Which Sitcom Began Life As A Play Called "Banana Box"�?

This show, written by Eric Chappell, became known to millions in the 1970s as "Rising Damp," the story of greedy, dishonest landlord Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) and his unfortunate tenants. The ITV series ran from 1974 to 1978, and was loved by audiences mainly for Rossiter's performance as Rigsby. The interaction with the tenants was a source of delight. These were Miss Jones (Frances de la Tour) Alan the medical student (Richard Beckinsale) and Philip, son of an African chief (Don Warrington.) While happy to let his tenants freeze or starve, Rigsby does show some human feeling in the shape of his passion for Miss Jones, who gives him little encouragement because she herself is pursuing Philip. In one episode, Philip takes advantage of Rigsby's credulous racism to claim that he can put Miss Jones under a spell and make her fall in love with him. Rigsby finds himself being pursued by a suddenly passionate Miss Jones – who, it turns out, knows perfectly well that Philip can't really perform magic, but thought it would be fun to pretend to be in a trance.