Eric Chappell dead: was Eric married and does he have children?
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TV writer Eric Chappell passed away on Thursday
Eric Chappell, the creator of the comedy Rising Damp and Home to Roost, died at the age of 88.
Rising Damp, starring Leonard Rossiter and Frances de la Tour, earned the hit TV show creator a Bafta in 1978.
Reece Dinsdale, star of Home to Roost, confirmed Mr. Chappell’s death on Thursday, paying respect to the writing icon.
“Just heard that Eric Chappell, the writer of Home To Roost, Rising Damp, and many other episodes, passed away on Thursday,” he remarked. “Sir, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me… Your scripts were a lot of fun to act out.”
Eric Chappell’s works
Chappell, who was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in September 1933, spent 22 years as an auditor for the East Midlands Electricity Board.
Chappell was a prolific writer for theatre and television. His crowning achievement was Rising Damp, which Mark Lewisohn, author of the Radio Times Guide to Comedy, described as “ITV’s finest ever sitcom.”
It starred Leonard Rossiter as the miserly, manic landlord Rigsby, Frances de la Tour as the dreamy romantic Miss Jones, Don Warrington as the suave Philip. He claimed to be the son of an African chief, and Richard Beckinsale as the naive and good-natured medical student Alan. It ran from 1974 to 1978.
Rising Damp drew 18 million viewers on a regular basis. Catherine Shoard, the film editor for the Guardian, observed in 2009: “At its best, it bears comparison with Beckett and Pinter.”
That was not the case, based on the quality of the writing. “I hoped I’d created an intellectual comedy about race relations,” Chappell stated.
Genius comic actor is humble enough to credit Eric Chappell and David Nobbs 👍👍👍👍👍 pic.twitter.com/kEoyIkWriN
— David Ryan (@davidxryan) April 23, 2022
Did Eric Chappell get married and did he have children?
In his later years, Eric Chappell led a low-key personal life away from the spotlight.
He told Comedy in a 2013 interview that he would read his plays to his wife Muriel. She would “yawn as she read them.”
According to an interview with Penny Black Music, the comedian leaves behind at least two children.
He may or may not have been married at the time of his death.
Mr. Chappell, who died on April 21, worked for the East Midlands Electricity Board for 22 years and wrote numerous books that were rejected before finding success as a dramatist.
Jed Mercurio, the creator of BBC’s Line of Duty, tweeted, “RIP Eric Chappell, one of the all-time greats.”
‘His magnificent comedy entertained millions week in and week out for decades,’ Mr Mercurio continued.
Netizens pay tribute on Twitter
Just heard that Eric Chappell, the writer of #HomeToRoost, #RisingDamp & many other shows died on Thursday.
— Reece Dinsdale (@reece_dinsdale) April 23, 2022
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
Eric Chappell (1933 – 2022) R.I.P 😇🙏 Eric was the writer for many Classic British Shows including Rising Damp, The Squirrels, Only When I Laugh, The Bounder, Duty Free and Home to Roost. pic.twitter.com/z7mtd1qrfV
— 🇬🇧📺 Classic British TV 📺🇬🇧 (@Classicbritcom) April 23, 2022Advertisement
Tonight I will be raising a glass to a genius. Rest in peace Eric Chappell and thank you very, very much indeed x pic.twitter.com/dsthSxs0zB
— James Hogg (@JamesAHogg2) April 23, 2022
RIP Eric Chappell, writer of one of THE great sitcoms, Rising Damp. The four main characters were each fleshed out with laser insight into human minds, and intense understanding of the inherent drama and comedy of conversational language. Thank you, Eric, thank you so much. pic.twitter.com/rmg19ACueh
— Danny Kelly (@dannykellywords) April 23, 2022
Sad to hear that Eric Chappell has left us. One of the true talents of ITV 70s and 80s comedy. My favourites being Rising Damp (oil in the Pennines – pure genius), Singles and Duty Free. But there were many others. RIP Eric and thanks for the laughs. pic.twitter.com/frNecxu7Kj
— Rob Cope (@Rob_Cope) April 23, 2022
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
