Fawlty Towers

The Anniversary - S2-E5

Trivia: Sybil's friend, Audrey, who Sybil is frequently seen talking to on the telephone, has only one on-screen appearence in 'The Anniversary'. She is seen at the very end, when Sybil has just walked out on Basil.

Trivia: For one episode, the props guy spent ages building up the bottom of a frying pan with cotton wool and padding, then painting it black to look right. It was placed on a shelf just inside the kitchen door. Unfortunately, on the night, John Cleese reached around the door frame without looking and picked up the wrong frying pan. He then hit Andrew Sachs very hard over the head with it, almost knocking the poor man out.

Trivia: John Cleese has said that the character of Major Gowen was based on his Latin teacher from school.

Trivia: There is only one episode in which the anagram on the sign uses all the letters, reading "flowery twats."

The Germans - S1-E6

Trivia: The hospital used during the opening titles is Northwick Park Hospital in Middlesex.

Communication Problems (a.k.a. Theft) - S2-E1

Trivia: On the episode "Communication Problems", when Mrs Richards is in the staff office claiming that her money had been stolen, Basil wound her up by suddenly shouting at her. When she banged her head on the shelf, Basil bent down and said, "Is this a piece of your brain?" which is an iconic moment of that episode. However, John Cleese wasn't originally going to put that line in, and had it cut out because he "didn't like it". Andrew Sachs, however, told him to put it back in because he wouldn't regret it, and so he did. Sachs himself claimed on Fawlty Towers: Basil's Best Bits that it was his "one contribution to rescuing the script."

OliviaD3601

Trivia: The recording of the final episode, "Basil the Rat", was cancelled due to a BBC strike, and therefore the episode was not broadcast until October 1979, six months after the rest of the series.

Basil the Rat (a.k.a. Rats) - S2-E6

Trivia: In some shots of this episode, a real rat was used. These shots were pre-recorded due to the production team having concerns that it could run into the studio audience.

The Builders - S1-E2

Trivia: You will probably recognise the actor who plays Lurphy in this episode - it's Michael Cronin, best remembered as the PE teacher Geoff "Bullet" Baxter in the children's show "Grange Hill".

The Germans - S1-E6

Trivia: In this episode, the jacket Andrew Sachs wears was treated with acid by the special effects department to look as if it was really on fire. Unfortunately it really did burn through to his skin and he bore the scars until he died in 2016. Sachs was paid damages by the BBC.

More mistakes in Fawlty Towers

Communication Problems (a.k.a. Theft) - S2-E1

Mrs Richards: And another thing. I expect to be able to see the sea.
Basil: [whispering to Manuel.] Deaf, Mad and Blind. [To Mrs Richards.] Yes, this is the view as far as I can remember... Yes, yes it is.
Mrs Richards: When I pay for a view, I expect something more interesting than that.
Basil: But that is Torquay, madam.
Mrs Richards: Well it's not good enough.
Basil: Well may I ask what you expected to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain...
Mrs Richards: [interrupting.] Don't be silly. I expect to be able to see the sea.
Basil: You CAN see the sea! It's over there between the land and the sky!
Mrs Richards: I'd need a telescope to see that.
Basil: Well might I suggest you move to a hotel closer to the sea. Or preferably in it.
Mrs Richards: Now listen to me. I'm not satisified but I've decided to stay. HOWEVER, I shall expect a deduction.
Basil: Why, because Krakatoa isn't erupting at the moment?
Mrs Richards: Because the room is cold, the bath is too small, the view is invisible and the radio doesn't work.
Basil: No, the radio works. You don't.

More quotes from Fawlty Towers

Answer: It's "Leisure Complex" by Dave Gold and Gordon Rees. Can be found on YouTube. The relevant clip is around 25 seconds in.

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