Fawlty Towers will be making a surprising return, 50 years after it was first recorded at BBC Television Centre in 1974.
Described as “the greatest British sitcom of all time”, Fawlty Towers was co-written by John Cleese, and his then-girlfriend Connie Booth. Of course, John also played the iconic character of Basil Fawlty, and Connie portrayed long-suffering staff member Polly Sherman.
The TV show only ran for two series – just 12 half hour episodes – but remains a classic decades later. This despite being hit with controversy recently over some its content.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming return of Fawlty Towers!
Fawlty Towers makes return after 50 years
Fawlty Towers is set to return and, this time, it will premiere on the West End stage.
John Cleese has written a two-hour play based on three of the original TV episodes. These include The Hotel Inspector, and The Germans from series one. Also, Communication Problems from series two.
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 7 February at 10am, from FawltyTowersWestend.com.
The play will premiere at London’s Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Will John Cleese be in the West End play?
John Cleese, 84, won’t be starring in the play, but he did adapt it for the stage.
He says: “What a thrill to be bringing Fawlty Towers to the West End for the first time – nearly 50 years since the show was first recorded, in December 1974.
“We’ve been involved in the casting process for some time, being constantly reminded of what a wealth of acting talent we have in Britain – sorting the very, very, very good from the merely very, very good.
“Finally, we assembled a top-class group of comedy actors who will bring the show to the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.”
He added: “I’ve adapted three of my favourite episodes for the stage and written one huge finale, which will bring together the endings of all three episodes. So here we are, all the way from Torquay, via the old BBC Television Centre, to the West End! I do hope some of you will come to the Apollo to laugh together. And laugh. And laugh…”
Of course, the original sitcom was based on a real-life hotel owner called Donald Sinclair. John Cleese came up with the idea for the character of Basil Fawlty when he stayed at Sinclair’s Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, and became fascinated with his incredibly rude behaviour.
Who is in the cast of Fawlty Towers at the West End?
John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers will bring many of the beloved sitcom characters to life on stage.
Adam Jackson-Smith will play Basil, Anna-Jane Casey will portray Sybil, while Hemi Yeroham stars as Manuel.
Meanwhile, Victoria Fox will play Polly, and Paul Nicholas will play The Major. Of course, 79-year-old Paul is best known for playing Vince Pinner in Just Good Friends. More recently, he played Gavin Sullivan in EastEnders.
Rachel Izen will play Mrs Richards, and Steven Meo will portray Mr Hutchinson/German guest. Kate Russell-Smith, Nicola Sanderson, Greg Haiste, Danny Bayne, Neil Stuart, Emma Fenney, Ben Jacobson and Suzy Bloom also star.
Of course, the four core original cast were John Cleese (Basil Fawlty), Prunella Scales (Sybil Fawlty), Connie Booth (Polly Sherman), and Andrew Sachs (Manuel).
What’s the plot of the play?
Following a tip off that hotel inspectors may be visiting and eager to impress, Basil attempts to ingratiate himself with guests that he suspects are there to critique the establishment.
The situation is further plagued by a party of Germans, the deaf and dotty guest-from-hell, Mrs Richards, whose infuriating complaints prevent him from hiding a gambling win from his ever vigilant and bossy wife, Sybil.
Together they run their hotel with a little help from the unflappable Polly, and very little help at all from Manuel, the trainee waiter from Barcelona who is the butt of Fawlty’s frustration.
Where can I watch Fawlty Towers the TV show?
Fawlty Towers is currently unavailable to watch on streaming. Sadly, it is not available to watch on BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, Netflix, Sky, or other streaming platforms in the UK.
In 2020, an episode of the comedy entitled Don’t Mention the War was pulled from UKTV because it was seen to contain “racial slurs”.
Meanwhile, a reboot of the series caused controversy after it threatened to kill off Sybil Fawlty.
Read more: John Cleese forced to cut ‘offensive’ Life of Brian scene about men having babies
Fawlty Towers the play will premiere at London’s Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
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