5 celebrate the world of Fawlty Towers

Another television booking for the infamous Torquay Hotel…

There’s been many documentary series made over the years about Fawlty Towers, with specials airing on BBC One and U&Gold, reflecting and celebrating the world of Basil, Sybil, their staff and the unfortunate guests who check-in to the hospitality hellhole. Next week 5 turns its attention to the sitcom with Fawlty Towers: A Very British Comedy.

Fawlty Towers ran for two short series in the 1970s with a total of 12 episodes. Created by comedy legends John Cleese and Connie Booth, the show quickly became a hit with BBC One viewers from the outset.

Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty and her husband Basil played by John Cleese / BBC 1979

John Cleese as Basil Fawlty / Manuel played by Andrew Sachs / BBC

The plot revolves around Basil Fawlty, the hotel owner with a short fuse, and his chaotic attempts to run a Torquay hotel, usually to dire consequences for the guests and often himself. The series reached heights of popularity few shows at the time could rival. So, why does the show only exist in a re-cut, sanitised, edited form, with some of the original scenes deleted?

In this programme, 5 explore the controversial sequences deemed unfit for 2025 audiences as the documentary peels back the layers of Fawlty Towers and examining its sometimes-uncomfortable place in today’s world. Through unearthed deleted scenes and archival interviews, we piece together the story of how a sitcom that seemed untouchable in the 1970s came to be viewed through a more critical lens.

Fawlty Towers: A Very British Comedy, Saturday, May 31st at 9.30 pm on 5

Fawlty Towers, L-R: Connie Booth as Polly, John Cleese as Basil, Prunella Scales as Sybil and Andrew Sachs as Manuel / BBC 1979

Fawlty Towers, Andrew Sachs as Manuel, John Cleese as Basil and Connie Booth as Polly / BBC 1979

Fawlty Towers, Sybil and Basil played by Prunella Scales and John Cleese / BBC 1975