Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers was a British sitcom made by the BBC and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. It is set in a fictional hotel named Fawlty Towers in the Devon town of Torquay on "the English Riviera". The hotel is owned and run by the eccentric Basil Fawlty and his censorious wife Sybil, helped by the maid Polly, the Spanish porter Manuel who could barely speak English and (in the second series) the chef Terry. Permanent guests were the half-senile Major Gowen and the bewildered old ladies Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby. Very few other guests ever stayed long.

Characters

Basil Fawlty

Basil is a snobbish, miserly, xenophobic, sexually repressed paranoiac who is desperate to belong to a higher social class, and sees the successful running of the hotel as his means to this end ("turn it into an establishment of class..."), yet he is trapped in a job where he has to be pleasant to people he either despises or yearns to be above socially; people he would much rather snub. He is terrified of his wife's sharp tongue, yet fiercely wishes to stand up to her. Always trying to cover his mistakes and always the penny pincher, Basil usually turns to Manuel or Polly to help him execute whatever scheme he has planned. It is, of course, imperative that his wife Sybil does not find out. It's bound to go horribly wrong, with all the blame firmly on Basil.

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Basil has served in the Catering Corps of the British Army, possibly as part of his National Service and it is assumed that, on leaving, he utilised his gratuity to purchase a hotel where he can utilise his experience. He is frequently seen wearing a military tie and a military-type moustache. He also claims to have sustained an injury to his leg in the Korean War caused by shrapnel (even though Cleese himself was only thirteen years old at the time the war ended).

Related Topics:
British Army - National Service - Korean War - Shrapnel

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Sybil Fawlty

As Basil's wife, she's the only one that refers to him by his first name. She is often seen to be a more effective manager of the hotel, making sure Basil either gets certain jobs done or stays out of the way when handling difficult customers. She is characterised by an arguably annoying conversational tone and laugh. Basil refers to her by a number of epithets, occasionally to her face: these include "that golfing puff adder", "the dragon", "toxic midget", and "my little nest of vipers".

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Polly Sherman

Polly, employed as a waitress, is often stuck doing many other jobs in the hotel. She is also the voice of sanity, although she loyally attempts to aid Mr. Fawlty when he is trying to cover for a mistake he's made.

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Polly is, in theory, only employed part-time, and is supposedly an art student: in one episode, she is seen to draw a sketch (presumably an impressionistic caricature) of Basil, which everyone but Basil immediately recognizes. Which art college she studies at, or indeed if she actually does, is not explained. She does find time to sketch, and has managed to sell some occasionally to supplement her meagre waitressing income, even to the hotel guests. Another waitress (called Elsie) is occasionally mentioned, but never appears.

Related Topics:
Impressionistic - Caricature

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Manuel

Manuel, the waiter, is a well-meaning Spaniard (from Barcelona) with a limited grasp of the English language and customs. He is afraid of Mr. Fawlty's quick temper, yet often expresses his appreciation for being given the position.

Related Topics:
Waiter - Spaniard - Barcelona - English language

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