TV Series Trivia

There are persistent rumors of a missing episode, which existed only in a rough-cut form, about a blackout in the hotel.

Basil Fawlty was based on a Mr Sinclair, a genuine, Torquay-based hotelier John Cleese met whilst filming on location with the Monty Python team. Mr. Sinclair's irascible antics included: berating Terry Gilliam for eating his meals in "too American" a way; throwing Eric Idle's briefcase over a wall because of a "bomb scare" (the scare was that Idle left the briefcase in the reception area); after Graham Chapman requested an omelet made with three eggs, Sinclair brought him an omelet with three fried eggs perched on top. When asked by Cleese to call for a taxi, he argued with Cleese and took his time calling for the cab.

The building used for the exterior shots, on the grounds of the Wooburn Grange Country Club, was severely damaged by a fire in March of 1991. The building was subsequently demolished and 8 homes were later built on the grounds.

The recording of the final episode ("Basil the Rat") was postponed due to a BBC strike, and so was not broadcast until October 1979, six months after the rest of the series.

During the original run of the series, Richard Ingrams - then editor of "Private Eye" - wrote a scathing review of the programme. John Cleese had known Ingrams for many years and was also a friend of the magazine's proprietor, Peter Cook, and so took great exception to the review. Cleese's revenge was to write in a character called Mr Ingrams into a later episode, a guest whom Basil discovers blowing up an inflatable sex doll.

As the series progressed, each episode's opening shot of the Fawlty Towers hotel sign shows rearranged and misplaced letters. Variations include: Watery Fowls (with a kid seen adjusting it), Farty Tower, Flay Otters, Fatty Owls, Warty Towels, Flowery Twats and Farty Towels.

Andrew Sachs is German by birth and was asked to dub his own lines into German when the series was exported. Being a native German speaker he had no problem with the script, but it took him quite a while to work out how to speak German with a Spanish accent.

Andrew Sachs (Manuel) was paid damages by the BBC after a jacket was treated with acid by the special effects department to look as if it was on fire. It really did burn through to his skin and he still bears the scars.

John Cleese (Basil) nearly knocked Andrew Sachs (Manuel) out with a heavy saucepan when the actor made an unexpected move during filming after five days of rehearsals. The hapless actor had a headache for two days.

The production team spent nearly an hour editing each minute of every program, spending up to 25 hours on each show.