One day in May 1971, John Cleese was filming with the Monty Python boys in the southwest of England, where they experienced a particularly rude hotel manager who was so off-putting that they cut their stay from two weeks to one night. The manager – a short, bitter man married to a large, overpowering wife – was so ridiculous a character that he inspired one of Britain’s most popular comedies. At the time, Cleese was also a writer for the show Doctor In The House, and he debuted Mr. and Mrs. Fawlty in one of its episodes. When the BBC offered Cleese his own show in 1973, Cleese and his then-wife, Connie Booth, set to work writing the series about the hoteliers while Cleese was on temporary leave from the Pythons. It would star Cleese as the aggressive and demented hotel manager, Basil Fawlty, Prunella Scales as his domineering wife, Sybil, Booth as the calm and supportive do-it-all waitress, Polly Sherman, and Andrew Sachs as the much-abused Spanish waiter, Emmanuel. Unlike many of today’s shows for which episodes are scripted within two weeks, Cleese and Booth spent about six weeks writing each show, and limited their run to just twelve episodes. This quality control and attention to detail paid off, with the 1975 series going on to be touted as one of the best in British TV history. It has also been greatly successful around the world and still appears in repeats on many cable stations. The storylines often revolved around long-time and visiting hotel guests who inevitably irritated Basil, ushering in witty but harsh insults. The fur also flew between Basil and Sybil, who could give it as well as, if not better than her abrasive husband. Basil’s nicknames for her included “toxic midget” and “little nest of vipers”. More often than not, the combination of the unsuitable guests (often seen as unworthy pests and obstacles), Emmanuel’s inability to understand English, and Basil’s desire to increase the exclusivity of the hotel led to trouble for the strained hotel staff. In 1976, the show won best comedy at the BAFTA TV awards, winning again in 1980 with another win for Best Light Entertainment Performer for Cleese. In 1976, between seasons one and two, Cleese and Booth divorced, but went on to produce another classic season of the show. Booth is the mother of Cleese’s daughter, Cynthia, who appeared in A Fish Called Wanda with her dad.
