FAWLTLESS FUN
FANS of 70s comedy Fawlty Towers were left stunned this week when it was revealed it would be making a comeback.
John Cleese, 83, and his daughter Camilla, 39, will write and star in the reboot, with John reprising his role as Basil Fawlty.
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Fawlty Towers aired in 1975 with a second series in 1979, consistently tops all-time comedy lists thanks to its famous scenes.
Here are some of the most memorable.
1. The Moose's Head
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This episode put Major Gowen (Ballard Berkeley) - a permanent resident at the hotel - at the forefront.
Sybil tasked Basil with hanging a moose's head in the lobby, but Basil being Basil kept putting it off and eventually left it on the reception desk.
When the Major could hear Manuel's voice under the counter as he practiced his English, the bumbling veteran became convinced the moose as speaking to him.
His delusion was not helped when the moose's head later falls off the wall onto Manuel's head.
Manuel said: "I can speak English. I learned it from a book" before the Major replied: Did you really? Remarkable animal you’ve got there, Fawlty.”
2. The Corpse
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In this episode, a guest passes away in his sleep, with Basil commenting: "Oh, there’s another one snuffed it in the night. Another name in the Fawlty Towers Book of Remembrance."
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However, he does panic about the fact he served the man out of date kippers for breakfast before his death.
Basil is keen to remove the corpse without upsetting the other guests, but once again his best laid plans go awry, prompting him to store it in wardrobes, linen baskets and even behind hat stands.
3. The Waldorf Salad
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Basil argues with an American guest over a Waldorf salad request.
Having sent the chef home, Basil thinks he can whip up the snack himself, despite having no idea how to make it.
He then decides to pretend the chef is in the kitchen, but the American guest soon walks in and sees him arguing loudly with the imaginary cook.
The guest later calls Basil “the British Tourist Board’s answer to Donald Duck”.
4. The Car Thrashing
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In possibly one of the most iconic scenes from the whole sitcom, Basil ends up thrashing his broken down car with a branch.
The moment occurs when Basil decides to host a gourmet night but when his alcoholic chef passes out, it looks like his plans are scuppered.
In a panic - what's new? - Basil decides to offer three dishes, duck with orange, duck with cherries or duck surprise (without orange or cherries).
Basil heads off across Torquay to try and source his ingredients, only for his car to break down.
In a fury, he says: "Right, that does it. I’m going to give you a damn good thrashing.”
5. The Goose Step
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Sybil is in hospital, so Basil is left to cope when some German guests arrive.
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The mayhem leads to the infamous goose step and “Don’t mention the war” scenes.
And the rest - as they say - is history.
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