The ghost of landlord Rigsby has been stirred from his slumber. UKTV, the home of classic British comedy, has placed a prominent trigger warning on episodes of the iconic 1970s sitcom Rising Damp, cautioning modern viewers about its use of 'discriminatory language'.
The move has cleaved public opinion straight down the middle, reviving the perennial debate about judging historical art by contemporary standards.
A Warning Before the Laughter
Before each episode begins on the UKTV Play streaming service, a new caption fills the screen. It forewarns that the show 'contains discriminatory language of the time period it was made in'. This decision, according to the broadcaster, is a direct response to audience feedback, a move towards 'courteous viewing' in the modern age.
The sitcom, which starred the legendary Leonard Rossiter as the miserly and bigoted landlord Rigsby, was a ratings juggernaut in its day. Its humour often pivoted on Rigsby's prejudiced views towards his black tenant, Philip, played by Don Warrington.
Divided Nation: Protection vs. Preservation
The announcement has triggered a classic British cultural standoff. Proponents of the warning argue it provides necessary context and protects viewers from unexpected offensive content. They see it as a simple, courteous heads-up.
Conversely, critics have slammed the decision as a form of revisionist censorship. They argue that the show's very purpose was to lampoon and expose the ignorance of characters like Rigsby, not to endorse their views. To apply a modern filter, they claim, is to misunderstand the satire and sanitise history.
Social media has become a battleground for these opposing views, with one faction applauding UKTV's sensitivity and the other decrying it as another step in the 'cancel culture' playbook.
More Than Just a Sitcom
At its heart, Rising Damp was a product of its time—a reflection of 1970s Britain. The new warning raises profound questions about how we consume media from the past. Do we protect present-day sensibilities by labelling historical content, or does this risk erasing the societal context that made the art meaningful?
This incident places Rising Damp alongside other classic British shows like Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses, which have also faced modern scrutiny for certain scenes or language, forcing broadcasters to walk a tightrope between preservation and presentation.
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the conversation about this decades-old sitcom is far from damp. It's positively rising.
