Latest news with #BasilFawlty
Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Times
Why pharmacists are making moolah on the Dublin stock market
'A satisfied customer — we should have him stuffed.' The great Basil Fawlty line finds an echo on Euronext Dublin. From the gloom and doom shrouding the beleaguered market, step out healthcare services group Uniphar and take a bow. Its shares are up 83 per cent this year. The company has tripled in value since it debuted on the stock market in 2019. Its aim at flotation was to double earnings within five years, which it has done, and to continue to diversify from its traditional base of low-margin drug distribution. Double check. Having raised €135 million net of expenses at the time of its public offering, it has built on positions in speciality drug and medical devices distribution, and earns more money from these activities than its traditional pharma retail and supply operations. It sells to 165 countries. The stock recently touched €4, a level it had not reached since April 2022. Despite a two-and-a-half-year-long share price slump, the board of the company somehow managed to resist the temptation, unlike our friends at the hotel group Dalata, to put the company up for sale. It simply followed its strategy and the price clawed its way back. At the time of the IPO, some 1,100 community pharmacists, Uniphar's long-standing majority owners, held shares worth €112 million, or an average of €102,000 in Uniphar. If still in ownership, those holdings would now be worth on average €344,000. If Uniphar had been sold to private equity in 2019, none of those gains would have accrued to the pharmacist shareholders. The pharmacists own 25 per cent of Uniphar, worth €250 million. The group earns a return on equity of a healthy 15 per cent, has ambitions to grow earnings to €200 million, with 80 per cent of projected growth coming organically. Allianz Global Investors, Polar Capital, Mackenzie Investments, Swedish fund Swedbank Robur and Amundi Asset Management are its five largest institutional shareholders. All are long-term, stable investors. Uniphar was a long-time flotation candidate. It's true that the IPO provided an ideal liquidity event for its granular shareholder base. That's a peculiarity. Yet it is hard to believe that of the myriad of companies that have fallen into private equity hands in the past six years, surely a few could not have floated, just like Uniphar. The travel software company Datalex is leaving the market after 25 years to save between $1 million (€860,000) and $1.4 million in listing expenses. Frankly that says more about Datalex and Euronext Dublin. It's the lack of arrivals more than the dash of departures that really grates. Uniphar is a genuine market success story: Euronext should have it stuffed. Chemco Ireland (never heard of it) last week became the latest high-growth Irish company to be sold, snapped up by UK-based Basalt Infrastructure Partners (never heard of it either). According to the press release, Chemco is 'a leading provider of essential specialist chemical logistics, storage and distribution services to customers predominantly in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, food and industrial sectors in Ireland'. It made pre-tax profits of €25.3 million in the year to March 2023, and while no price was disclosed, a friendly corporate financier estimates it probably sold for somewhere between €200 million and €250 million. Yet another hidden jewel. It is largely owned by the families of John and Thomas McDonald. The press release also noted that the transaction is subject to 'FDI approval' (sorry, never heard of that either). The Screening of Third Country Transactions Act dictates that any transaction that involves a party from outside the EU, taking an interest in critical infrastructure or technology, or inputs, which could include energy or food, must be approved by the minister for enterprise. This inward investment screening law, which became operational in January, also covers personal data and media assets. So now chemical logistics is clearly critical infrastructure, the purchase price may have been higher. A key figure in the deal was the Basalt partner Tom Walsh, who formerly headed up Enva, the recovery and recycling outfit sold to I Squared Capital, another infrastructure fund, in 2023. His fingerprints were all over another Basalt deal, the acquisition of IMS Site Services, a construction waste company owned by the developer Pat Crean. Given how far the definition of infrastructure now stretches, and Walsh's deal-making track record, expect to hear more about Basalt.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sidesplitting blast of comedy nostalgia as Fawlty Towers returns to the stage
