The Great British Sitcom: Fawlty Towers

[Mel O'Drama]

I find the joy of sitcoms in the re-watch. More than any other genre or form of entertainment, the sitcom lends itself to repeat viewing. Most people seem to have their favorite comfort shows they default to and, I think for most, those comfort shows are sitcoms.

This is very true.

Still, though, it's nice to see you already revisiting episodes that aren't as familiar, and even ones you didn't initially enjoy, which might seem like more work than revisiting an episode you know you'll love.

Perhaps what impressed me the most about the first six episodes is that they all felt very distinct.

The guest residents help give each episode a distinct tone, I think, but even without accounting for that I'd say it's still true that the focus does shift with each episode.

Since I know you aren't familiar, I'll briefly hype my own favorite classic sitcom I LOVE LUCY.

I'm always glad of a little hype.

The first four seasons, a staggering 127 episodes, were written by two people. That always blows my mind. Some of those episodes are still considered among the all time greats, 70+ years later.

That sounds very unusual for American TV where some sitcoms seem to be written by a committee.

Do you feel this helped with continuity and consistency when it came to the way the characters behaved and details such as their likes/dislikes?



The longest running sitcom, Last Of The Summer Wine, had just one writer for all of its 295 episodes, but that was stretched over almost 38 years, and it wasn't as densely scripted as Fawlty.

 

[Crimson]

The second season is off to a rousing start. "Communication Problems" has vaulted to the top of my of my list. I found it both consistently funny from the first scene to the end, but also earned a laugh-out-loud from me that was so abrupt and hearty I think I startled myself. I'm tempted to say this episode "perfected" the format of FAWLTY TOWERS, adding elements that I hadn't noticed were "missing" from the first six but which made the episode work even better.

I think this is the first episode where all four principal actors were equally involved in the plot. It seems to me in the first six episodes, Sybil, Polly or Manuel were reduced to a minor role; most episodes would primarily juggle two or three. Here, all four actors were equally involved in the plot, each given their own laughs and opportunity to shine.

I think of the first six episodes, the guests were all hapless victims of Basil's temper and snobbery (except perhaps the snotty kid who wanted salad cream). This episode adds a new twist: Basil dealing with a guest who's worse than he is. The results were the funniest interactions in the series to date. Mrs Richards was a terrific comic foil for not just Basil, but all four. Even Sybil, usually unflappable, was rattled by her. Most sitcoms would have been content with a character being demanding and haughty, but FAWTLY adds in hard of hearing and poor of vision to squeeze as many gags as possible. If FAWLTY had gone longer than 12 episodes, Mrs Richards would have been a great recurring foil.

I had to pause the episode to look up the actress playing Mrs Richards; I assumed she was a character actress I've seen dozens of times. Nope. Of the nearly 80 credits for Joan Sanderson, I've only seen THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen that in 20 plus years. I jumped over to Youtube to watch that scene and was surprised to find she shared it with none other than John Cleese. Now I'm wondering if these were two random pairings or if Cleese and Sanderson worked together frequently. The scene in MUPPET CAPER was very funny, which I guess explains why Sanderson was familiar to me all these years later. The MUPPET CAPER scene also makes me wonder if I've overlooked Cleese as a consistent comic performer. My impression of his career is a lot of obscurity with a couple notable high points.

Back to FAWLTY. This episode will definitely warrant a rewatch, possibly before I move onto the next episode. It's packed with nonstop gags and inspired comic bits. My favorite moment was Basil gaslighting Mrs Richards into thinking her hearing aid wasn't working; when he finally shouted into her hearing aid is what startled me into a loud laugh.

All of the scripts have been notable for juggling a few plots that converge in the finale, but none have been as masterful as this. Every detail and every gag builds on the next and just as it seems like Basil has the upper hand for once, it all crashed down. Notable too that the hysteria was dialed down in this episode and I found it funnier, it works better when the entire episode doesn't play at 100% capacity.

Brilliant episode and I suspect I will have more thoughts after my second viewing.

Do you feel this helped with continuity and consistency when it came to the way the characters behaved and details such as their likes/dislikes?

I do think shows written by the same small group of writers tend to be more consistent in characterization and detail. I think staff writers were more common on shows back in the 50s and 60s, but 2 writers being solely responsible for four seasons was unusual. The volume of work produced by Carroll & Pugh can be explained -- they were rather literally locked in a room every week and not allowed out until they had a working draft of a script. And therein lies why I made the connection. Pity no one locked Cleese & Booth in a room every week for four years. Maybe they couldn't have matched the output, but perhaps we'd have 18 episodes rather than 12.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Oh my. Your comments about your introduction to Fawlty make this my most-anticipated thread when I visit the site. I have no idea how I missed your latest one until now, especially with me looking forward to your views on Communication Problems more than many.

The second season is off to a rousing start. "Communication Problems" has vaulted to the top of my of my list. I found it both consistently funny from the first scene to the end, but also earned a laugh-out-loud from me that was so abrupt and hearty I think I startled myself.

