Rising Damp

Welcome to The Worms That Turned! This week we'll be look back at the 1970's sitcom classic, Rising Damp, and deciding whether racial prejudice is still an acceptable basis for TV comedy. In this episode, Will takes an academic perspective to explain character motivations with reference to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and Rob does the world's worst Leonard Rossiter impersonation. Do we decide the discriminatory language of Rising Damp automatically consigns it to the Dustbin of Comedy History, or do we think the mocking of racial prejudice was actually an attempt to harmonise society in 1970's Britain, and so worthy of a place in the Comedy Hall of Fame? There's only one way to find out - by listening to the end if the episode! Along the way, we'll touch on topics including the UK housing crisis, interior design, why people walking into rooms is funny, and why it's okay to be a sad, desperate, middle aged man, as long as you've got our own podcast. Warning ⚠️ this episode contains discussion of language and attitudes that some listeners may find offensive... but only because we're quoting old TV shows, not because we enjoy using those words. We're not your father-in-law. If you liked this episode, please subscribe to us on Spotify or iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on @thewormsthatturned.bsky.social (take that, Elon!) The Worms That Turned is written, presented, and produced by Will Barrett and Rob Pearmain. Theme tune by Rob.