched 50 Years After It Aired

Veteran British actor Don Warrington says he is both amazed and proud that Rising Damp, the sitcom that first aired more than five decades ago, is still being talked about today. The 75-year-old says hardly a week goes by without someone approaching him to discuss his role as Philip Smith, the intelligent and posh lodger in the ITV series.

Rising Damp ran for four seasons between 1974 and 1978, with Leonard Rossiter as the miserly landlord Rupert Rigsby and the late Richard Beckinsale as medical student Alan Moore. The show's central conflict revolves around the tension between Philip—a second-generation African-British man from Croydon—and the cynical and small-minded Rigsby, especially because Miss Jones (Frances de la Tour) has feelings for Philip.

Warrington, who now stars in the BBC detective series Death in Paradise, says he has not rewatched Rising Damp in years. Even so, he remains impressed by fans' loyalty. "I'm truly amazed. I feel like a different person now. But people come up to me in the street and talk about it," he told BANG Showbiz. He declined to comment on the potential royalties from the ongoing reruns.

Rising Damp creator Eric Chappell sees the show's legacy through a different lens. In an interview with The Oldie magazine, he said the scripts now feel "as if they were written by someone else from another world." Chappell stressed that the jokes could not be rewritten today, including by himself. He acknowledges that some of the material no longer holds up when tested against modern sensibilities.

"Why is it still shown? Perhaps because we always tried to tell stories, and people never tire of stories," said Eric Chappell, citing Leonard Rossiter's habit of defending jokes with the line, "It's funny, Eric, leave it in."

Chappell also revealed the reason behind the decision to end the show at the height of its popularity. He and Rossiter both came from non-theatrical backgrounds; Rossiter spent years working at an insurance company, while Chappell worked at an electricity office. Both felt they had done enough with the long-running production and chose to move on. "We didn't know Rising Damp would become a small part of television history," he added.

The Rising Damp phenomenon reflects a pattern also seen in Indonesia's entertainment market. Classic series such as Si Doel Anak Sekolahan or Keluarga Cemara still have loyal fans and are frequently rerun on digital platforms. However, unlike the UK, which has content warning mechanisms, in Indonesia a similar challenge arises when old jokes clash with constantly changing social norms. Domestic streaming providers face a dilemma between preserving cultural heritage and avoiding potentially offensive content.

For Indonesia's creative industry, Rising Damp's success offers a lesson about the long-term value of strong storytelling. Amid a flood of new content, shows that can endure for decades become profitable catalog assets. Platforms such as Netflix, Vidio, and WeTV are increasingly aggressive in buying the rights to old library titles, though they must balance this with censorship and local preferences.

Looking ahead, the question is not only whether Rising Damp will continue to be watched, but how the global entertainment industry—including Indonesia—will handle old works that contain outdated values. Are content warnings enough, or is a more active curatorial approach needed? Warrington and Chappell both demonstrate that nostalgia has enduring appeal, but it also demands new responsibilities from content creators and distributors.