"Fawlty Towers"
The Hotel Inspectors (1975)

Writers:

John Cleese (written by) and
Connie Booth (written by)

TV Series:

"Fawlty Towers" (1975)

Original Air Date:

10 October 1975 (Season 1, Episode 4)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Basil is terrified by the news that hotel inspectors are in the area - and well he might be. The awful...

Plot Keywords:

English | Waiter | Hotel | Torquay | South West England

Cast

John Cleese	...	Basil Fawlty
Prunella Scales	...	Sybil Fawlty
Andrew Sachs	...	Manuel
Connie Booth	...	Polly Shearman
Bernard Cribbins	...	Mr. Hutchinson
James Cossins	...	Mr. Walt
Ballard Berkeley	...	Major Gowen
Gilly Flower	...	Miss Abitha Tibbs
Renee Roberts	...	Miss Ursula Gatsby

Certification:

Australia:PG

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: At 13:13 in the dining room you can see a boom mike at the top of the screen.

Quotes:

Mr. Hutchinson: There is a documentary on BBC2 this evening about "Squawking Bird", the leader of the Blackfoot Indians in the 1860s. Now this starts at 8.45 and goes on for approximately three-quarters of an hour.
Basil Fawlty: I'm sorry, are you talking to me?
Mr. Hutchinson: Indeed I am. Yes, now, is it possible for me to reserve the BBC2 channel for the duration of this televisual feast?
Basil Fawlty: Why don't you talk properly?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The John Cleese Interview (1998) (V)

What can I do for you three gentlemen?!

This was the very first "Fawlty Towers" episode I saw - and I think it is a good 'first episode' to see. Unlike some others that move at an insanely fast pace (or a few others much slower), this one is timed just right and seems to let the 'comic rays' shine brightly. A lot of attention is given over to the main character, Mr. Hutchinson (portrayed wizardly by Bernard Cribbins) and it does pay off nicely, although there are many other small bits that deserve mentioning. The scenes with James Cossins (whom Basil mistakes as a hotel inspector) are terrific...Cossins plays Mr. Walt one-hundred percent deadpan and it is downright hilarious. Andrew Sachs probably does some of his best work in this one, too...in the later episodes, Manuel's English gets a bit better, but in this one, he's hopelessly dense (check out the scene where Basil starts crying, and Manuel comes in, clueless, wondering what the hell is going on, staring back and forth at Basil and Walt.) And, in usual Fawlty Towers spirit, the main character DOES get what they deserve after putting the hotel through agony, and Basil escapes unscathed...almost.