Go back in time to see Basil and Sybil at the famous Torquay hotel FOUR STARS Sidesplitting blast of comedy nostalgia as Fawlty Towers returns to the stage I'M not going to lie - I was slightly apprehensive about watching Fawlty Towers - The Play. Not just because I'm a few years too young to remember it the first time round back in 1975. Advertisement 3 Danny Bayne as an excellent Basil Fawlty Credit: Hugo Glendenning/Neil Reading PR 3 Mia Austen as Sybil looked uncannily like her - and sounded exactly the same Credit: Hugo Glendenning/Neil Reading PR 3 Hemi Yeroham as Manuel bought the house down with his catchphrases Credit: Hugo Glendenning/Neil Reading PR And also not because I feel like I may well have seen every moment already when flicking past Fawlty Towers reruns on terrestrial telly. But more because generally, I didn't think I was a fan of farce, or slapstick, or - to be honest - comfortable watching the vein-popping, eye twitching high level stress that Basil Fawlty had to endure every episode. So taking all that into account - I confidently thought I was going to be a tough crowd to please. But I'm delighted to say, I was completely wrong on all counts. Advertisement Astonishing levels of mimicry and imitation. Or, as waiter Manuel might like to say, 'I Know Nothing…' Lets be honest - there's a reason that the original show - which ran for a mere 12 episodes - has managed to stay firmly at the top of the 'best British sitcoms' charts. And that, I discovered within about five minutes of the play starting, is thanks to a whipsmart script, spot on timing and strong comedy characters. John Cleese - for it is he who bought it to the stage - has cleverly stitched together three of his favourites - The Hotel Inspectors, Communication Problems and The Germans. Advertisement And the cast bring every moment of every episode to life in astonishing levels of mimicry and imitation. Is it any different to the original? No. John Cleese drops huge update on Fawlty Towers reboot with daughter Camilla - and there's a scandalous twist Was it exactly what the audience were here to see and wanted and loved? Absolutely. From the moment a brilliant Danny Bayne marches onto set - you're transported straight back to that dilapidated Torquay hotel. Advertisement From every eye twitch and pratfall to vein bulge and goose step - he literally is John Cleese. He sounds and looks so like him it's uncanny. And happily he's got the comedy timing and a brand new supporting cast to back him up to the hilt. Along with Mia Austen's Sybil, Hemi Yeroham's Manuel, Joanne Clifton's Polly, Paul Nicholas' The Major, and Helen Lederer as Mrs Richards - you could be forgiven for thinking you'd stumbled into a live recording of the original. And what it's really got going for it - as well as the incredibly strong performances - is the fact that it really works well on a stage. Advertisement All the comings and goings of the hotel - with actors entering and leaving at all times, really adds to the setting. And although it doesn't bring anything new - it's just a perfect retelling of what turns out is a very funny TV show. Yes, the part with Ze Germans would probably be considered a bit close to the bone by a woker, younger audience. But they're not here - as the spontaneous round of applause and shrieks of laughter demonstrate. Advertisement In short - it does exactly what it says on the tin. If you loved it then, you'll love it now. And if you thought that you might not like it - you'll probably be proved wrong on all counts. A genuinely funny, heartwarming blast of nostalgia to make you laugh out loud. Fawlty Towers Advertisement Apollo Theatre, London, until Sep 13th then a UK tour ★★★★ For tickets visit
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
I visited the newly crowned ‘best B&B in England', from the town that brought us Fawlty Towers
Like a dad bod in swimwear, Torquay has looked a little awkward wearing the 'English Riviera' label in recent decades. A poster child for our faded seaside towns, the notion that this once-great resort could still be considered England's answer to Cannes has seemed, for a long time, faintly absurd, despite the French city's inflated reputation. Less so today. On this sunny afternoon along the revamped harbour, ice cream-clutching families sit among the flowers watching swanky yachts sway in the quay, as diners spill out of seafood restaurants and pubs fill up. In nearby Princess Gardens, shiny new hoardings surround the Victorian-era Pavilion – for decades a crumbling monument to past glories – now being scoped out for renovation. There's optimism in the air, providing you don't walk too far up the high street. The town is also rewriting its hospitality story. Having spawned the world's rudest hotelier, Basil Fawlty, a character based on a Torquay guesthouse owner, the resort has flipped the Fawlty Towers script. At the AA's recent annual tourism awards, a local B&B, The 25 Boutique, was crowned England's best. 