TV writer Eric Chappell passed away on Thursday
At the age of 88, Eric Chappell, the creator of the comedies Rising Damp and Home to Roost, passed away. In 1978, the hit TV show creator won a Bafta for Rising Damp, which starred Leonard Rossiter and Frances de la Tour. On Thursday, Reece Dinsdale, star of Home to Roost, revealed Mr. Chappell’s passing, paying tribute to the writing legend.
“Eric Chappell, the famous writer passed gone, I heard it on Thursday” he said. “Sir, thank you for everything.”
The works of Eric Chappell
Image: Yorkshire Television
Chappell, who was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in September 1933, worked for the East Midlands Electricity Board for 22 years as an auditor. Chappell was a prolific stage and television writer. Rising Damp, which author Mark Lewisohn of the Radio Times Guide to Comedy said “ITV’s finest ever sitcom,” was his crowning achievement.
Leonard Rossiter portrayed the miserly, neurotic landlord Rigsby, Frances de la Tour portrayed the dreamy romantic Miss Jones, and Don Warrington as the sophisticated Philip. Richard Beckinsale played the naive and good-natured medical student Alan, who claimed to be the son of an African chief. From 1974 to 1978, it was on the air.
Rising Damp attracted an average of 18 million viewers on a weekly basis. “At its best, it bears comparison with Beckett and Pinter,” said Catherine Shoard, film editor for the Guardian, in 2009.
Is Eric Chappell married and do you know if he has children?
Just heard that Eric Chappell, the writer of #HomeToRoost, #RisingDamp & many other shows died on Thursday.
Thank you for everything you did for me, Sir… your scripts were a complete joy to play.
Great times!
My love & deepest sympathies to his friends & family
RIP Eric 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WfB4jrbpy9— Reece Dinsdale (@reece_dinsdale) April 23, 2022
Eric Chappell had a low-key personal existence away from the spotlight in his later years.
In a 2013 interview with Comedy, he stated that he would read his plays to his wife Muriel. According to a Penny Black Music interview, the comedian is survived by at least two children.
Mr. Chappell, who died on April 21, worked for the East Midlands Electricity Board for 22 years and was a successful dramatist after writing multiple books that were rejected.
“RIP Eric Chappell, great man of all-time,” tweeted Jed Mercurio, creator of BBC’s Line of Duty.
