British Comedy Guide
Fawlty Towers. Image shows from L to R: Manuel (Andrew Sachs), Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), Sybil Fawlty (Prunella Scales), Polly (Connie Booth). Copyright: BBC
Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC Two
  • 1975 - 1979
  • 12 episodes (2 series)

Comedy about a hotel and its owner, a man of infinite rudeness with a rabid dislike of almost all guests. Stars John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Ballard Berkeley and more.

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Press clippings Page 10

John Cleese introduces new Basil Fawlty for live show

John Cleese has finally introduced to the world the new Basil Fawlty. Stephen Hall will be the filling the shoes John made famous in Fawlty Towers, and to be honest, he seems like a good replacement if these press shots are anything to go by. Hall is a well-known funny face in Australia, where the live stage show of the classic BBC comedy series will enjoy its world premiere this August.

Hanna Flint, Metro, 22nd March 2016

Hotel that inspired Fawlty Towers demolished

Retirement homes to replace Torquay hotel whose owner became the template for hopeless hotelier Basil Fawlty.

Steven Morris, The Guardian, 16th March 2016

John Cleese rules out Fawlty Towers musical

John Cleese, who played bumbling British hotel manager Basil Fawlty in the hit 1970s TV series, says a musical version of Fawlty Towers would never work.

ABC News (Australia), 18th February 2016

John Cleese slammed over advert by Timothy West

Actor Timothy West, whose wife played the long-suffering Sybil in the classic sitcom, says it was a mistake to recreate the scene of Basil thrashing his car for Specsavers.

Hannah Hope, The Mirror, 4th February 2016

Fawlty Towers guest star Conrad Phillips has died

Among his notable TV roles was as Mr Lloyd in the 1975 Wedding Party episode of Fawlty Towers, playing the father of a family that hotelier Basil (John Cleese) mistakenly believes to be a wife-swapping group involving maid Polly.

Nicola Agius, The Mirror, 14th January 2016

John Cleese revives Basil Fawlty for TV advert

Cleese has recreated the 1975 scene in which a frustrated Fawlty berated his broken down car before giving it a "damn good thrashing" with a branch. Cleese agreed to rewrite the scene for Specsavers opticians as he thought it would be "genuinely funny".

BBC News, 24th December 2015

John Cleese to oversee Fawlty Towers stage show in Australia

John Cleese is to oversee the first official Fawlty Towers stage adaptation. Fawlty Towers - Live on Stage will launch in Australia in August 2016.

British Comedy Guide, 25th November 2015

Fawlty Towers hotel to be demolished: to become flats

The Gleneagles Hotel inspired John Cleese to write the classic sitcom but closed this year after it struggled to drum up business.

Nick Irving, The Mirror, 11th November 2015

Why I ❤ Fawlty Towers

It's 40 years since Basil and Sybil first checked us in at Fawlty Towers. Pippa Evans has loved it since childhood and has no intention of stopping. Why would she? It's the best.

Pippa Evans, Standard Issue, 25th September 2015

Readers suggest the 10 best Fawlty Towers moments

Last week we bought you our 10 best moments from the classic comedy series. Here, we present your thoughts on the gems we left out.

Rivkah Brown, The Guardian, 24th September 2015

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