Fawlty Towers (1975)

Watchseries; That John Cleese should attempt farce after the ground-breaking success of Python is testimony to both his bravery and to his comedic genius and that he should succeed so dazzlingly is damn near miraculous. Most Beeb shows were written by very experienced professional writers and Cleese and his partner Connie Booth (Polly) had no experience at all of this sort of show, so to succeed so amazingly is indeed, astonishing. This was voted the best British programme, of any sort, ever, in a poll conducted by the British Film Institute and voted for by Industry professionals. Better than the Attenboroughs, better than the great dramas and better than Python, amongst many others. No finer accolade could be attached to any show, anywhere, anytime.

That John Cleese should attempt farce after the ground-breaking success of Python is testimony to both his bravery and to his comedic genius and that he should succeed so dazzlingly is damn near miraculous. Most Beeb shows were written by very experienced professional writers and Cleese and his partner Connie Booth (Polly) had no experience at all of this sort of show, so to succeed so amazingly is indeed, astonishing. This was voted the best British programme, of any sort, ever, in a poll conducted by the British Film Institute and voted for by Industry professionals. Better than the Attenboroughs, better than the great dramas and better than Python, amongst many others. No finer accolade could be attached to any show, anywhere, anytime.

Fawlty Towers watchseries. An interesting thought about the famous Basil Fawlty occurs to me on reflection - if his dear wife Sybil ("my little nest of vipers"), his put-upon chambermaid/receptionist/waitress Polly and his unfortunate Spanish waiter Manuel all died tomorrow, he'd never be able to cope running the hotel. He'd internally explode or offend the guests just that little bit too much, and that would be the end of Fawlty Towers.

If Basil died, on the other hand, I don't think Sybil, Manuel and Polly would worry at all about carrying on without him. Although he's a hotelier, Mr. Fawlty clearly doesn't like people at all. He exploits the fact that the slightly deaf and constantly complaining Mrs. Richards has her hearing aid switched off to ask, "Is this a piece of your brain?". Obviously sexually repressed, Basil can't come to terms with the liberated 1970s that he lives in. He goes out of his way to avoid giving an unmarried couple a double room, then spends the night "checking the walls" for woodworm and having misunderstandings with a pretty Australian guest, leading Sybil to respond with "If you're going to grope a girl, have the gallantry to stay in the room with her while you're doing it!". With lines like this, you can see why it took Connie Booth and John Cleese weeks to write each episode.

Basil himself is an interesting physical character. I think it particularly helps that John Cleese is well over six feet in height, because when Basil gets in a rage he seems trapped in his own body. Anyone else would be throwing things and flailing their arms about and screaming, but Basil, being emotionally (and certainly sexually) repressed, doesn't seem to know how to handle his anger and his physical struggle is very funny to watch.

There are a wonderful host of interesting characters for Basil to bounce off - a small guest named Mrs. Hall that he doesn't notice, a highly-strung ("Yes, he should be") teenager who demands salad cream instead of fresh mayonnaise and the priceless builder Mr. "lick o'paint" O'Reilly, as well as the better builder Mr. Stubbs ("That's a supporting wall! God help the floors above!"), the Major and the old ladies who seem to live in the hotel.

If Basil Fawlty was still alive today (though I imagine he'd have long since expired of a heart attack or astronomically high blood pressure), I'm not sure if he'd have retired or if he'd be clinging on to his treasured establishment until he dropped down dead. I'd like to think that Sybil could outlive him - perhaps in a twist on Basil's reference to the film "How To Murder Your Wife" she'd have gone mad and killed him - so whether she'd be in prison or retired or mourning the loss of Basil, I can't tell but I hope she'd enjoy her retirement.

Based on an actual hotel Cleese and the MP gang stayed at once, Fawlty Towers is a hilarious British sitcom with great characters and situations. Probably the most famous episode is the one with the Germans, as I hear it referred to the most.

Basil Fawlty (Cleese) is a grumpy hotel manager, with his domineering wife Sybil, the hotel maid Polly (co-creator and Cleese's wife at the time of the show Connie Booth), the Spanish waiter Manuel ("I learned classical Spanish, not this strange dialect he's using"), and the hotel's longest standing resident, the Major. Witty dialogue and hilarious slapstick situations make this a great show.

