Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 9th May 2019, 2:35 PMThe wiki page for Polly has her nationality listed as English and Wikipedia is rarely wrong. She also went to school with an English character who she has known 'for years'. I suspect she had a comfortable middle class upbringing in the quaint English countryside. Cotswolds possibly.
Yoiks and Tally Ho! And had the cutest little pony don't yer know.
I always heard her as American with a twist of an English accent. To find out the wiki page says the character is British surprises me. From the series, as a whole, it was obvious she was an ally to Basil, although seemed only to want to keep the peace. For example, being a go-between back and forth between characters in an constant effort to resolve the many problems, which kept coming from all angles one after another.
I honestly got the impression she was finding work in England to fund her living expenses whilst staying in the country to study so she could eventually work her way up to a better career. It works better for me to think of her as American, in that Basil would be more inclined to employ foreigners who are reliant on their job in his hotel, rather than have anyone who might object to his treatment and just walk out. The chef had more of a rebellious nature and it was clear he was a very necessary member of staff, who Basil often tried very hard not to upset...even though he hated having to back down and pander to him sometimes. We don't see him all that often.
Assuming she is American...and the fact Basil treats Polly far better than Manuel, serves to reinforce his intolerance and arrogance when dealing with anyone who can't speak his language...so is, therefore, to his mind, less important and not as useful.
Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 9th May 2019, 2:35 PMand Wikipedia is rarely wrong.
You are being ironic aren't you.........................aren't you? 
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 9th May 2019, 4:29 PMYou are being ironic aren't you.........................aren't you?
Shall we change it? Shall we? Go on...you do it...
Polly's old school friends are surely the clincher that she is supposed to be English? Unless she moved here when she was 6 or something.
In fact, referring to Graham McCann's Fawlty Towers book, he describes her a "a struggling young Anglophile".
As most of her childhood was lived out in her native America, she appears - judging by the fact that the only old school friends we see her reunited with are English - to have been in this country for quite a while, and shows no signs of being keen to leave.
However, the whole chapter (page 146-7, if anyone has a copy they wish to reference) is full of questions and suppositions - "Why, then...?", "We do not know...", "one suspects", etc - so it's actually no more informed than our evidenced guesswork and theorising above. Unlike many of his other books, it's not been written in conjunction, or even had interviews, with the writers of the subject matter, nor apparently the cooperation of the BBC.
Do you think we should ask her? How much clout does this site have? Can't she be summoned so we can square this off?
Quote: Teddy Paddalack @ 9th May 2019, 7:47 PMDo you think we should ask her? How much clout does this site have? Can't she be summoned so we can square this off?
As I understand the situation, Connie is not particularly amenable to discussing "Fawlty Towers".
Having said that, we might catch her on a good day: who knows?
John Cleese is a Twitterer and what he says goes. She has to be English because if she was American it would have played a bigger part in the script especially when the American couple are there.
If not a few hours under the lamp with Chappers and your good self playing good poster bad poster would soon get the goods out of her.
THE ANSWER:
I contacted John Cleese's website and got this response:
"John says the role of Polly is an English character."
Settled!
I was wrong.
Quote: Chris Hallam @ 9th May 2019, 10:04 PM"John says the role of Polly is an English character."
As glad as I am that the matter has been settled, I'm also rather sad that it's been settled: this was a highly intelligent and most enjoyable thread.
Thank you for starting it and, of course, for your contributions.
Quote: Chris Hallam @ 9th May 2019, 10:04 PMTHE ANSWER:
I contacted John Cleese's website and got this response:"John says the role of Polly is an English character."
Settled!
I was wrong.
Well...she'll always be American to me. I don't care what he says. I've decided.
Quote: Old Lady Leg @ 9th May 2019, 10:42 PMWell...she'll always be American to me. I don't care what he says. I've decided.
Exactly. John was prone to blurting things out.
Many years ago, when asked what the three rules of comedy were, he said "No puns, no puns and no puns", which was hypocritical as ISIRTA was based primarily around them and he was in that for many a year.
I accept defeat,
Probably the best internet debate, I've ever had!
Thanks everyone.
