Quote: Tim Walker @ September 9 2009, 4:34 PM BST/.. when I hear "should of" used in conversation it makes me wince/whine too.
Are you sure that's not because they go on to say "you should of used protection babe"?
Does anyone else dislike Fawlty Towers? Page 7
It's alright.
Quote: Aaron @ September 9 2009, 4:31 PM BSTAccepted only by the ignorant. It's totally incorrect!
Hear ! Hear !
Only acceptable to the baseball cap wearing, trousers tucked into socks, bling wearing, loose jawed, bottom dwelling pond life that infest our streets these days.
Quote: Nogget @ September 9 2009, 2:27 PM BSTI watched the Basil The Rat episode recently, for the first time in many years, and I was laughing in a way that few modern comedies can make me. There was nothing dated in it, apart from the portrayal of the young toff, and that was no less funny as a result.
Anyone who claims something is "just not funny" is clearly wrong, since we all know humour is not objective.
I saw that one too and enjoyed it again after not seeing it this millenium.
Fawlty Towers / Red Dwarf / Blackadder / Spaced - all genius and I've watched each series 30-40 times or more.
FT is a masterclass in structure, character, conflict, and heirarchy. Polly was very wooden at times. Scales was a casting stroke of genius. As was Manuel.
Farce is (as Leevil says) still funny. It's the gradual entanglement that's eventually going to trap the character that the audience still loves.
Quote: Aaron @ September 9 2009, 2:30 PM BSTIsn't that true of any character driven show though?
Yes, which is why I thought it daft to say that without "the amazing John Cleese" the show would have been forgotten years ago.
Quote: SlagA @ September 10 2009, 9:11 PM BST
Polly was very wooden at times.
Ha-ha! Finally someone else says that apart from me! I got a lot of gip for saying something very similar on here once. (I do like Towers a lot by the way, tis great stuff)
I used to have the Videos and the Audio Tapes. I used to listen to the Audio Tapes almost every night when I was a wee lad.
A true British Sit Com with a perfect mix of comedy timing and slapstick. As others have said, stands the test of time
I used to fancy Polly like mad and hadn't realised just how wooden she was. Probably due to how wooden I was at the time. Ahem
Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 11 2009, 11:40 AM BSTHa-ha! Finally someone else says that apart from me! I got a lot of gip for saying something very similar on here once.
Because you were wrong, wrong, wrong, Stotty!
Quote: Minty @ September 11 2009, 11:43 AM BSTI used to fancy Polly like mad and hadn't realised just how wooden she was. Probably due to how wooden I was at the time. Ahem
She was good. She just didn't give herself the best lines and she was so pretty.
As I've (probably) said before, the performance has to be far more understated and functional, because Polly has to be both the voice of sanity and the character who has the boring (yet essential) job of reminding the audience of the plot. She was Basil's facilitator, sane accomplice and regulator all at the same time. Connie Booth's performance was in fact perfectly weighted (if superficially boring), designed to be grounded but able to blend-in with the extreme performances about her. So there.
Quote: Tim Walker @ September 11 2009, 11:31 PM BSTAs I've (probably) said before, the performance had to be far more understated and functional, because Polly has to be both the voice of sanity and the character who has the boring (yet essential) job of reminding the audience of the plot. She was Basil's facilitator, sane accomplice and regulator all at the same time. Connie Booth's performance was in fact perfectly weighted (if superficially boring). So there.
Perfectly stated, Tim. The subject came up in a class I took a while back and my prof made a point of mentioning Fawlty Towers as one of the best examples of this in all of TV history. 
She was a bit wooden.
*runs off giggling*
Nobody should be writing for posterity so it doesn't matter if it's aged badly or well. It wasn't written to be watched in 2009.
Speaking personally I've never liked it and always thought it was overrated. As Lee said, it's just farce - ie slapstick. I like Prunella Scales but not John Cleese. I've never really trusted a comedian who never laughs at his own jokes. His comedy is a bit mean and FT is pretty mean, which I don't like.
The fact that Cleese later went on to endorse the SDP (liberal democrats) tells you all you need to know about him really. He's just a c**t.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ September 11 2009, 11:49 PM BSTThe fact that Cleese later went on to endorse the SDP (liberal democrats) tells you all you need to know about him really. He's just a c**t.
Little bit harsh