a b c Richmond, Ray (1999). "Payne", Variety (Los Angeles, California), March 11, 1999. Retrieved December 29, 2019. Bayha, Marlies (2009). Extras und Co- Die Faszination der Groteske: Eine Untersuchung der komödiantischen Sch(m)erzgrenze in der britischen Fernsehserie. GRIN Verlag. p.20. ISBN 978-3-640-43074-1.

The first episode of Fawlty Towers was recorded as a pilot on 24 December 1974, the rest of the series being recorded later in 1975. It was then originally broadcast on 19 September. The 12th and final episode was first shown on 25 October 1979. The first series was directed by John Howard Davies, the second by Bob Spiers. Both had their premieres on BBC Two. Fawlty Towers was originally released by BBC Video in 1984, with three episodes on each of four tapes. Each tape was edited with the credits from all three episodes put at the end of the tape. A LaserDisc containing all episodes spliced together as a continuous episode was released in the U.S. on 23 June 1993. It was re-released in 1994, unedited but digitally remastered. It also was re-released in 1997 with a special interview with John Cleese. Fawlty Towers—The Complete Series was released on DVD on 16 October 2001, available in regions 1, 2 and 4. A "Collector's Edition" is available in region 2.a b Slide, Anthony (1996). Some Joe you don't know: an American biographical guide to 100 British television personalities. Greenwood Publishing Group. p.21. ISBN 978-0-313-29550-8. Cleese also may have been reluctant because of Connie Booth's unwillingness to be involved. She had practically retreated from public life after the show finished (and had been initially unwilling to collaborate on a second series, which explains the four-year gap between productions). Greatest ... (100 Greatest TV Characters (Part 1))". ITN Source. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015 . Retrieved 13 June 2014. The arrival of the "guest from hell" — Mrs. Richards, a rather deaf, domineering 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. A sequel series starring Cleese and his daughter Camilla is in development as of February 2023. [6] [7] Cleese subsequently confirmed to GB News that the sequel series, unlike the original series, would not be broadcast on the BBC. [8] Origins [ edit ] Gleneagles Hotel, Torquay in 2009. Cleese stayed at the hotel with the Monty Python team in 1970, and was inspired to write the series by the eccentric behaviour of the hotel's owner Donald Sinclair.

Payne is the third unsuccessful attempt by American television producers to adapt and transplant a version of Fawlty Towers to the United States. [4] The first one, developed in 1978, is a 30-minute sitcom costarring Harvey Korman and Betty White. [5] Titled Snavely and directed by Hal Cooper, that production never progressed beyond the completion of a pilot. [4] [6] The second series, Amanda's starring Bea Arthur, was broadcast in 1983 on ABC and lasted 10 episodes before it was cancelled. [4] Basic description [ edit ]Bright, Morris; Robert Ross (2001). Fawlty Towers: Fully Booked. London: BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-53439-7.

Duguid, Mark. "Fawlty Towers (1975, 79)". screenonline.org.uk. British Film Institute . Retrieved 25 July 2017. Dalla Costa, Dario (2004). The Complexities of Farce: With a Case Study on Fawlty Towers . Unpublished Master's thesis, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. Retrieved from http://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/files/3238761/Costa_Dario_Dalla_2004.pdf What improvement there is though nice to have and I'm generally pleased with the blu-ray release. It's probably never going to look any better than this but that's faint praise.a b Goddard, Peter. "FAWLTY TOWERS: British Situation Comedy". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013 . Retrieved 8 August 2009. Fawlty Towers 'lost scene' sees Basil hiding outside a window to avoid sex with a drunk Sybil". The Telegraph. 17 December 2022. At first, the series was not held in particularly high esteem. The Daily Mirror's review of the show in 1975 had the headline "Long John Short On Jokes". [50] One critic of the show was Richard Ingrams, then television reviewer for The Spectator, who wrote a caustic piece condemning the programme. Cleese got his revenge by naming one of the guests in the second series "Mr. Ingrams", who is caught in his room with a blow-up doll. [51] Eventually, though, as the series began to gain popularity, critical acclaim followed. Clive James writing in The Observer said the second episode had him "retching with laughter." [52] John Cleese interview – part one". Parkinson. BBC. 2 August 2007. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021 . Retrieved 20 September 2016. Snavely (1978)", catalog, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Atlanta, Georgia; Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2019.