Comedy Series Review: Fawlty towers

The Cast of Fawlty Towers

Who doesn’t know this landmark of British comedy? Still regarded as one of the best televised comedies ever made, this sitcom still captivates and entertains viewers all over the globe. In the 1970s, the series won 3 BAFTAs; in 2000, a good 20 years after the final episode aired, it was named “Best British television series of all time” by the British Film institute; in 2006 the series came second only to Frasier in The Ultimate Sitcom Poll of Comedy Writers and in the same year Basil Fawlty (one of the main characters) ended first on Five’s Britain's Funniest Comedy Character Poll. All this is truly remarkable for a series consisting of only 12 episodes. So what makes this such a hit?

The establishment

During the 1970s there was a class struggle in the UK where the lower-paid working class started to rebel against the wealthy upper-class establishment. This sometimes led to clashes such as the miner’s strikes of 1972 and 1974 which derailed society to the point the government introduced the 3-day week to conserve power. The miner’s strikes are sometimes mentioned in Fawlty Towers, mainly by Major Gowen, who’s always looking for his newspapers to read up on the outside world.

This general discontent felt by many British people made them susceptible to the ridicule of the establishment throughout Fawlty Towers. Mainly Basil Fawlty’s attempts to attract upper-class rich people and the resulting chaos played in to the animosity many people felt towards the real-life upper-class.

Racism

Racism, mainly in a fairly innocent form, is recurrent throughout British humour. In Fawlty Towers a running joke is Manuel’s lack of skill in being a waiter and the English language. The usual excuse for this is “He’s from Barcelona”. Basil Fawlty’s racism towards the Spanish waiter usually bounces back to hit Fawlty - often literally. This kind of mildy racist humour is popular not only in the UK, but around the world. Even in Spain, where in the translated version Manuel is Italian.

Slapstick

Slapstick is one of the oldest forms of comedy and is as popular as ever. There is no lack of slapstick in Fawlty Towers, mainly on the expense of either Basil Fawlty or Manuel, the Spanish waiter. Generally there are no real consequences to the violence and slapstick, although Basil does end up in hospital once and Manuel is at one point locked in a burning kitchen.

Recognizablity

Many people who have stayed at hotels or been to restaurants are familiar with bad service and incompetent management. The series was based on the real-life Gleneagles Hotel, run by the Sinclair family. John Cleese (Basil Fawlty) described the Gleneagles’ manager Donald Sinclair as “the rudest man I've ever come across in my life.” And modelled the Basil character after him. The over-the-top ridiculous acting and drama in the series is laughable because it is so close to the truth and to existing stereotypes.

To sum up, Fawlty Towers is a timeless mix of many of the famous aspects of British humour executed brilliantly by a formidable cast. It is still loved by many and will continue to be popular for years to come.