Iconic British TV series like Fawlty Towers not only defined a generation of classic comedy but serves as a great representation of British values and culture. Unbelievably, it’s been officially 50 years since Fawlty Towers first premiered. The 1970s comedy series sits on the same shelf as other British classics that remind us of an older-style Britain. Everything from the cringeworthy Steptoe and Son (1962-1974), to the hilarious, On the Buses (1969-1973), and the sensational, Porridge (1974-1977).
Such British sitcoms made us replay memorable moments, quote iconic lines, and even sometimes incorporate their fun-loving attitudes into our own lives. In ode to classic British sitcoms, we review the theatre play adaptation of Fawlty Towers. A play which not only aims to entice its strong fanbase but branch out to new fans too.
Fawlty Towers: The Play is being performed across the UK with the London performances across New Wimbledon Theatre, and Apollo Theatre in the West End.
Recreating the Best Moments
Fawlty Towers ran for two seasons from 1975 to 1979. With just 12 episodes worth and such a huge legacy to leave behind shows its deep impact on the British television industry. As Ricky Gervais says about his show, The Office – “it’s about quality, not quantity.”
The show was co-created by its very own stars – John Cleese (who played Basil), and Connie Booth (who played Polly). Its stage adaptation first premiered in Australian theatres in 2016 and then to the West End in 2024. Due to high demand, the UK tour runs from September 2025 through to July 2026.
John Cleese collated the best moments from popular episodes of Fawlty Towers to create the stage version. Along with the fan reception, he felt that writing a completely new script would go against what the dedicated fans know and love about the iconic British sitcom. The script adaptation combines three classic episodes, including “The Hotel Inspectors”, “Communication Problems”, and “The Germans” and are directed by Caroline Jay Ranger.
The Episodes:
“The Hotel Inspectors” (1975)
Episode four of series one sees the dreaded hotel inspectors in town. But Basil (John Cleese) causes extra pressure for himself when he confuses a guest for the inspector. Then the real inspector gets a pretty bad experience himself. We see the iconic character of Mr. Hutchinson (Bernard Cribbins) introduced. Eventually his endless demands cause Basil to nearly lose control, especially when he realises, he’s not the real hotel inspector.
“The Germans” (1975)
Episode six of series one sees Basil attempt to run the hotel smoothly whilst Sybil is in hospital. But he must deal with multiple scenarios all at once. From hanging a moose head in the corridor to conducting a fire drill. However, during the episode Basil attempts to never mention the war to the new German guests as he fails miserably. He then suffers a concussion during the fire drill and Sybil returns amidst all the chaos clearly showing that Basil cannot run a hotel smoothly on his own at all.
“Communication Problems” (1979)
Episode one of series two follows two hilarious interweaving plotlines – a hard of hearing guest, Mrs. Richards (Joan Sanderson) is not satisfied with anything from her room’s view to the food etc. She then accuses Basil of stealing money she left in her room. But Basil secretly places money on a horse called ‘Dragonfly’ who wins his race. However, after hiding the money from his controlling wife, Sybil (Prunella Scales) – Basil’s money gets confused with Mrs. Richards’s missing money. Then chaos certainly ensues in true Fawlty Towers fashion.
Hilarious Cast That Master the Original Characters
Danny Bayne truly masters all of Basil’s minute idiosyncrasies from the sharpness of his replies to his fleeting behaviour. We see Basil in his true form with his emotional range. As we see him angry, confused, to hopelessly sobbing at the misery of working at Fawlty Towers. At times we feel for him but then we remember that he has himself to blame as he gets tangled up in all sorts of awkward situations.
Often rolling her eyes at Basil is his wife, Sybil (Mia Austen) whose uptight, controlling, and judgemental nature is truly brought to centre stage in this theatre play. Sybil’s iconic voice is pretty difficult to replicate. But her mannerisms from glancing at Basil to filing her nails is just like watching the original show.
Hemi Yeroham as Manuel and Joanne Clifton as Polly are so well cast. Manuel has constant confusion with communication differences between English and Spanish. It’s this misunderstanding that creates comic chaos. His interactions with Danny Bayne’s Basil are particularly entertaining.
A Perfectly Executed Rendition
One of the best scenes in Fawlty Towers: The Play is when they attempt to put the moose’s head on the wall. However, also a stand-out hilarious moment is when The Major (Paul Nicholas) believes the moose’s head is talking to him. Paul Nicholas acts so naturally as The Major that you would even have a hard time believing that he’s even acting at all.
Joanne Clifton excels at accentuating Polly’s accent. And just like Connie Booth’s original interpretation of Polly, she too flows effortlessly from one scene to the next. Polly adds a much-needed calmness to Fawlty Towers. She often tries to find balance amidst the chaos that the combination of Basil and Manuel builds up.
However, for me the best character of the night was Mr. Hutchinson (Greg Haiste) who often looked out at and connected with the audience. His accent was perfect, and you disliked his character just as much as the original. Which just goes to show he did his job and brought so much more to the role.
Realistic Set Design
Bringing us back to the classic ‘70s British sitcom with its infamous changing of signs. Here we see “Watery Fowls” as just one example of how the Fawlty Towers sign can humorously change. Everything from the desk set-up at the reception to the details in the dining room gave nods to the 1970s show so many of us love.
Liz Ascroft is credited as the set and costume designer for the Fawlty Towers stage play. The costumes are perfectly replicated to the original – Sybil’s suit stood out as being particularly accurate to the original. We see iconic set pieces like the moose’s head add extra detail to the stage play and layers to the story. The classic scene of Manuel and Basil working together by pouring milk into Mr. Hutchinson’s suitcase was perfectly executed and performed. At times the play felt like we were transported back to the TV version, which added an essential nostalgic value.
Let us know in the comments what you think about Fawlty Towers? You can catch more reviews like this here.
Rating: 4 Stars.
