Fawlty Towers is one of the best-known, and most-loved, series from the halcyon days of British comedy—the 1970s.
It starred John Cleese as irascible Torquay hotel owner Basil Fawlty, and Prunella Scales as his domineering wife Sybil—his “little nest of vipers”. Connie Booth played Polly the dependable maid and general assistant, and last but certainly not least, little Manuel superbly played by Andrew Sachs—the tyrannized waiter from Barcelona, dogsbody and subject of frequent physical attacks by the demented Basil! Terry the Chef, played by Brian Hall, was employed for the second series.
The other regular guests were the slightly senile Major Gowen (retired), and the hard of hearing old dears Miss Tibbs & Miss Gatsby.
Business seldom ran smoothly at Fawlty Towers: if you didn't pay for your stay with your life! (The Kipper and The Corpse), you could expect to be at least verbally assaulted by Basil (just about every episode!). The insults to guests were guaranteed as were the laughs for the viewers. I don't really remember the first runs of Fawlty Towers but I'm sure they were the perfect counter to what was often a pretty dismal period in Britain with frequent strikes etc. Strikes are frequently mentioned in the episodes.
Only two series of six episodes (Series One – 1975, Series Two – 1979) were ever made including classics such as The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans, and Waldorf Salad. The shows were originally broadcast on BBC2 and there are often repeat showings on the BBC and on channels such as UK Gold. But why wait? You can of course buy the Fawlty Towers DVDs and watch them whenever you choose.