IT is a cornerstone of British TV history that maintains its place as a jewel in the BBC’s comedy crown. The last episode of Fawlty Towers aired 40 years ago today.
It’s still regarded as one of the best-sitcoms ever?
When the votes are cast, the sitcom about the adventures of hapless hotelier, Basil Fawlty, is always up there. In a Radio Times poll in April, it was voted the best British sitcom of all time.
But only two series were made?
Two series, with six episodes in each. The first, A Touch of Class, aired in September 1975. Series two began in February 1979 and the last episode, Basil the Rat, aired on October 25, 1979.
Highlights include?
A frustrated Fawlty giving his broken down Austin 110 Countryman "a damn good thrashing" with a tree branch is an iconic moment, when Basil's plans for a posh gourmet night at his hotel go awry. Then there were his attempts to hide a rat from a hygiene inspector and keep a dead customer hidden from the other guests, stashing it in wardrobes and in a linen basket.
Don't mention the war?
Would it make it to the air nowadays? With Fawlty's formidable wife, Sybil - played by Prunella Scales - in hospital due to an ingrowing toenail, very non-politically correct mayhem ensues after Basil gets concussion and panics when some German guests arrive. He famously goose-steps and repeatedly advises everyone: "Don't mention the war."
Basil was based on a real person?
The programme was created and penned by John Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth - who also appeared in the show as put-upon chambermaid, Polly - with the inspiration for snobby, rude Basil said to be real-life hotelier, Scots-born Donald Sinclair. Cleese had stayed in his Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, with the rest of the Monty Python cast in 1970 while they filmed nearby.
But the rest of the cast left for other accommodation?
Sinclair’s actions included throwing Eric Idle’s briefcase out of a window as he believed it contained a bomb and when Idle asked, “Why would anyone want to bomb your hotel?", the hotelier replied: “We’ve had a lot of staff problems lately.” Michael Palin recalled that Sinclair “seemed to view us as a colossal inconvenience". All the Pythons eventually left, bar Cleese and Ms Booth who were intrigued.
The hidden body was also based on real life?
Cleese, now 77, said he was inspired by a friend's anecdote about working at the Savoy in London, where he was told to discreetly dispose of a dead body. The star also got revenge on Spectator TV critic, Richard Ingrams, for a poor review by naming a guest in the episode - caught with a blow-up doll in his room - as "Mr Ingrams".
Manuel was from Barcelona?
That was the catchphrase of Spanish waiter Manuel - played by Andrew Sachs - but when the show was syndicated in Spain, his nationality was switched to Italian and he was called "Paolo."
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