Although only 12 episodes were ever made, from 1975 to 1979, in two series of six episodes each, Fawlty Towers won multiple awards and was number one in the list of the top 100 British TV programmes ever in a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute.
For anyone who has been on another planet, the plot revolves around manic hotel owner Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) and his disillusioned wife Sybil (Prunella Scales) who run the chaotic English hotel, Fawlty Towers. Along with two staff, the endearing but bumbling Spanish waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs) and long-suffering waitress and general helper Polly (Connie Booth), the quartet shine in the series of farcical and often slapstick episodes that never look tired.
John Cleese and Connie Booth, who were married in real life at the time, co-wrote the scripts and wove in an amazing array of legendary plots, with twists and turns that made even the simplest scenario suddenly become complicated, with hilarious results.
Cleese had tried out the character in comedy show Doctor At Large, when Timothy Bateson played a petty hotel proprietor called Mr Clifford. The iconic Basil Fawlty was born from this early character, famous for his constant battle to inject class and etiquette into his rather ordinary establishment.
Basil and his wife constantly argued, with the acerbic Sybil being more than a match for her permanently angry spouse. Their witty repartee revolved around Basil inventing many insults for Sybil, that were said in a charming way, such as calling her "my little piranha fish". Despite his bluster, Basil is continually intimidated by Sybil and one cry of "Basil!" in her famous sharp voice will stop him in his tracks, no matter what he's doing.
The famous escapades include the staff trying to hide a dead rat when a health inspector visits and even trying to keep a dead customer hidden because it would be bad for business! Basil also pretends to a party of friends that Sybil is ill on their anniversary, when she has actually left him.
Manuel is permanently confused, partly due to the fact he can't speak English very well but mainly because he finds it hard to understand his boss's bizarre requests. He responds with "Qué?" - meaning "What?" - to just about everything, slowly driving Basil round the bend and leading to his permanent anger at the unfortunate Spaniard.
Other regular characters included Major Gowen (Ballard Berkely) - an eccentric, elderly colonial type and war veteran who was a permanent resident at Fawlty Towers.
There were also various one-off performances by the stars of the day in each episode, such as Bernard Cribbins as an incredibly irritating guest who receives his come-uppance in the end and leaves us cheering for Basil. Joan Sanderson played Miss Richards, who was a selectively deaf and very abrasive guest. Despite being in just one 30-minute episode, many fans said it was her best performance and one she will be remembered for.
After Fawlty Towers ended, a number of overseas TV companies sought to make versions of the show but paling in comparison, none of them matched up to the original.
The series won three BAFTA awards: series one and series two both won the "Best Situation Comedy" award, while Cleese won "Best Light Entertainment Performance" in 1976 - Andrew Sachs lost out after being nominated for the same award.
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