This is quite possibly the funniest set of videos I have ever seen. There were situations here that had me laughing so hard my sides ached. What makes it so magical is an incredible sense of timing topped with Cleese's flawless physical humor. To add to this a supporting cast who can literally "dance" around these two aspects makes for a symmetry so perfect that it'll leave you in tears. I would recommend any one of the videos in this set.

Fawlty Towers is one the best, most popular but sadly slightly overshadowed comedies in Britain. it has the ingredients for perfect comedy and contains perfect characters. It is about this misanthropic arrogant man, Basil Fawlty, played brilliantly by the genius John Cleese, who is totally in the wrong job. He runs hotel and is rude to nearly everyone within a ten mile radius of him, but determined to make a success of his business. His wife Sybille played by Prunella Scales, whom he despises to the nth degree because she rules him with a rod of iron. Then there is Polly the waitress played by Connie Booth, the most intelligent character in the show who always ends up sorting out all the problems and keeps the hotel running. There is Manuel played by Andrew Sachs, the lovable gormless Spanish waiter who Basil bullies and tries to kill in nearly every episode. Other additional characters are the batty Major Gowen played by Ballard Berkeley, the dotty old ladies Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibs played by Renee Roberts and Gilly Flower and Terry the chef played by Brian Hall. All played very well.

One thing this programme didn't do like others is go on for series after series and eventually become far-fetched like several British sitcoms seem to do (cough, Last of the Summer Wine). It only ran for two series and left the audience starving for more. I think that it was a wise move not to do more, even though I would have loved it if they had. This is probably what John Cleese might be best remembered for in Britain, he not only stared in it he wrote it as well with wife Connie Booth. He based the character on a hotel proprietor in while staying at a hotel in England with the Python Gang.

I have no issues with this show at all, brilliant work. This kind of stuff needs to be treasured in Britain because it captures British humour perfectly. Whether you know the show or not, treat yourself to a DVD of series one or two (or both if want) and enjoy. And to those of you who haven't seen it before, I guarantee that you'll be in stitches within the first ten minutes of any episode.

QUOTE:- Basil Fawlty (trying to start his car)-Come on! Come on, start....START YOU VICIOUS BASTARD!

If you were to look up some of the most hysterical moments on the BBC, you would no doubtably come across two names. Those names would be John Cleese and Ricky Gervais. While Gervais recently found comedy through his program called 'The Office', Cleese has been providing wit, wisdom, and down-right hysteria for the past several decades. While away from his namesake (Monty Python), you can find Cleese comfortable in several other roles that showcase his bubbling talent. One of those programs just happens to be the funniest bit of crumpet called 'Fawlty Towers'.

Remembering this show when I was a child and was on our local PBS station, I eagerly bought it when it was released on DVD about a year ago. Since then, I have watched random episodes here and there but never fully taking in the enjoyment from watching it all. So, today I decided to sit down and watch this series from beginning to end and I have yet to finish laughing. If this program doesn't define comic genius, I don't know what does. Never have I witnessed a show that has continually been fresh, hysterical (I cannot use that word enough), real, and outlandish all at the same time. Normally, with our current television programming, you need to pick or choose which it will be, but thankfully 'Fawlty Towers' is all of these and many more.

Cleese remains in top form as Basil Fawlty, the owner/manager of the B&B that just happens to have his hands and over-worked imagination in everything. With the aid of his helpers Manuel (he's from Barcelona) and Polly (co-writer Connie Booth and ex-wife of Cleese), Cleese always seems to find himself in a heap of trouble with his wife Sybil (the dragon of the hotel). Armed with physical humor and a snake-like banter, we witness everything from a dead body, hotel inspectors, a failed anniversary party, a moose head, and a Himalayan rodent of sorts happen to this simple, everyday, B&B. This is not only a few of the episodes you will find in the complete set, but also the daily stress that Basil finds himself falling into daily.

This series, again, is hysterical. Cleese is the master of his trade while proving that he can manage any task thrown in front of him. While some will argue that he overshadows the rest of the cast, I would say 'hogwash' to that. My two favorite characters in this series were Major and Manuel. The comedy that they provide cannot be found on television today. All I need to say is thank God for the BBC.

Grade: ***** out of *****