'It came out of the blue,' says Julian Banner-Price, The 25's lofty co-owner, greeting me at the property with a glass of fizz and a home-baked chocolate brownie. Julian and husband Andy took on The 25 a decade ago, transforming it from a 'beige box' with 'urgh decor' into an offbeat property that wouldn't look out of place in Brighton's Kemptown. The homemade artworks inside, many fashioned from old shop mannequins bought on eBay, look ripe for Instagram feeds. Only most of The 25's clientele aren't on social media. 'We thought we'd attract a young, trendy crowd from London and Brighton or wherever, but most of our guests are retired,' says Andy. 'Seventy per cent are repeat visitors.' One satisfied customer is Ab Fab star Joanna Lumley, whose framed thank-you note hangs on the wall. 'She was, as you'd expect, just fabulous,' says Julian. Subtle nods to Fawlty Towers abound in The 25. 'This is Prunella,' says Andy, pointing to a gold mannequin in a pink feather boa sitting pensively near the honesty bar in the lounge. True to form for Torquay, my bedroom has no views of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plains, but it does have a zebra. 'That's Frank,' says Julian, motioning towards the haloed, gold-winged fibreglass equine mounted above my bed like a kitsch hunting trophy. In a neighbouring room, guests have Manuel, a headless, bow tie-wearing mannequin, to keep them company. Among the other garish design flourishes are neon lights, sparkling headboards and TVs in the showers. 'The water bill's through the roof,' says Julian. 'People don't want to get out of the shower.' The 25 is, then, loud, proud and, as Julian admits, 'not for everyone'. 'Some people like beige,' he says. 'All we've ever done is create our perfect place to stay – we're just glad that others like it, too.' The AA award is the latest silverware to be crammed into The 25's trophy cabinet. VisitEngland crowned it the nation's best B&B in 2020 and then again in 2022, while TripAdvisor declared it the world's best in 2017 and 2024. There have been other gongs. The pair's achievements are all the more remarkable given that Andy was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2022. Treatment was, mercifully, a success. 'I'm fitter than ever,' he tells me. The 25 is a two-man show, stubbornly so. The laundry, the cleaning, the breakfasts, the home-baked treats that appear in rooms every day – even the back-to-the-brick renovation of the property – is all the couple's work. 'We do absolutely everything ourselves because we want it done to our high standards,' says Andy. No kidding. Their meticulous eye for detail would put an F1 team principle to shame. 'All the screw heads on all the switches and sockets point down,' says Andy. I test him on this, scouring The 25 for an erroneous horizontal screw, but without success. I give up and go to bed with Frank. I sleep like a baby and eat like a king. Breakfast at The 25 is as indulgent as the decor. There are homemade yogurts, pastries, fruit pots, fruit shots and a choice of cooked breakfast. 'It spoils you, staying here,' coos the woman on the table next to me. She and her husband are down from Fleet, Hampshire. It's their sixth time at The 25. 'We were never the sort to come back to places, but we love it here; we get looked after.' Encouragingly for me, given my ambition to open a B&B one day, Andy and Julian came into hospitality with no prior experience. They previously worked in the corporate world – Julian in IT, Andy in customer services – but it left them unfulfilled. Impulsively, they quit their old lives and bought a 400-year-old hotel, the Plas Dinas Country House, in Snowdonia. 'It was quite rundown and had just lost its three-star rating,' says Andy. 'But we turned it around – it was five star when we left.' It still is. In fact, it's just been crowned Wales' best restaurant with rooms at the very same AA awards. Prince William, then based on Anglesey with the RAF, was a regular. A framed picture of him at the property hangs in the hall at The 25. In the end, the rambling Welsh pile proved too much, so they downsized and moved to Torquay, grateful to leave Snowdonia's weather behind. It's sunnier down here with brighter days ahead, reckons Julian. 'Torquay is getting back to where it should be,' he says. The old swimwear is starting to fit again.
