The series was recorded entirely in the Yorkshire Television studios, in front of an audience, and featured no scenes on location.
As he was also starring in Porridge (1974) during the same period, Richard Beckinsale had to wear a rather obvious wig for most of the series, to make him look more like a student and different from his Slade Prison character, Lennie Godber. The pilot actually aired in the same week Godber first appeared in the sitcom.
The series was based on a 1971 stage play, "The Banana Box" by Eric Chappell, in which the rôle of the landlord, called Rooksby at that time, was initially played by Wilfrid Brambell before Leonard Rossiter took over later in the play's run.
Eric Chappell often had to write additional dialogue, during recordings, for "Rigsby", as Leonard Rossiter's delivery was so fast, episodes were finishing under time.
The original name of Leonard Rossiter's character was Rooksby. This was changed to Rigsby after complaints and threats of legal action from a real-life Mr. Rooksby who objected to the unflattering portrayal of a character with the same name as him.
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