BLACK MAGIC

Rehearsals: 28^th October – 2^nd November 1974 at St Paul’s Church Hall, Sussex Place, London W6

9:30 – 1:30pm

Walk-Through: 2^nd November at Yorkshire Television Centre, Leeds

5 – 5:30pm

Recorded: 3^rd November 1974 at Yorkshire Television Centre, Studio 4, Leeds

Broadcast: Friday 8:30pm 13^th December 1974

CAST

Leonard Rossiter – Rigsby

Richard Beckinsale – Alan

Frances de la Tour – Ruth

Don Warrington – Philip

CREW

Creator/Writer – Eric Chappell

Producer/Director – Ronnie Baxter

Designer – Colin Pigott

Music – Dennis Wilson

Casting – Muriel Cole

Floor Manager – Don Clayton

Stage Manager – Terry Knowles

Production Asst – Mary Byrne

Lighting – Peter Hardman

Cameras – Mike Boyle

Sound – Ron Parker

Vision Mixer – Kay Harrington

Tech Supervisor – Gordon Quinn

Wardrobe – Brenda Fox

Make-up – Diana Caplin

Prop Buyer – Rod Saul

Call Boy – John Heaton

Warm-up – Felix Bowness

Episode Review

With landlord Rigsby, it’s one long bed-sitter battle in….RISING DAMP

Avaricious, bigoted, cynical, devious, prejudiced….these are just a few of the adjectives which help to sum up Rigsby’s striking personality. And wherever Ruth is concerned, there’s another…amorous.

He sees himself as her knight in shining armour.

Unfortunately for him, Ruth doesn’t. But Rigsby’s Achilles heel does stand her in good stead now and again. It did enable her, for instance, to wrangle the real object of her affections – one Philip, another student – into rigsby’s vacant prize flat. He didn’t last however. Even the fact that Philip just happens to be the son of an African chief – a snippet of information which certainly appealed to Rigsby’s aristocratic leanings – didn’t save him from eventual relegation to the joint tenancy of Alan’s freezing cold garret. So there, are Alan and Philip, stuck under the same miserable attic roof, sharing the same miserable sticks of furniture, plagued by the same grasping landlord, and with nothing at all in common except misery.

Nothing at all? Well, they do have one mutual interest…women! Philip reckons to have ten wives back home – and misses them Alan can’t get hold of one, let alone ten – he seems to miss ‘em all.

Philip also maintains that in his own, civilised, country his people look on him as a god, and believe he has inherited certain supernatural powers.

“Rubbish!” says Rigsby. Alan’s not too sure either way. But when Philip accepts Rigsby’s challenge and sets out to show that he can indeed work the odd minor miracle, he does appear to get results.

And when later Alan, and then Rigsby, decide to do a little secret magical meddling themselves they get results too – but not quite what they expect.

Did you know?

• A new opening title sequence, approx 43secs, introducing us to the characters after a 3 month gap from the Pilot episode to start the new series.
• A caption slide was used at the commercial break, with “RISING DAMP” superimposed over an old, varnished wooden door can be seen for the first time. ‘END OF PART ONE’ and ‘PART TWO’ were also superimposed over the door, along with linking bars from the theme tune.
• Sound effects were used on two occasions to suggest nearby trains in close proximity to the boarding house.
• An imitation leopard skin headpiece was hired for the episode.
• Alan can be seen reading ‘Biology for General Science’
• A hat and scarf were hung precariously on the door so that they would fall to the floor as Alan exited the room after giving Rigsby the bottle of ‘germs’ (salad cream). This did not go to plan initially, and Beckinsale was forced to re-open the door whereupon they fell.
• The end credits were superimposed over the closing scenes of the episode.
• Philip’s ten wives were mentioned for the first time.
• At Yorkshire Television Centre, the cast occupied the following Dressing Rooms:-

Leonard Rossiter #12

Richard Beckinsale #11

Frances de la Tour #6

Don Warrington #8

This would continue until the end of the third series.

Interesting to note:

• Production# 2752
• Fridays at 8.30pm, opposite Ken Dodd’s World of Laughter
• ‘Black Magic’ – not in Top 20 viewing figures