# Fawlty Towers and John Cleese's (In)sanity **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766 "2011-01-07T18:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/21 "2011-01-07T21:35:45Z")
It’s my belief that Basil died at the end of the last episode, but I admit it’s not explicitly shown as such. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/22 "2011-01-07T22:23:42Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I seem to recall that there was a BBC union strike that also contributed to the long gap between series. Nah, not a four year gap. It was ITV that had union unrest in the 1970s mostly. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/23 "2011-01-07T22:27:10Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > “Yes you did! You invaded Poland!” > > Possibly my favorite line in the whole series. Thank you for picking up on that. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/24 "2011-01-07T22:46:58Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I was a bit surprised to find the long gap between series, but apparently his marriage to series collaborator Connie Booth broke up sometime after the first series, so this may have contributed to the delay. In any event, there seems to be a particularly British tradition of abbreviated seasons for TV series. IIRC, the individual _Blackadder_ series were only six episodes each as well. I’ve heard that the original reason for the relatively short seasons of British TV shows was that, unlike with US shows, most programs had just one writer, or perhaps a team of two writers working together. American shows use larger teams of writers who work on scripts independently, so it’s pretty easy to crank out a large number of scripts every year. From a single writer, six shows a year is about as fast as you can expect before things get strained. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/25 "2011-01-07T23:02:37Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I’ve heard that the original reason for the relatively short seasons of British TV shows was that, unlike with US shows, most programs had just one writer, or perhaps a team of two writers working together. American shows use larger teams of writers who work on scripts independently, so it’s pretty easy to crank out a large number of scripts every year. From a single writer, six shows a year is about as fast as you can expect before things get strained. This is pretty much it. As an example one of our best TV writers, Alan Bleasdale, has a new thing on this week about a ship sunk by a submarine in WWII. It’s only two installments, that’s what the script needed, that’s what the network has given. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/26 "2011-01-07T23:06:09Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I’ve heard that the original reason for the relatively short seasons of British TV shows was that, unlike with US shows, most programs had just one writer, or perhaps a team of two writers working together. American shows use larger teams of writers who work on scripts independently, so it’s pretty easy to crank out a large number of scripts every year. From a single writer, six shows a year is about as fast as you can expect before things get strained. Yes this a major reason, the vast majority of the UK’s classic sitcoms were written by teams of usually two co-writers. The BBC has in recent years used the US model for the writing of the sitcom _Coupling_ which was successful in terms of viewing figures, but got a more lukewarm critical reception. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/27 "2011-01-07T23:16:37Z")
> [@These are my own pants](#): > > The BBC has in recent years used the US model for the writing of the sitcom _Coupling_ which was successful in terms of viewing figures, but got a more lukewarm critical reception. No, this is wrong. Coupling was pretty much all written by Steven Moffatt, and had a very good critical reception. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/28 "2011-01-07T23:36:04Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > He’d just gotten tired of the character, and was ready to move on to something else. Well if he didn’t like making TV shows, he should have gotten another bloody job designing cathedrals or composing violin concertos. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/29 "2011-01-08T01:08:39Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Well if he didn’t like making TV shows, he should have gotten another bloody job designing cathedrals or composing violin concertos. The _Fawlty Towers_ Concerto, in two movements, both of them hilarious, with a four year hiatus in between. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/30 "2011-01-08T01:44:21Z")
It’s one of the most hilarious series I’ve ever seen. Twelve glorious eps is better than none! ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/31 "2011-01-08T01:53:02Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > The _Fawlty Towers_ Concerto, in two movements … \*That’s **Brahms**! Brahms’ Third Racket!\* ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/32 "2011-01-08T16:12:39Z")
I still love FT-one of the all-time greats! I liked the weird people who lived in the hotel-including the retired army major-you could hardley understand him. The best episode (IMHO) was when the loud-mouthed American guy came in-he insults Basil and called the hotel a “dump”-extremely funny! ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/33 "2011-01-08T16:32:06Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > “Yes you did! You invaded Poland!” > > Possibly my favorite line in the whole series. That was good but the best line was “Care for a rat?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/34 "2011-01-08T17:10:53Z")
It’s interesting that both Connie Booth and Pamela Stephenson decided to give up acting and become psychologists: > **[Connie Booth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Booth)** > > Connie Booth (born 2 December 1940\[a\]) is an American actress and writer. She has appeared in several British television programmes and films, including her role as Polly Sherman on BBC Two's Fawlty Towers, which she co-wrote with her then-husband John Cleese. In 1995 she quit acting and worked as a psychotherapist until her retirement. > Booth was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on 2 December 1940. Her father was a Wall Street stockbroker and her mother an actress. The family later moved to New ... > **[Pamela Stephenson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_Stephenson)** > > Pamela Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, actress and comedian. She moved with her family to Australia in 1953 and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). After playing several stage and television roles, she emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1976. > Parts in television shows including Space: 1999, New Avengers, The Professionals and Tales of the Unexpected preceded her breakthrough role in the satirical sketch show ... ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/35 "2011-01-08T17:11:03Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > [QUOTE=These are my own pants] > The BBC has in recent years used the US model for the writing of the sitcom Coupling which was successful in terms of viewing figures, but got a more lukewarm critical reception. No, this is wrong. Coupling was pretty much all written by Steven Moffatt, and had a very good critical reception. [/QUOTE] If the poster meant _My Family_, rather than _Coupling_, then the observation is accurate, but only for that particular show. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/36 "2011-01-09T04:10:38Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > “Yes you did! You invaded Poland!” > > Possibly my favorite line in the whole series. Definitely one of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard in my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/37 "2011-01-10T16:25:47Z")
And once upon a time there was a US TV company (don’t remember which) that had plans to make a US version. One of the changes they wanted to make was to drop the Basil Fawlty character because he wasn’t nice. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/38 "2011-01-10T17:44:31Z")
There was a recent US version but it only lasted a few weeks. I think it was on CBS. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/39 "2011-01-10T18:07:26Z")
Horrible casting and costuming in that one. I don’t know how the BBC original was perceived in the UK, but from the American’s point of view, they looked very much like the yuppie types that were common at the time, while the US version looked too much like TV stars making talk show appearances, and phoning in their lines, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766/40 "2011-01-10T18:27:13Z")
There has actually been several tries at an American Version. One had Bea Arthur and I think Harvey Corman, one had John Laroquette and I am fairly certain there was a third. I think Mel Brooks was involved with one of them. Maybe the Bea Arthur one. Wiki to the rescue: > [@](#): > > Three attempted [remakes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_TV_shows_remade_for_the_American_market) of _Fawlty Towers_ were started for the American market, with two making it into production. The first, _Chateau Snavely_ starring [Harvey Korman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Korman) and [Betty White](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_White), was produced by [ABC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Broadcasting_Company) for a pilot in 1978, but the transfer from coastal hotel to highway motel proved too much and the series was never produced. The second, also by ABC, was _[Amanda’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda%27s)_ starring [Bea Arthur](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bea_Arthur), notable for switching the sexes of its ‘Basil’ and ‘Sybil’ equivalents. It also failed to pick up a major audience and was dropped.[[21]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers#cite_note-20) A third remake called _[Payne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payne_%28TV_series%29)_ (produced by and starring [John Larroquette](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Larroquette)) was also produced, but was cancelled shortly after. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-and-john-cleeses-in-sanity/566766.md?page=3)