Writers: John Cleese and Connie Booth
Adaptor: John Cleese
Director: Caroline Jay Ranger
First aired in 1975, Fawlty Towers has long been regarded as one of Britain’s greatest television sitcoms, celebrated for its razor‑sharp writing. Created by John Cleese and Connie Booth, the series followed the disastrously mismanaged Torquay hotel run by the irritable and socially aspirational Basil Fawlty, whose explosive temper and escalating blunders fuelled the show’s farcical energy. Inspired by Cleese and Booth’s stay at the notoriously eccentric Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay – where the behaviour of proprietor Donald Sinclair left a lasting impression – the show ran for only two series, comprising a total of 12 episodes. The last episode aired in 1979, but such was its impact that many aficionados can quote lengthy passages of Basil’s legendary diatribes against his guests, who, he believes, are all determined to make life difficult for him.
Then, over thirty years after any new episodes had been made, John Cleese created Fawlty Towers: The Play, premiering in Australia in 2016 and ultimately opening in the West End in 2024. It is not, strictly speaking, a new show; Cleese has taken the scripts and storylines from three episodes – The Hotel Inspectors and The Germans from Series 1, and Communication Problems from Series 2 – and woven them together.
As soon as one enters the theatre, Liz Ascroft’s set design is immediately familiar to viewers of the TV series. We see the reception, the main staircase and dining area, and, on a higher level, a cramped hotel bedroom. It is meticulously crafted to resemble the TV interior closely, and one is immediately transported back to a simpler time when a hotel with 26 bedrooms could proudly proclaim that 12 had private bathrooms, but that television could only be enjoyed in the lounge.
The attention to detail continues: while the principal cast members bear striking resemblances to the TV cast – helped by Ascroft’s costume design – the mannerisms and tics of each are also perfectly executed. It would be easy to slip into parody, but Caroline Jay Ranger’s direction ensures the whole remains outside that territory, while still reflecting the original farcical elements.
Danny Bayne brings us Basil Fawlty: tall and gangly, he appears to be constructed principally from elbows and knees. The gradual ratcheting up of Basil’s irritation, alongside his fawning to Sybil following a sharp word and his reactions when things appear to go right – and actually go wrong – are brilliantly realised.
Mia Austen’s Sybil is also a perfect representation. From the improbably coiffed hair to the immaculate suit and court shoes, she is clearly the power behind the throne. In the opening scene, the very first thing we hear – after the theme tune – is Sybil’s laugh on the phone, which immediately transports us back to the late 1970s.
Joanne Clifton plays the sensible maid, Polly, a beacon of calm in the maelstrom of emotion that swirls around her. And, of course, we have Manuel the Spanish waiter, played impeccably – and haplessly – by Hemi Yeroham, the butt of Fawlty’s frequent outbursts and physical attacks.
As the play progresses, Fawlty hears that hotel inspectors are due to visit and mistakenly fawns over those he believes to be them, meets Mrs Richards (Jemma Churchill), an aurally challenged guest, and tries not to mention the war in front of a group of German guests. It is all very familiar.
While that familiarity is a strength – it is certainly a crowd‑pleaser, with several members of the audience literally saying the lines with the cast at times – it is also, paradoxically, a potential weakness. The original episodes were written for a half‑hour format and worked extremely well; weaving them together, even in a fast‑paced, farcical way, makes the whole piece feel episodic and lacking in a true resolution. An original strand to the story might have added something new. However, this is a minor criticism of what is an affectionate and very funny tribute to a legend of British comedy.
Runs until 21 February 2026 and on tour
