Rising Damp out of the house with a 'flea in his ear', defending Alan, apparently because Rigsby was offended the man assumed Rigsby to be Alan's father. Alan is immature and Rigsby does become something of a strange father figure for him. Philip Smith (Don Warrington) is a second generation British African from Croydon, although for most of the series he claims to be an "African Prince" and the son of an African tribal King. Philip's lies about his 'primitive' background seem most obviously an ironic response to Rigsby's ignorant remarks, and sometimes result in moments when Rigsby's gullibility and desperation lead
Damp (structural) damp is widely referred to in Victorian literature and the Public Health Act of 1875 introduced the requirement for a damp-proof course in walls to prevent rising damp. An entry in the "British Medical Journal" from 1872 describes the phenomenon of rising damp as follows: In July 1860 it was reported in "The Engineer" that The architect and social reformer, Thomas Worthington, described rising damp in his 1892 essay, "The Dwellings of the Poor: And Weekly Wage-Earners in and Around Towns": In his publication, "Helps to Health" (1885), the financier and philanthropist, Henry Burdett, explains the need for an effective