The Britcompilation: Day 9- Fawlty Towers

I think big characters are at the heart of the Britcom. Because the concepts are usually so basic, you almost need a strong personality to make up for it. As a result, the best sitcoms almost hinge on their main character, and these characters pass on into legend. And I don't think any character has personified a series as much as Basil Fawlty does Fawlty Towers.

I constantly find myself in awe of John Cleese. Because every time I see him, I'm reminded of just how funny he is. And I think his absolute magnum opus would be Fawlty Towers. In case you don't know, Fawlty Towers revolves around Basil Fawlty, the owner of a semi failing Torquay hotel. Despite the fact that they only made 12 episodes, the series is absolutely loaded with gags, the majority of which come from how batshit crazy Basil is as a character. Short tempered, overly pedantic and constantly yearning for some kind of class in his hotel, Basil is an ingenious comic creation. He has a knack for complicating any situation he finds himself in, and that's where the real genius of the show comes in. Because with Cleese at the helm, the simplest situations become huge escalations if epic proportions. A loose hamster, a dead body and some visiting Germans are but a few of the setups that this show employs.

The support is fairly excellent too. Prunella Scales oozes acid as Basil's wife Sybil, Connie Booth is the sole voice of reason as chambermaid Polly, and Andrew Sachs gives a delightfully inept turn as Manuel, quite possibly the worst waiter in the world. With a quartet like this, you're definitely guaranteed some laughs, and the dozen episodes that were made are pretty much perfect. They're simple ideas fantastically executed, almost like jokes in themselves. Combine that with Cleese's beautifully wry dark humour and you've got a genuine work of genius.

Fawlty Towers is definitely up there for me as one of my favourites. John Cleese is one of my all time favourite comedians anyway, and I don't think he's ever been better than he is here. Every episode of Fawlty Towers is a pure delight. My favourite has got to be The Kipper and the Corpse, but it's one of those series where I'd understand if any of these was your favourite. It's a truly legendary show, and even after 40 years, it's still magnificent.