Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom that first aired in 1975, but has not fallen out of the minds and hearts of audience members across not only Great Britain, but also the United States of America. Set in the fictional hotel Fawlty Towers in the seaside town of Torquay on the "English Riviera", the show is a comedy about the short-tempered holier Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), his wife Sybil Fawlty (Prunella Scales), maid Polly Sherman (Connie Booth), waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs), and chef Terry (Brian Hall). Basil wants to "raise the tone" of his hotel, but his lazy staff and bossy wife, whom he often refers to as "that golfing puff-adder," "toxic midget," and other less-than-complimentary nicknames, always seem to get in the way. Basil's eccentric personality drives the farcical plots of Fawlty Towers episodes and keep audiences roaring with laughter. Fawlty Towers placed first on the British Film Institute's List of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000. MORE