BBC Fawlty Towers cast 50 years on from brave comebacks to tragic health battles

Daily Mirror

21 hours ago

The legendary BBC sitcom celebrates its golden anniversary next month, so let's take a look at what became of the core members of the cast
September 19, 2025 should seem like an ordinary day but for the die-hard legions of Fawlty Towers fans t'll be a day they'll either give their cars a damn good thrashing or avoid being hit by a falling moose's head.
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That day will mark exactly 50 years since the first episode of arguably Britain's greatest sitcom first aired.
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The farcical exploits of Basil Fawlty and his dysfunctional team in their sorry-looking Torquay hotel have become the stuff of TV folklore.
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At the core of the show were the hilarious antics of hotel owner Basil Fawlty, portrayed by John Cleese, his patient wife Sybil, clever chambermaid Polly, played by Connie Booth, and the bumbling Spanish waiter Manuel.
The idea for the show came to John after a stay at a Devon hotel with a memorable proprietor. That inspiration prompted both him and Booth, to whom he was married at the time, to write the play and bring it to life.
It may have been off their air since 1979, but Fawlty Towers still left a huge legacy. It spawned a successful theatre production, fans worldwide still love the show and a reboot of the show created by Cleese and his daughter Camilla was announced in 2023.
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On the eve of its golden anniversary, we have a look at where the cast is now.
John Cleese – Basil Fawlty
The man needs no introduction. Cleese was comedy royalty by the time Fawlty Towers began thanks to his work on Monty Python and he would continue to enjoy immense success long after the show ended.
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At 85, he isn't slowing down and 2025 is proving a very busy year. He has written a book, Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All, revealing his best memories from working on the show. He will also appear in a live Q&A in Bristol's St George concert hall on August 27 to launch his book and talk about the show's anniversary.
In addition, Cleese will mark another golden jubilee for his other famous creation – Monty Python and the Holy Grail – with a Q&A tour across the US this autumn.
He has been married to jewellery designer Jennifer Wade since his 2012, his fourth marriage following his break-ups from Connie Booth (in 1978), Barbra Trentham (in 1990) and Alyce Eichelberger (in 2008). He also has two children, Cynthia and Camilla.
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Prunella Scales – Sybil Fawlty
Prunella Scales was already a star on the stage and small screen by the time Fawlty Towers began. Since her turn as Basil's long-suffering wife Sybil, the 93-year-old appeared in movies such as Howards End and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Those of a certain age will also remember her hilarious turn as Jane Horrocks' fictional mother in the famous Tesco ads from the 1990s.
Fast forward to today and the acting legend is battling vascular dementia, with which she was diagnosed in 2013. But that did not stop Scales from taking on further projects. For instance, she appeared in the Channel 4 show Great Canal Journeys with her late husband Timothy West, while last year she made an acclaimed stage comeback at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – albeit a recorded part – as Queen Victoria in the play Queen.
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Connie Booth – Polly Sherman
While Basil was losing his head, Polly - the calm and ambitious waitress played by Connie Booth - was keeping hers. The genius character provided a brilliant foil to the hot-headed hotelier and her lines were a testament to Booth's writing skills.
Not that she wants to hear much about it, though, as she recently admitted in an interview with the Radio Times that she felt like a "counterfeit" instead of feeling "flattered" whenever people praise her work in creating Fawlty Towers.
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"For half a century, I've been receiving praise for lines which John wrote. When people quote back words from the script, instead of flattered I felt counterfeit. I've had to say, 'No, John wrote that'," she said.
Booth was married to John Cleese between 1968 and 1978. Since then, she appeared in a few TV roles before quitting acting altogether in 1995 to become a psychotherapist. Now retired, the 84-year-old lives in north London with her second husband, American theatre critic John Lahr.
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Andrew Sachs – Manuel
Andrew Sachs faced his own dramatic moments during filming. While shooting the legendary episode The Germans, a fire stunt that went awry left him suffering second-degree acid burns.
He also became the victim of an accident involving a defective prop handled by actor John, resulting in a severe headache.
Despite these incidents, his role as Manuel endeared Sachs to millions, among them Cleese who heaped praised on him. He once told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If you met him you would never think for a moment that he was a comedian, you would think he was a rather cultivated bank manager possibly retired, because he was quite quiet and poised and thoughtful. And then you stuck that moustache on him and he turned into a completely different human being. He was wonderful."
Sachs tragically died in November 2016 aged 86 following a struggle with vascular dementia. His widow Melody passed away 10 months later.
Brian Hall – Terry Hughes
Brian Hall, recognised for playing hotel chef Terry Hughes, developed a close bond with Cleese throughout the series. In an amusing incident years after filming concluded, Brian was given a personally signed autograph from John as a joke; Brian cheekily responded that he'd rather have a "signed Rolls-Royce car", which prompted John to post him a toy car instead.
Sadly, Brian succumbed to cancer in a hospice in 1997, aged 59. A year before his death, he had a defiant message for the Mirror about his illness: "Cancer is a bully and I hate bullies. This old boy cancer will get about as much change out of me as all the other bullies I've met nothing."