The cast of Fawlty Towers have met for the first time in more than 30 years to promote a couple of documentaries about the series.
John Cleese took the opportunity to give his views on modern televions:
If you go back to television in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s we did have the least bad television in the world. That’s quite a claim,” said Cleese.
“I don’t think it’s true any more. The main problem now is it’s run on the basis of money and the audience is too broken up. Ultimately it does take a bit of money, not a lot, but a bit, and they don’t want to pay writers and that’s what it’s down to. They don’t want to pay writers. . .
There were only 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers and all were a lot better than less bad. The series was so good it’s still being screened and several lines have become part of the language, among them: Don’t mention the war; ¿Qué? and He’s from Barcelona.
Although, while Manuel was from Barcelona, the actor who played him wasn’t even from Spain. Andrew Sachs was born in Germany and moved to Britain with his family when he was eight.
It’s difficult to pick a favourite episode, but even had I not encountered the difficulties of an English speaker grappling with Spanish, this scene would still make me laugh:
Homepaddock 
So many classic lines….ees rat!
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Gourmet Night and German Tourists are my two all-time favourites. The sight of Cleese beating his Morris 1100 with a tree-branch in Gourmet Night is a moment of pure comic genius.
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I’d loved the series when I was growing up, and I still get a laugh when I watch it now.
I think comedy has changed a lot over the years and most of it is limited to a time period.
But, shows like Faulty Towers and The Goon Show are timeless.
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Good comedy is all about believing that something is possible, highly unlikely but still possible. Too much of what passes for comedy is forced and leaves nothing to the imagination. so while it may be funny at the time , it is like a a smile from a stranger. It is pleasant but fleeting. Fawlty towers is like a well worn dressing gown that fits comfortably and keeps us warm.
For some reason it seems like there had to have been more than twelve episodes. That doesn’t seem like enough for the laughs we had and are still having.
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“On those trays…” pure comedy gold, thanks for the memories.
H.I.S.
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A good friend of mine is known as “Orallyman” to this day.
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