John Cleese brings his hilarity from Monty Python to a sitcom called Fawlty Towers. It aired on BBC2 starting September 19, 1975. The only bad thing about this show was that it was only 12 episodes.
It all started in 1970 when John Cleese and the Monty Python troupe stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, England. The owner, Donald Sinclair was “the rudest man I’ve ever come across in my life” according to Cleese.
Among his weird behavior was his criticism of Terry Gilliam’s “too American” table etiquette and tossing Eric Idle’s briefcase out of a window “in case it contained a bomb”. Asked why would anyone want to bomb the hotel, Sinclair replied, “We’ve had a lot of staff problems”.
Michael Palin states Sinclair “seemed to view us as a colossal inconvenience”. His housekeeper said, “It was as if he didn’t want the guests to be there.” John Cleese and his wife, Connie Booth, returned to stay in the hotel for further research.
Cleese was a writer on the 1970s British TV sitcom Doctor in the House for London Weekend Television. He created a character for one episode (“No Ill Feeling”) that would be the prototype for his Basil Fawlty character to own Fawlty Towers.
The series focuses on the exploits and misadventures of short-fused hotelier Basil Fawlty and his acerbic wife Sybil, as well as their employees: waiter Manuel, Polly Sherman, and, in the second series, chef Terry.
The episodes typically revolve around Basil’s efforts to “raise the tone” of his hotel and his increasing frustration at numerous complications and mistakes, both his own and those of others, which prevent him from doing so.
Sybil Fawlty (Basil’s wife) is played by Prunella Barnes. She annoys Basil to no end but actually runs the hotel more efficiently but hardly ever gets involved. Polly Sherman is the housekeeper and is played by Connie Booth (Cleese’s actual wife).
I love Fawlty Towers. I’d like to be in that. [It’s] the greatest show I’ve seen in years… what a masterpiece, a beautiful thing.
John Lennon
Manuel is played by Andrew Sachs and is hilarious in his antics with Basil. He is a well-meaning but disorganized and confused Spaniard from Barcelona with a poor grasp of the English language and customs.
The Germans [scene with Basil impersonating Hitler] so tasteless, it’s hilarious
Martin Scorsese
Terry Hughes, played by Brian Hall, appears in only the second series of episodes. He is the sly, somewhat shifty Cockney chef at Fawlty Towers. Major Gowen, played by Ballard Berkeley, is a slightly senile, amiable old soldier who is a permanent resident of the hotel.
Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby, played by Gilly Flower and Renee Roberts, are the other two permanent residents. Seemingly inseparable, these sweet-natured, dotty spinsters appear to have taken a fancy to Basil, feeling that they need to take care of him.
Four albums were released by BBC Records on vinyl LP and cassette. These consisted of the original television soundtracks with an additional voice-over from Andrew Sachs (in character as Manuel) describing scenes that relied on visual humor.
The British Film Institute in 2000, voted by industry professionals, Fawlty Towers was named the best British television series of all time. I always have to be prepared to watch an episode because I’m going to laugh until I cry.
