Communication Problems

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“Communication Problems”
Fawlty Towers episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 1
Written by John Cleese & Connie Booth
Directed by Bob Spiers
Guest stars Joan Sanderson
Original airdate 19 February 1979
Episode chronology
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List of Fawlty Towers episodes

"Communication Problems" is the first episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Selectively deaf Mrs. Alice Richards, a woman with the power to annoy everyone and anyone, has chosen to stay at Fawlty Towers, to the dismay of Basil who fails to cope with her repeated phrase "What?". When she loses some money she makes everyone's life hell until it turns up ... or is it hers?

[edit] Cast

Episode Credited cast:

With:

  • Bill Bradley as Mr. Mackintosh
  • Robert Lankesheer as Mr. Thurston
  • George Lee as the delivery man
  • Mervyn Pascoe as Mr. Yardley
  • Johnny Shannon as Mr. Firkins

[edit] Plot

Mrs. Richards, an abrasive and deaf older lady, arrives at the hotel and starts arguing with Polly about who is being served first. Polly asks Manuel to assist Mrs. Richards, she is misled by Manuel's poor grasp of English ("¡Sí!...¿Qué?...What?") and ends up believing that the hotel manager is a man named C.K. Watt, aged forty.

Major Gowen exclaims to Basil that it's St. George's Day, and Basil comes up with a new insulting name for his wife suggesting she resembles a dragon. Basil gets a tip from a satisfied customer ("We should have him stuffed," Basil comments) on a horse named Dragonfly in the 3.00 race at Exeter. Basil tells Manuel to put a bet down for him when he goes into town. However Manuel is not to breathe a word to Sybil, who has banned Basil from gambling.

Mrs. Richards meanwhile complains to Basil that the room is cold, her radio doesn't work, her bath is too small and the view is invisible. ("Deaf, mad AND blind," is Basil's aside to Manuel.) The radio clearly works but she had not realised because of her deafness. She demands a reduction in her room rate. At first, Basil is sarcastic: "Why? Because Krakatoa isn't erupting at the moment?" This is in response to her complaint about what is actually a nice view of Torquay.

"Well may I ask what you expected to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically..." (does not, in fact, say the words "across the plains," as is commonly quoted).

While Mrs. Richards still has her hearing aid off, Basil whispers "60% if you turn it on," but she realises she can't hear, turns her hearing aid on, and then Basil tells her that his wife handles such issues.

Manuel returns with Basil's winnings of £75 and gives them to Polly because he can't find Basil. She has another encounter with Mrs. Richards, who requests lavatory paper for her room. Polly is under the presumption that she meant writing paper, and Mrs. Richards becomes convinced Polly is being rude because she states that they keep the paper in the lounge. Basil arrives and sorts out the situation, and collects his winnings from Polly.

Mrs. Richards announces that she has had £85 stolen from her room. Sybil, who saw Polly counting Basil's money in the office, presumes that she has found it. So as not to give away Basil's gambling, Polly says she herself won it on the horse. When Sybil asks the horse's name, she cannot remember and Basil desperately gestures behind Sybil's back to illustrate the name. After several false starts she remembers that it is Dragonfly. Sybil is still somewhat suspicious so Basil gives Major Gowen the money to look after for safe keeping.

Next morning, Basil asks the major for the money but he has forgotten that Basil gave it to him. Eventually he produces it, and Sybil believes the money is that which Mrs. Richards lost or had stolen. Seeing his winnings being given to the obnoxious guest, Basil becomes very agitated. Although it is £10 short Mrs. Richards is convinced it is hers. Basil tries to persuade her otherwise, but is hindered by the major and by Manuel, who states (as Basil previously asked him to) "I know nothing". Basil makes up the missing £10 from the till.

However it seems good luck is just around the corner for Basil. A man delivers a vase to the hotel for Mrs. Richards, and also produces £95 in a glove which she left behind in the shop. Basil realises that he is £10 up on the deal. When Sybil sees Basil with the money, she quizzes him and Polly chimes in that it is hers. Basil adds that he is putting it in the safe for her.

Just as it seems that Basil has got away with his gambling exploits, regained his winnings and has an extra £10, Major Gowen blurts out that he has remembered that Basil won the money on the horses. Sybil confiscates the money, Basil drops Mrs. Richards' vase in shock, and the episode closes with Sybil repaying Mrs. Richards the £75 cost of the vase with the money Basil had won.

[edit] Trivia

  • This episode marks the first appearance of Terry the chef (played by Brian Hall), he is the only new regular character in the last series.
  • Last appearance of George Lee - the only non-regular actor to play the same character twice. He appears as the Delivery Man here (called Kerr), and in The Builders (called Bennion).
  • When Sybil throws coffee at Basil, some accidentally lands on the Major - however, in a later shot, Ballard Berkeley has a dry suit, showing the continuity error that a break in filming was needed to clean him up.
  • This episode was issued on an audio LP under the title "Mrs. Richards".
  • The following line was originally cut in rehearsal: Basil picks some morsel off the floor after Mrs. Richards hits her head in the office, and asks, "Is this a piece of your brain?" Andrew Sachs claims credit for having the line reinstated. After seeing it had been cut, Sachs convinced John Cleese it was an extremely funny moment and talked Cleese into putting it back in the show.

[edit] References

  • Fawlty Towers: A Worshipper's Companion, Leo Publishing, ISBN 91-973661-8-8
  • The Complete Fawlty Towers by John Cleese & Connie Booth (1988, Methuen, London) ISBN 0-413-18390-4 (the complete text)
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Fawlty Towers
Characters
Series One episodes
Series Two episodes
"Communication Problems" · "The Psychiatrist" · "Waldorf Salad" · "The Kipper and the Corpse" · "The Anniversary" · "Basil the Rat"
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