How to watch Fawlty Towers - is it on Netflix?
Find out where to watch and stream Fawlty Towers, as well as your guide to the cast and what the series is about.
Sitcom Fawlty Towers is being revived for television after more than 40 years since its last broadcast, and the new revival will reportedly once again star John Cleese.
This time, the veteran comic is returning to write and appear in the show alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese.
The classic show, written by Cleese and Connie Booth, ran on BBC Two for two seasons between 1975 and 1979 and is regarded as one of the best BBC sitcoms ever made, winning a 2019 Radio Times poll to determine the the greatest British sitcom of all time.
The farcical comedy followed the exploits of hotelier Basil Fawlty (Cleese) and his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), as they endeavoured to keep their hotel and strained marriage afloat.
The new show will follow Basil as he attempts to navigate the modern world and manage a boutique hotel with his daughter.
The revival news is somewhat unexpected, especially given that in 2009 Cleese said there would never be another series with the original cast.
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"I think everyone would be excited if we did it," he said. "The problem is, when you do do something that is generally accepted as being very good, a horrible problem arises, which is: how do you top it? The expectation of what you will do is so high."
Castle Rock Entertainment announced on Tuesday 7th February it had closed a deal with Cleese to revive the TV series, but it's not yet clear which channel or streaming service it could appear on, with a bidding war between streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon likely.
While we wait for more information about the revival, fans may be wondering how to watch the original show. Read on to find out.
Is Fawlty Towers on Netflix?
No, Fawlty Towers is no longer available to stream on Netflix.
How to watch Fawlty Towers
Unfortunately, the comedy isn't often repeated on terrestrial TV, although BBC One did air the episode Communication Problems as a tribute to star Andrew Sachs when he passed away in December 2016.
However, in certain regions, viewers can stream every episode on Netflix, YouTube, or Google Play.
You can also buy episodes on Amazon Prime Video, or pick up the full Fawlty Towers DVD box set.
What is Fawlty Towers about?
Connie Booth (Polly), Prunella Scales (Sybil) and Andrew Sachs (Manuel) were Cleese's co-stars in the sitcom about a hotel in Torquay that battled dodgy builders, a kipper and a corpse, hotel inspectors and a Waldorf salad.
If you enjoy the series, you might also want to watch the documentary about the sitcom which aired on the digital channel Gold, called Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened.
How many episodes and seasons of Fawlty Towers are there?
The series has just two seasons – that's 12 episodes – in total. But despite this, it's managed to make a significant cultural imprint.
Where was Fawlty Towers filmed?
The series was filmed in south west of England. It was also filmed at the Wooburn Grange Country Club in Buckinghamshire for exterior shots of the hotel, and the T-junction between Mentmore Close and capstone Gardens in Harrow.
The sitcom was set in Torquay, Devon.
Who's in the cast of Fawlty Towers?
The star of the show, John Cleese, plays Basil Fawlty. His previous work includes Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Meaning of Life and Life of Brian.
His wife Sybil Fawlty - who never fails to scare the living daylights out of him - is played by Prunella Scales. Scales was nominated for a BAFTA award for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution.
The waitress Polly Sherman is played by Connie Booth, whose other credits include The Hound of the Baskervilles and Leon the Pig Farmer.
Manuel, the Spanish waiter, is played by the late Andrew Sachs, who went on to star as Ramsay Clegg on Coronation Street.
Other cast members include Brian Hall as Terry Hughes, Ballard Berkeley as Major Gowen, Renee Roberts as Miss Gatsby, Gilly Flower as Miss Tibbs, and Mrs and Dr Abbot played by Elspet Gray and Basil Henson respectively.
When did Fawlty Towers start?
The series began on 19th September 1975, and aired over a period of four years.
Why did Fawlty Towers get cancelled?
Fawlty Towers ended because John Cleese ran out of stories to tell with the characters, and wanted to move on to other things.
Consider yourself lucky - the series ended much later than it could have done as The Telegraph reports that BBC initially turned it down before it had even begun, which would have been a real loss for fans of the classic comedy.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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