SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

inmanjaa While some of Monty Python has understandably aged poorly in the past few decades. I found Fawlty Towers as fresh and current as when it was new. With it only being 12 episodes in length, the viewer is always torn between wanting more and being very content with how good the past 6 hours has been.Time to ring the bell for a stay at Fawlty Towers! 11/10 stars

pietclausen I have never reviewed a film or series which I consider to be perfect. Fawlty Towers is another matter.My criteria for excellence is simple: The object watched must offer great value, be most enjoyable, good acting and clever in presentation. Fawlty Towers is a comedy series, but what is comedy? In my view it is not a collection of slapstick jokes, clichés, bad-mouthing, etc. Good comedy covers a wide spectrum of clever, but understandable subtle humor in speech and place, creating funny situations. This is happening in Fawlty Towers. You can watch an episode over and over again and still come up with something in the background, or what someone said, you had missed previously.Over the years I have enjoyed watching this series again and again and I still find some detail I had missed before. That is comedy par excellence and very funny! I have seen perfection and this series gets a true rating of 10 out of 10, the first I have ever given for any film or series.

RaspberryLucozade Like 'The Young Ones', 'Fawlty Towers' was a wonderfully funny and well-written sitcom broadcast by BBC2 which, although very popular, did not hang around on our screens for very long. The idea for the show came from John Cleese's experience of staying at The Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, ran by the late Donald Sinclair, a man who was so rude as to defy description.When Cleese penned the 'No Ill Feeling' episode of 'Doctor At Large', which featured Timothy Bateson as an ill-mannered hotelier, he based Bateson's character on Sinclair. With the episode a ratings hit, it was clear to Cleese that there was potential to build a sitcom around the episode's characters and setting. And 'lo 'Fawlty Towers' was born.It was all about hotel owner Basil Fawlty, a conceited, gangly, upper class twit who makes no effort whatsoever to hide his contempt for the guests. Prunella Scales plays his wife Sybil who despite her diminutive stature can strike fear into her lanky husband by just snapping his name at him. His staff include inept Spanish waiter Manuel ( Andrew Sachs ) whose command of English is almost non-existent and Art Student Polly Sherman ( played by Cleese's then wife, the gorgeous Connie Booth, with whom he wrote the show with ) who serves as a waitress and housekeeper. The late Brian Hall was introduced in series two as Terry the chef. The permanent residents of the hotel are the senile Major Gowen ( the late Ballard Berkeley ) and dotty old ladies - Miss. Gatsby ( Renee Roberts ) and Miss. Tibbs ( Gilly Flower ). Guests who came and went over the show's run were selectively deaf battle axe Mrs. Richards ( Joan Sanderson ), obnoxious spoon salesman Mr. Hutchinson ( Bernard Cribbins ) and shyster Lord Melbury ( Michael Gwynn ). David Kelly appeared in one episode as cowboy builder O'Reilly.With good scripts, wonderfully crafted characters and a superb cast, 'Fawlty Towers' deserved to be a hit, and was. It almost didn't make it though. The ratings for the first series ( which was broadcast in 1975 ) were terrible ( some critics, who remembered Cleese from 'Monty Python's Flying Circus', blasted him for 'selling out' ), though fortunately, ratings from repeats saved it from extinction. The second series did not arrive until 1979. This for me was when the show really hit the nail, however Connie Booth's reluctance to carry on working with Cleese again meant there was no chance of a third series, though a specially filmed sketch featuring Cleese once again as Basil was used to kick-start the first episode of 'Not The Nine O'Clock News'.The exterior shots used for 'Fawlty Towers' were that of the Woodburn Grange Country Club in Buckinghamshire. Sadly, it no longer exists today as it was destroyed by fire in 1991.To conclude, 'Fawlty Towers', like 'Porridge', is a true classic which remarkably has stood the test of time rather well.

Richard Bailey I find it truly fascinating how some programmes date very badly, and others seem timeless. True humour I guess is naturally timeless, and Fawlty Towers shows absolutely no signs of being knocked off its rightful spot at the very top of the comedy tree. Every single episode is pure joy to watch, the chemistry between all cast members is a thing to behold. Each plays their part wonderfully and deliberately, and each gives us belly laughs. Poor Manuel you have to say after every episode. Basil torments him at every possible moment. It's the tortured relationship between Basil and Sybil that makes it. I don't think you can even begin to pick a favourite episode, they are all just wonderful, possibly Basil the Rat pips the others, maybe. Great British comedy, 10/10 but why only 12 episodes.