Fawlty Towers: The Play

If you have ever quoted Basil Fawlty at a family dinner, or you have strong opinions about the correct way to say Barcelona, then congratulations, this show was made for you!

I caught it at Leeds Grand Theatre

What Cleese has given us is basically an homage to one of the best sitcoms ever made, and it wears that badge proudly. Which means that those who love the TV show will absolutely love this. The rhythms are familiar, the chaos is comfortingly predictable, and the punchlines still land like a tray of drinks being carried by someone who has just sworn there is no fire at all.

The production cleverly stitches together three of the most iconic episodes into one seamless evening of mayhem - though TBF they’re all iconic!.

We get "The Hotel Inspectors," where Basil’s snobbery and paranoia reach fever pitch as he tries to identify undercover inspector-guests; "Communication Problems," featuring the formidable, hearing-aid-dodging Mrs. Richards; and, of course, "The Germans," which provides the kind of frantic, goose-stepping finale that has the entire theatre in raptures - even if this segment does feel a little rushed.

This was, without question, a nostalgia crowd. In the performance I saw the auditorium was packed, and it genuinely felt like 95 percent of us had grown up with the show and were delighted to be back in Torquay for the evening.

And you know what - good!

There is something really lovely about a room full of people laughing in unison at the same bits they have loved for decades. It is communal comedy, the way it used to be.

A show like this lives or dies on delivery. You need pace, precision, and the ability to go from calm to catastrophic in half a second without losing the audience.

This cast absolutely gets it.

Danny Bayne brings Basil to life with the right mix of frantic energy, wounded pride and total lack of self awareness. Mia Austen is a brilliantly grounded Sybil, cutting through the madness with a look that could stop traffic. Hemi Yeroham makes Manuel a constant source of joyful disruption, and Joanne Clifton gives Polly that vital hint of competence that stops the whole thing collapsing completely.

If there is one small niggle, it is this - part of me wishes John Cleese had used this as an excuse to give us something new. We only ever got twelve episodes of Fawlty Towers. Twelve. That is basically a warm up in modern TV terms. So yes, it is a shame that this is firmly a greatest hits rather than new album.

Overall a cracking night out that proves Basil’s brand of madness is truly timeless. Don’t mention the war, but definitely do go get your tickets!

Key cast and creatives

  • Basil Danny Bayne

  • Sybil Mia Austen

  • Manuel Hemi Yeroham

  • Polly Joanne Clifton

  • The Major - Neil Stewart (Paul Nicholas in some tour stops)

  • Mrs Richards Jemma Churchill

Written by John Cleese and Connie Booth
Adapted for the stage by John Cleese
Director Caroline Jay Ranger