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Fawlty towers has often been voted the most popular sitcom. Its appeal is timeless and spreads across the spectrum. Only 12 episodes were ever made, the producers wished to put as much energy as they could into making each episode as good as they could.

At the heart of all Fawlty Towers episodes is Basil Fawlty. Basil superbly played by John Cleese brings out the best in the other characters and brings a touch of craziness and at times insanity.

Basil Fawlty is at once both a clown with capacity for self destruction but also comes across as a rather pompous figure who aspires to “higher society”. It is this paradox in his nature that makes his incompetence even more funny. A classic example is the episode in which he is taken in by a confidence trickster who pretends to be a Lord. Basil responds by fawning almost embarrassingly on this “Lord” Inevitably the Lord is revealed as a fraud, much to the complete rage of Basil. Basil Fawlty’s relationship with his wife Sybil plays upto many stereotypes of painful marriages. The relationship is always taut with constant friction between the two, being a constant source of humour. At times we can start to feel sympathy for Basil at other times we feel sympathy for Sybil. With Manuel on the other hand Basil is definitely the boss. But he is constantly exasperated by Manuel’s failure to comprehend the instructions of his boss. Manuel’s favourite phrase “Que?” becomes a repeated joke. Made particularly funny by the exaggerated frustration as to how Basil always responds.

Whilst there are these recurring relationships throughout the series, each episode provides a new character for Basil to create problems. The episode with Mrs Richards is a good example of Basil’s difficulty with dealing with awkward customers. At the same time Mrs Richards is a real handful. The characters are so strong that it becomes easy to create a funny episode. The series does not rely on jokes so much as people’s reactions and interactions. Another episode where Basil disastrously deals with his own customers is epitomised in “Waldorf Salad” Here visiting American tourists request a late dinner and pay Basil to stay open late. Rather than pay the chef he pockets the £5 but then is completely unable to make a simple “Waldorf Salad”. There is something in the character of Basil Fawlty which makes him incapable of apologising or admitting he is wrong. Rather than take an easy way out he will create an elaborate tale of explanation. Yet no matter how elaborate it usually fails. And in the Waldorf Salad Basil gets his comeuppance from the aggrieved American who then reduces Basil Fawlty to a whimpering wreck.