List of Fawlty Towers episodes

This is a list of episodes for the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, which was broadcast on BBC 2 from 19 September 1975 to 25 October 1979. The first series was directed by John Howard Davies, the second by Bob Spiers.

Contents

Series overview

Series Episodes Originally aired DVD release date
Series premiere Series finale
1 6 19 September 1975 (1975-09-19) 24 October 1975 (1975-10-24) 16 October 2001 (2001-10-16)[1]
2 6 19 February 1979 (1979-02-19) 25 October 1979 (1979-10-25)

Episode list

Series 1 (1975)

# # Title Sign reads Original air date
1 1 "A Touch of Class" FAWLTY TOWERS (Crooked S) 19 September 1975 (1975-09-19)

As Basil tries to raise the tone of the hotel, the aristocratic Lord Melbury comes to stay at the hotel. Basil fawns over him at every opportunity, causing himself to neglect or annoy other guests, until Polly discovers Melbury is actually a confidence trickster. Meanwhile, Sybil orders Basil to hang a picture.


Featuring: Michael Gwynn as Lord Melbury and Robin Ellis as Danny Brown. 
2 2 "The Builders" FAWLTY TOWER (Crooked L) 26 September 1975 (1975-09-26)

Maintenance is made on the lobby while the Fawltys are out, but when a misreading causes the incompetent builders to mess it up spectacularly, Basil must try to remedy the situation before Sybil finds out.


Featuring: David Kelly as O'Reilly and Michael Cronin as Murphy. 
3 3 "The Wedding Party" FAW TY TOWER (Crooked W) 3 October 1975 (1975-10-03)

Basil gets annoyed when a young, flirtatious couple start "hanky-pankying" under his nose and tries to avoid the advances of a wealthy French antique dealer. Meanwhile, misfortune conspires to put him in compromising situations whenever the couple are around.


Featuring: Trevor Adams as Alan and Yvonne Gilan as Mrs. Peignoir. 
4 4 "The Hotel Inspectors" FAW TY TO ER 10 October 1975 (1975-10-10)

When Basil hears of hotel inspectors roaming Torquay incognito, he realises with horror that guests he has been abusing could easily be among them. Basil becomes increasingly obsessed with trying to determine which guests are hotel inspectors, but his suspects turn out not to be, to his frustration.


Featuring: Bernard Cribbins and James Cossins play men who turn out not to be hotel inspectors. 
5 5 "Gourmet Night" WA RTY TOWELS 17 October 1975 (1975-10-17)

In an effort to climb another rung in the social ladder, Basil arranges a gourmet night. Unfortunately, thanks to the chef's alcoholism, Basil must try to get hold of a duck from his friend, André. This, combined with the Fawlty's faulty car and his social awkwardness leads Basil ever closer to a nervous breakdown.


Featuring: André Maranne as André, Allan Cuthbertson as Colonel Hall and Ann Way as Mrs. Hall. 
6 6 "The Germans" None[Note 1] 24 October 1975 (1975-10-24)

With Sybil in the hospital with an ingrowing toenail, a moose's head to hang up and some German guests arriving the next day, Basil has his work cut out for him. After an attempted fire drill goes wrong and Basil lands up in the hospital with concussion, he succeeds causing much offence to the German guests after finally escaping back to the hotel. This episode is the origin of the quote "Don't mention the war."


Featuring: Brenda Cowling as Sister. 

Series 2 (1979)

The second series was transmitted three and a half years later, with the first episode being broadcast on 19 February 1979. Due to an industrial dispute at the BBC, which resulted in a strike, the final episode was not completed until well after the others, being finally shown as a one-off instalment on 25 October 1979. The cancelled episode on 19 March was replaced with a repeat of "Gourmet Night" from series 1. In the second series the anagrams were created by Ian McClane, Bob Spier's assistant floor manager.

# # Title Sign reads Original air date
7 1 "Communication Problems" FAWLTY TOWER (Crooked L)[Note 2] 19 February 1979 (1979-02-19)

The arrival of the "guest from hell" — Mrs. Richards, a rather deaf, dotty and bad-tempered woman — interferes with Basil's attempts to prevent the money he won on a racehorse from being discovered by Sybil, who disapproves of gambling.


Featuring: Joan Sanderson as Mrs Richards. 
8 2 "The Psychiatrist" WATERY FOWLS 26 February 1979 (1979-02-26)

A psychiatrist and his wife — also a doctor — come to the hotel for a weekend break, and cannot help but notice the eccentricities of their host, who is perturbed when he discovers their professions. A very attractive Australian girl (Luan Peters) also visits, who goes on to have certain awkward interactions with Fawlty as he seeks to catch a non-paying guest he believes Mr Johnson (Nicky Henson) has in his bedroom.


Featuring: Basil Henson and Elspet Gray as Mr and Mrs Abbott, Nicky Henson as Mr Johnson and Luan Peters as Raylene Miles. 
9 3 "Waldorf Salad" FLAY OTTERS 5 March 1979 (1979-03-05)

Basil is not altogether keen on a loud and demanding American guest who demands a higher class of service — and food — than Fawlty Towers is accustomed to providing. Basil soon learns that the American guest will not tolerate any shenanigans.


Featuring: Bruce Boa and Claire Nielson as Mr and Mrs Hamilton and Norman Bird as Mr Arrad. 
10 4 "The Kipper and the Corpse" FATTY OWLS 12 March 1979 (1979-03-12)

With no regard to Basil's blood pressure, a guest dies at the hotel and Basil and the staff are left with the unpleasant task of removing the body discreetly while the doctor staying at the hotel, Dr. Price, waits for his sausages. Also, Polly and Manuel feed an elderly woman's pampered pet dog some extra spicy sausages after it bites them both.


Featuring: Geoffrey Palmer as Dr Price, Derek Royle as Mr Leeman and Richard Davies as Mr White. 
11 5 "The Anniversary" FLOWERY TWATS 26 March 1979 (1979-03-26)

Basil invites some friends for a surprise wedding anniversary party, but Sybil assumes he has forgotten their anniversary and storms off, leaving her husband and Polly, in disguise, desperately telling the others she is 'ill'…


Featuring: Ken Campbell as Roger and Una Stubbs as Alice. 
12 6 "Basil the Rat" FARTY TOWELS 25 October 1979 (1979-10-25)

The local health inspector issues a long list of hygienic aberrations which the staff must immediately sort out, or else face closure. After Manuel's pet rat escapes from his cage and runs loose in the hotel, the staff must catch it before the inspector finds it first. At the same time, they must try and discern which veal cutlets are safe to eat after one covered in rat poison gets mixed up with the others.


Featuring: John Quarmby as the Health Inspector. 

Notes

  1. ^ This is the only episode in the entire series that did not feature the hotel as the backdrop for the titles, footage of the Northwick Park Hospital in Middlesex was used instead hence the sign is not shown.
  2. ^ This is the same opening shot as in episode 2, "The Builders" from Series 1.

References