Spectator
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
The Epping migrant delusion
The origin of the story of the Emperor's New Clothes is difficult to pin down: could it be 19th century Denmark or 14th century Spain, 13th century India or the 500s BC in Greece? Perhaps the fact that all of these cultures and times are viable options confirms the truth of it: never overestimate the capacity of those in power to believe their own nonsense. British politics is an excellent example of this. I'm fascinated by Angela Rayner's words – leaked from a cabinet meeting in the midst of the Epping hotel fiasco – about needing to 'repair the social fabric' and foster 'better integration'. She's not wrong, but the fact that something so self-evidently true even needs to be said at cabinet is telling. Surely no one who hasn't been in a coma for the last 25 years would need reminding of this. It was redolent of one of Basil Fawlty's better put-downs to his wife; 'Next contestant: Sybil Fawlty from Torquay, special subject the bleeding obvious'. You detect a belief, in some quarters of government, that people are somehow imagining the problems around them. Indeed, Rayner went on to add that 'while Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish.' Given that she also warned of civil unrest and a summer of rioting in the same breath, to return instantly to 'diversity is our strength' platitudinous slop seems to require a certain cognitive dissonance. One of the inherent problems with the government's strategy to 'educate' people out of their concerns about immigration is that the narrative it requires is based on myth, not history. 'The Windrush built Stonehenge, Paddington abolished slavery, Nye Bevan created the world in six days' brand of legends which are now pedalled as the official narrative of the country's past simply don't stand up to any meaningful tests of fact. All this further undermines governmental attempts to allay concerns about migration. This constant construction and promotion of easily disprovable myth only embeds the idea that the powers that be are either dangerously deluded or maliciously dishonest. Whenever the issue is raised of enormous numbers of people arriving in the country, in defiance of public opinion and often with beliefs, values and practices that are at direct odds with the norms of this country, we are treated to a lecture by our leaders replete with nebulous platitudes and sometimes a bit of football chat. Football appears to be Keir Starmer's only cultural touchstone; he claims not to have a favourite book and never to have experienced a dream, he exhibits no knowledge of history prior to the tail-end of the Clement Attlee government. Is it any wonder that this man is incapable of communicating a deeper narrative of Britain beyond his Dalek-like squawks of 'R'NHS'? These are people who, when faced with an overboiling pot, choose to put a lid on it rather than turn down the stove. They have no idea how truly divided and angry the country is, nor how ill-equipped they are to deal with it. The government's latest plan appears to be shuffling asylum seekers from hotel to hotel, or from hotel into private rented accommodation, and hope no one will notice – while MPs congratulate themselves for getting the numbers down. This tendency isn't just limited to politicians either. Having initially denied it, Essex police have now admitted that they escorted a left-wing rent-a-mob to the protest against illegal immigration outside the Bell Hotel in Epping. Since the Southport murders, an entire team of civil servants has been tasked with monitoring people's personal comms on social media. Never does it apparently occur to them that public anger might be rooted in real, tangible things. They fundamentally see this as a matter of information containment or – among the even more naïve – education of the masses, rather than policy. There is still a Blair era idea – courtesy of Alastair Campbell – that you can simply 'manage' the news, and people will feel better. In practice that means that if enough lies are repeated, enough platitudes spouted and enough protests cracked down on then eventually the headlines will change. Ironically, this attitude is doing more to 'whip up unrest' than any Facebook post by some outraged Essex nan. Indeed elsewhere, the government is very much compounding the anger with its lack of transparency. Whether it is the prolonged obfuscation over its new Islamophobia definition, continuing delays with a grooming gang inquiry (last week, Jess Phillips confirmed that it has yet even to appoint a chairman), or just the clear evidence of two-tier justice across all aspects of policing – which you can now expect a ticking-off for noticing. Whether it was Denmark or India or Spain, nothing is clearer than the fact that we now have an emperor's new clothes situation in Britain today. Our leaders strut around naked and then have the audacity to criticise the dress and deportment of the plebs down below. In short, if anything is bringing the nation to boiling point, it is this.
Evening Standard
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
John Cleese to feature in new documentary film about his life on tour
Cleese also co-wrote the BBC Two sitcom Fawlty Towers, which ran for two series in 1975 and 1979 and followed the unfortunate exploits of highly-strung Torquay hotelier Basil Fawlty (Cleese) and his wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, as they tried to keep their hotel and marriage afloat.
