Fawlty Towers DVDs and Videos - John Cleese, Prunella Scales, et al.

'Fawlty Towers' began its run on British TV on September 19th, 1975, on BBC2, with 'A Touch of Class'. The last episode of the second and final series was 'Basil the Rat', which was broadcast on October 25th, 1979, originally on BBC2.

Inspired by Monty Python's stay at a Torquay hotel, and its owner Donald Sinclair, John Cleese watched on with awe as Mr. Sinclair threw Eric Idle's briefcase outside, apparently saying, "Bombs...there's a lot of them about", and throwing a bus timetable at some unfortunate guest, who had the temerity to ask when the next bus was to Torquay town centre. Terry Gilliam's table manners were also questioned.

The Sinclair family were unhappy when John Cleese let slip who Basil Fawlty was based on, but the British actually admire people like that. We're often stuffy, so Donald Sinclair's reactions are how we'd like to behave more often - if we could get away with it.

There were only 12 episodes (6 episodes in both series) of this wonderful sitcom, as co-writers John Cleese and Connie Booth wanted to make sure 'Fawlty Towers' didn't, unlike a lot of Basil's guests, outstay its welcome.

The four main characters - Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), his cackling bossy boots of a wife, Sybil (Prunella Scales), the put upon Polly (Connie Booth), and the hotel's tortured slave Manuel (Andrew Sachs), were augmented by an impressive list of guest stars - some crackers, some normal. Depending on who they were, Basil could be charming and fawning, but, if they were German or American, a young male, or anyone not in 'his class', Basil's contempt didn't take long to surface. This was British farce at its best, and the acting and writing was of a seriously high standard - the latter being all the more notable as Cleese's marriage to Connie Booth was disintegrating at the time.

I did have a holiday in Torquay once, and I don't really remember any stroppiness from any hotel staff, so don't be nervous staying there...

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