This is wonderful to read. It's a favourite episode of mine, and while it's generally well-praised, any "list" type articles generally find this one pushed down behind a number of episodes from Series One.

I had to pause the episode to look up the actress playing Mrs Richards; I assumed she was a character actress I've seen dozens of times. Nope. Of the nearly 80 credits for Joan Sanderson, I've only seen THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen that in 20 plus years. I jumped over to Youtube to watch that scene and was surprised to find she shared it with none other than John Cleese. Now I'm wondering if these were two random pairings or if Cleese and Sanderson worked together frequently.

Oh, that's interesting. I don't think I've watched TGMC, so that's news to me. Since Fawlty was universally known I wonder if this pairing was partly a nod to their pairing in Communication Problems.

While nothing else springs to mind in terms of her working with John Cleese, she did go on to play Prunella Scales' mother in the gentle sitcom After Henry, which began life as a radio series in 1985 and was later adapted for TV with Scales and Sanderson in the same roles.

While Mrs Richards sees her at her most dragon-like, Sanderson was probably best known for playing no-nonsense authority types or critical mothers/mothers-in-law/aunties (prior to Fawlty, she was well-known for playing a formidable schoolmistress in the sitcom Please Sir!). There was a touch of this element to her character in After Henry, but there was also a nice warmth between the mother and daughter, which makes the Fawlty episode more interesting in retrospect. I don't claim to know the series well, but I enjoyed it, and a key memory is Joan impressing me with one particular recitation which, fortunately, is one of the only clips uploaded to the Yousual place.

My favorite moment was Basil gaslighting Mrs Richards into thinking her hearing aid wasn't working; when he finally shouted into her hearing aid is what startled me into a loud laugh.

Yes. It was perfectly played.

The moment in this episode that never fails to get a big laugh from me is at the tail end of Basil's overwrought charade to act out the name of the winning horse to Polly behind Sybill's back. Just as Polly wearily gets the name "Dragonfly", Basil can be seen running away off frame just as Sybill thanks Polly and turns around. It's such a small but perfectly frenetic visual to wrap up a wild scene, and Sybill's lack of awareness makes it even funnier.

All of the scripts have been notable for juggling a few plots that converge in the finale, but none have been as masterful as this. Every detail and every gag builds on the next and just as it seems like Basil has the upper hand for once, it all crashed down.

Spot on.

Pity no one locked Cleese & Booth in a room every week for four years. Maybe they couldn't have matched the output, but perhaps we'd have 18 episodes rather than 12.

Yikes. If the first six culminated in divorce, who knows where episodes 13-18 would have led.

 

[Barbara Fan]

RIP Claire Neilson who passed away at the end of April

Screwdrivers and Waldorf salads spring to mind x

 

[Crimson]

Oh, that's interesting. I don't think I've watched TGMC, so that's news to me

Should you be curious, the scene is on YT. It's pretty self-contained. The only context you'd need is that Miss Piggy lied about her address and is sneaking into the home.

I don't know if Cleese wrote the scene, but it reminded me of Mr & Mrs Leach's interactions in AFCW.

The moment in this episode that never fails to get a big laugh from me is at the tail end of Basil's overwrought charade

I did watch the episode a second time and found much to appreciate on rewatch. The pantomime scene was terrific, but both times I was inordinately amused by Sybil snapping her head around and glaring, unblinkingly, at Basil when she suspected he was gambling.

Perhaps my biggest surprise is how nuanced the characters are on the show. Most sitcom characters fall victim to "Flanderization", flattening characters to a single comedic trait for easy laughs, either out of the gate or over time. Only the loftiest of sitcoms create truly complex characters who are more than easy gags. Considering how broad it is, I did not expect FT to bother with subtle characterizations. Basil, I had bagged as a surly misanthrope. In the scheme of things, those have turned out to be lesser traits of the character. While he's far from endearing, he's not unrelatable.

I found myself wondering: is there any indication of how much in-show time passed between seasons one and two? The only change I've noted is that Manuel's English has improved, but not as much as I'd expect if it was meant to be four years later.

If the first six culminated in divorce, who knows where episodes 13-18 would have led.

18 episodes or a bloody murder. Either way, we'd have more to discuss.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Should you be curious, the scene is on YT. It's pretty self-contained. The only context you'd need is that Miss Piggy lied about her address and is sneaking into the home.

I don't know if Cleese wrote the scene, but it reminded me of Mr & Mrs Leach's interactions in AFCW.

Well, how could I resist a peek. It's a fun little scene. Her casual "Haven't been outside for twelve years" cracked me up.

I could see similarities to the Leaches here, yes. His term of "endearment" for his wife - "my little armada" - also had echoes of Basil's similar pet names for Sybil ("my little Kommandant", "my little piranha fish"...etc).

I found myself wondering: is there any indication of how much in-show time passed between seasons one and two? The only change I've noted is that Manuel's English has improved, but not as much as I'd expect if it was meant to be four years later.

