Then, of course, there is the subplot of Basil secretly betting on the horses after a long absence (Sybil: "We don't want that avenue of pleasure opened up again, do we, Basil?!" Manuel races out of the kitchen and tries to help Basil, only to accidentally knock him out with a frying pan. His insults culminate in a goose-stepping impersonation of Adolf Hitler.
Many critics agree that it’s the best show to come out of the UK since the dawn of television. What Basil does not know, however, is that the man is not a Lord but a confidence trickster who attempts to steal his collection of rare coins. In a recent interview, he mentioned that John Cleese and Connie Booth didn't think it was any good and wanted to replace it. Basil is delighted when a member of the aristocracy chooses to stay at the Fawlty Towers, snubbing the normal guests who frequent the hotel. Basil: "No YOU don't, dear.") With John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth. Ballard Berkely (the Major Gowen) is at his most virtuosic as the dense and forgetful old codger. It is certainly timeless, as it is still hysterically funny today and it’s over forty years old! The Germans ask aloud how the British could have won the war. Many great lines, but the best have to come from the confrontation between Polly and Mrs. Richards regarding the toilet paper, and the one between her and Manuel ("Si que what?! As the Germans look on in disbelief, the Major comes out and thinks the moose is speaking to him again. "The Germans" is the sixth episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. In the episode, while suffering the effects of concussion, Basil Fawlty repeatedly offends some German guests. Classic farcical comedy set in a seaside hotel in Torquay, run by Basil and Sybil Fawlty Basil the Rat 6 / 6 Havoc ensues when a public health inspector threatens to close the hotel. Use the HTML below. "Communication Problems" is one of the only episodes to focus almost entirely on one of the hotel guests - Mrs. Richards, who is visiting the hotel from Brighton. Meanwhile, Basil bets on a horse that is sure to win, however he must not let Sybil find out. In 2013, the BBC edited the Major's use of racial slurs from a repeat transmission of the episode, prompting some criticism by viewers. Matters are made worse when Manuel actually causes a fire in the kitchen, setting off the alarm, but Basil, unaware of this, assures the guests it is only a drill. Meanwhile, Basil bets on a horse that is sure to win, however he must not let Sybil find out.
The entire scene is screamingly funny. Fawlty Towers is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth and …
However, Basil hits the wall where he hung the moose head, which falls, knocks Basil out again, and lands on Manuel's head. After another call from Sybil, Basil prepares to start the fire drill, but ends up creating confusion with the guests between the fire alarm and the burglar alarm (with the fire alarm being "a semitone higher" than the burglar alarm). A moose head to be hung, a fire drill to be conducted, and German guests are … You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. In 2000, the British Film Institute compiled […] Sybil, in hospital for a few days, instructs Basil on several tasks he must do at the hotel, including running a required fire drill and hanging a The next morning Basil successfully mounts the head.
Directed by Bob Spiers. Basil wakes up in hospital after suffering concussion, and Sybil attests to Dr Finn that Basil cannot cope with the hotel alone. Fawlty Towers is arguably the greatest British comedy series of all time. Thanks to Andrew Sachs, the Mrs. Richards head-banging scene stayed in (Basil: "Is this a piece of your brain?!") After starting the alarm, he tries to use the extinguisher on the fire, which bursts and sprays him in the face, blinding him. Portrayed flawlessly by the late Joan Sanderson, I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find anyone more acerbic and tactless than this old battleaxe.
When Mrs. Richards, a demanding woman who is hard of hearing, checks into the hotel, Basil, Sybil and Polly find themselves with a very difficult customer. 21 of 27 people found this review helpful. Despite warning his staff "Don't mention the war", he keeps ignoring his own advice. The show was written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, who both also starred in the show; they were married at the time of series 1 but divorced before recording series 2. which serves as the lead-in to the story's punch line.