Fawlty Towers
Chaos at a Torquay hotel
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, set in a shabby fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. Cleese stars as Basil Fawlty, a snobbish, misanthropic and perpetually exasperated hotelier whose desperate attempts to raise the establishment's tone collapse into farce. He is bullied by his sharp-tongued wife Sybil, rescued repeatedly by the level-headed maid Polly, and driven to fury by Manuel, a well-meaning but hopelessly confused Spanish waiter from Barcelona. Although only twelve episodes were ever made, the show's meticulously constructed plots and Basil's escalating rages made it one of the most acclaimed comedies in television history.
Start a quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 19 September 1975
- Last aired
- 25 October 1979
- Created by
- John Cleese and Connie Booth
- Channel
- BBC Two
- Series
- 2
- Episodes
- 12
- Set in
- Torquay, Devon
- Quizzes
- 3
Fawlty Towers quizzes
Test your knowledge of Basil's disastrous Torquay hotel in this classic British farce.
Actors, catchphrases and the unforgettable staff and guests of Basil's Torquay hotel.
How closely did you watch? Twelve episodes of Basil Fawlty's finest disasters.
Fawlty Towers cast and characters
Basil Fawlty
Played by John Cleese
The rude, snobbish and short-fused owner of Fawlty Towers, forever trying to "raise the tone" of his hotel. His schemes to impress the right guests and hide his mistakes from Sybil end in chaos.
Sybil Fawlty
Played by Prunella Scales
Basil's sharp-tongued wife, who is often the more effective manager when a crisis needs sorting out. She spends busy mealtimes gossiping on the phone to her friend Audrey, and Basil is terrified of her.
Polly Sherman
Played by Connie Booth
The part-time waitress and chambermaid, an art student and the most sensible person in the building. She is regularly dragged into Basil's cover-ups to keep the truth from Sybil.
Manuel
Played by Andrew Sachs
The eager but bewildered waiter from Barcelona, whose limited English makes him the target of most of Basil's rages. When given an order, he often replies '¿Qué?'
Major Gowen
Played by Ballard Berkeley
An amiable, slightly senile old soldier who lives at the hotel as a permanent resident.
Miss Tibbs
Played by Gilly Flower
One of two sweet, dotty elderly spinsters who live at the hotel. She and Miss Gatsby are fond of Basil, who switches between charming them and being openly rude.
Miss Gatsby
Played by Renee Roberts
Miss Tibbs' inseparable companion and the hotel's other long-term resident. The pair are rarely seen apart.
Terry Hughes
Played by Brian Hall
The hotel chef in series two, a sly Cockney whose relaxed cooking methods alarm Basil. He is quick to remind everyone that he has been to catering school.
Fawlty Towers facts and FAQs
- When was Fawlty Towers made?
- Fawlty Towers was first shown on BBC Two on 19 September 1975, and its second and final series followed in 1979. The second series began on 19 February 1979, but a BBC strike delayed the final episode, "Basil the Rat", until 25 October 1979.
- How many series (seasons) and episodes of Fawlty Towers are there?
- There are only two series of Fawlty Towers and 12 episodes in total, six in each series. There were no Christmas specials, and Cleese and Booth chose not to make a third series.
- Who wrote Fawlty Towers?
- Fawlty Towers was written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, who also played Basil and Polly. Some episodes took them months and as many as ten drafts to get right.
- Where was Fawlty Towers filmed?
- Fawlty Towers was not filmed in Devon: the hotel exterior was the Wooburn Grange Country Club near Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, which burned down in 1991. The interior scenes were recorded in front of a studio audience at BBC Television Centre in London.
- Is Fawlty Towers based on a real hotel?
- Yes, Fawlty Towers was inspired by the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, where the Monty Python team stayed in May 1970. Its owner, Donald Sinclair, struck John Cleese as the rudest man he had ever met and became the model for Basil.
- What is Fawlty Towers about?
- Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom about Basil Fawlty, the rude and snobbish owner of a run-down hotel in Torquay, Devon. Each episode follows his doomed attempts to raise the hotel's tone, dodge his wife Sybil and cover up his own mistakes, which escalate into farce.
- Who runs the hotel in Fawlty Towers?
- Basil Fawlty runs the hotel with his wife Sybil, who is often the more effective manager of the two. Their staff are Polly the waitress, Manuel the Spanish waiter and, in series two, Terry the chef.
- Who are the permanent guests at Fawlty Towers?
- The permanent guests at Fawlty Towers are Major Gowen, played by Ballard Berkeley, and the elderly Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby, played by Gilly Flower and Renee Roberts. Every other guest comes and goes with each episode, from the fake Lord Melbury to the hotel inspectors.
Awards and recognition
BAFTA Award for Best Situation Comedy (1976 and 1980)
Ranked number one on the BFI list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes (2000)
John Cleese won the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance (1980)