There's an intentional timelessness to the series, with very few topical references and minimal contemporary fashions (only the vehicles give away the time in which it's made for me). This extends to the continuity, so it's fairly unclear how much time passes between any two episodes. Many of them could be hours, days or months apart, and I'd say this is no exception.

While I have nothing to definitively back this up, I would guess it's source of pride to the creators if there was a sense that no time at all had passed between series/seasons, so that the seventh episode flowed as flawlessly from the sixth as any two consecutive episodes from the first series.

The thing that delineates the two series for me is the addition of a new regular worker to the roster in the shape of Terry the cheeky chappie chef. It's very subtly done, though (and of course they would have a new chef after the disaster that was Gourmet Night)

 

[Crimson]

From the highest to the lowest. It was bound to happen -- with any ranking, something has to be at the bottom. "The Psychiatrist" is my least favorite episode to date and the only one I've come even remotely close to disliking. It's an odd episode with a few funny moments, but overall I found it fell curiously flat.

For one, Manuel and especially Polly have notably reduced roles. I barely recall what Polly actually did in the episode, but at least Manuel had one great moment. Him proudly and obtusely explaining to Basil that he had warned Mrs Fawlty that Basil fell off the ladder while looking for the girl was both funny and a bit sweet. I laughed a few times throughout the episode, but those laughs felt random rather than organic. So many presumed gags just kind of sputtered out or trailed off.

It seemed like the episode started with plenty of potential -- Basil & Sybil both having their own objects of lust and jealousies, Basil's paranoia at what the psychiatrist. None of it seemed to amount to much though. One of my curiosities about the first season is how blasé the guests were at Basil's behavior. I wrote it off as English sangfroid. The (lack of) reactions of people in this episode is inexplicable. Basil peering through windows, sneaking into rooms, grabbing guests repeatedly -- and the guests remain unfazed. It gives the episode an unreal feeling. Even the wildest of comedy needs to be grounded in a sense of reality.

The worst for me was the shift in Basil & Sybil's relationship. Until now, they have been equally contemptuous and indifferent to each other; there was something ambiguous and sublime about their animosity. In this episode, overt insults and slaps made the relationship feel petty and ugly. I found myself disliking both of them. Characters fighting has to be really funny to avoid being awkward and unpleasant. I didn't find the fighting here to be funny, just unpleasant.

Not much of a factor, but this is also the first episode with British references I didn't understand. Basil referenced several men early in the episode; I have no idea who they were. He also said something to Sybil obviously meant as an insult, but I didn't get the reference.

While this episode wasn't so bad to qualify as "I'll skip it next time I watch the series", I don't have any interest in giving it another chance now. Fingers crossed that episode 9 is closer in tone to episode 7!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

From the highest to the lowest. It was bound to happen -- with any ranking, something has to be at the bottom. "The Psychiatrist" is my least favorite episode to date and the only one I've come even remotely close to disliking.

Oh, that's a shame. As you said, though, one of them has to be at the bottom, and I can't disagree with your reasons for placing it last.

at least Manuel had one great moment. Him proudly and obtusely explaining to Basil that he had warned Mrs Fawlty that Basil fell off the ladder while looking for the girl was both funny and a bit sweet.

Yes - it's a really nice and funny moment.

Basil & Sybil both having their own objects of lust and jealousies

One little moment I enjoy is when Sybill reels off a list of her mother's fears and phobias to the bored Mr Johnson. It may not be laugh out loud but it usually elicits at least somewhere between a large smile and a few sniggers (or snickers) for being as random as it is believable.

Until now, they have been equally contemptuous and indifferent to each other; there was something ambiguous and sublime about their animosity.

On the subject of contempt, I find Sybill's description of Basil as "an ageing, brilliantined stick insect" to be absolutely perfect. Even if I had no idea what he looked like, I'd be able to pick him out of a lineup based on this alone.

Basil's paranoia at what the psychiatrist.

I'm glad you got and commented on this. This is another case where I've seen some confused reactions to this aspect of the episode, due to the era and culture and how guarded and paranoid Basil was acting. Stiff upper lip Brits were very distrusting of psychiatry and psychology and very uncomfortable around practitioners (based on a conversation I had recently, some still are). I'm sure that fear isn't specifically British, but I'd say as a country Britain was far more resistant to the practice than many others. Basil's discomfiture at being in the same space was an extreme example of this, and I like that his fear of exposure became a self-fulfilling prophecy with the crossed wires over the questions about holidays (which he thought was about sex) and Basil ultimately being mistaken for a sex maniac.

Basil referenced several men early in the episode; I have no idea who they were.

Would this be Gladstone and Baden-Powell and Earl Haig? I wouldn't say they're common references, even in Britain (and even less so today).

They're mostly late-Nineteenth/early-Twentieth Century figures. Gladstone was Prime Minister four times, while the other two were military men (with Robert Baden-Powell also founding the Boy Scouts and co-founding the Girl Guides).

He also said something to Sybil obviously meant as an insult, but I didn't get the reference.

Whenever you do get round to rewatching, I'd be interested to know what this was. I can't think what it would be.