Fawlty Towers

The character first surfaced in London Weekend's Doctor at Large in a minor role. However, it was in 1975 that the first series finally hit the BBC's screens.

In total, there were only 14 episodes made, in two series of seven. They have become classics in their own right. You can check out the scripts at the Unofficial Guide, and hear audio clips at http://www.bobbydeniro.freeserve.co.uk/f... .

Net-enhanced Basil

The net has given the series a new lease of life, enabling fans to enjoy again their favourite moments. I'll come clean - mine is the episode where a difficult guest complains about the view from her window. An exasperated Basil replies ".. may I ask what you were hoping to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House Perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of Majestic Wildebeest?". If sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, it's still devastatingly funny.

You can download a desktop theme as well as some multimedia files of Basil at http://www.lap.umd.edu/lapfolder/people/... - one of the AVI files on offer is the classic scene where Basil thrashes his car because it won't start (that just doesn't look funny in print. You'll have to download the file).

A good place to start your search for Basil and Co would be Suite101's own British TV site, run by Hunter Peters at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/brit... .

There are also pictures to be viewed at http://www.rpi.edu/~doek/ft.htm as well as some of the funniest lines of script.

There's even a Fawlty Towers web ring, run by Art LeVigne, whose site can be checked out at http://members.xoom.com/smegtrek/fawlty/... . There's also a multi-media treasure trove at http://www.fawlty.cjb.net/ .

Fawlty Towers has become part of the world's vocabulary - so perhaps it's not so strange that real-life hotels and restaurants have jumped aboard the bandwagon. Here in Auckland, New Zealand, there's a restaurant called Fawlty Towers which puts on a show, loosely based on the programme, while you eat; and in Rome, the eternal city, there's a real life Fawlty Towers Hotel on the Via Magenta. If you don't believe me, check out http://www.enjoyrome.it/ftytwhtl.htm .

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