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From: Antti J Tuominen <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: alt.comedy.british,rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: British Comedy: The Fawlty Towers FAQ v.1.13
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Summary: This posting is a list of common questions (with answers) about the famous British sitcom show Fawlty Towers.
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Archive-name: tv/british-comedy/Fawlty-Towers
Posting-Frequency: monthly (every 19th day)
Version: 1.13
URL: http://www.iki.fi/tuominen/Fawlty-Towers.FAQ/newest.html

The FAWLTY TOWERS Frequently Asked Questions

Antti J Tuominen, [email protected]
Student of Computer Science and Engineering,
Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

Version 1.13 19th September 1999

This FAQ is approved by the *.answers moderation team.

------------------------------------------------------

This FAQ is a listing of Frequently asked questions with answers about
the British TV sitcom show "Fawlty Towers" aired in the mid and late
1970's. If you have questions about Fawlty Towers that you think
should be on this FAQ, please mail me. Also any additional information
or corrections are most welcome. Please, report any typos, too. All
updates will be posted to alt.comedy.british, rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy,
alt.answers, rec.answers and news.answers and also made available at
my web home page (http://www.hut.fi/~ajtuomin/) along with a html
version. FAQ is also archived at rtfm.mit.edu. All questions or
comments concerning this FAQ should be directed to me,
[email protected].

This is version 1.12 of the FAQ. The previous versions are also
available but due to limited disk space they must be requested by
e-mail from me if for some unknown reason someone still wants them. As
always I welcome all criticism and am more than happy to take any
ideas you might have. Keep your e-mails coming!

------------------------------------------------------

What's new in 1.13?

This section is to provide a list of new things in the FAQ at one
glance. So if you've read the previous release, you know whether
there's anything new that interests you or not.

* Filmography update from IMDB.
* Added a commercial to John Cleese's filmography.
* Added link to Ed Wells - John Cleese Lookalike pages.

------------------------------------------------------

INDEX

The shows
* Q1. I'm totally new to this Fawlty Towers. What's it all about?
* Q2. Who played who on Fawlty Towers?
* Q3. How many shows were there and when were they aired?
* Q4. Can anyone tell me the name of Fawlty Towers' theme?
* Q5. Where is the structure used in the filming of Fawlty Towers?
* Q6. What did the Fawlty Towers sign say in episode XXX?
* Q7. I saw something terribly similar to Fawlty Towers. Are there
imitations?

Scripts, videos, etc.
* Q8. Where can I get the scripts for the Fawlty Towers shows via
internet?
* Q9. Are there some kind of script books or something?
* Q10. Can I get the Fawlty Towers shows on video tape?
* Q11. Is there any other material other besides books and videos?
* Q12. Is there a newsgroup for Fawlty Towers?
* Q13. Where can I find Fawlty Towers material in the net?
* Q14. I know something that you don't about FT. What do I do?

Filmographies
* F1. John Cleese
* F2. Prunella Scales
* F3. Andrew Sachs
* F4. Connie Booth
* F5. Ballard Berkeley
* F6. Gilly Flower
* F7. Renee Roberts
* F8. Brian Hall

Release history

Contributors

------------------------------------------------------

THE SHOWS

Question 1. I'm totally new to this Fawlty Towers. What's it all about?

Fawlty Towers is one of the funniest tv series ever. This British TV
comedy show, originally aired in the 70's (see Q3), rivals even Monty
Python's Flying Circus. After leaving the Pythons John Cleese wanted
to work with his wife Connie Booth and they came up with the idea of
Fawlty Towers. Indeed Cleese had had this idea of a hotel in his mind
for years. In a radio interview Cleese told that during filming of
some Monty Python material, the cast were staying at a hotel in
Torquay, and the owner/manager of the hotel was as Cleese described,
"_beautifully_ rude".

Apparently one of the cast, Graham Chapman I believe, misplaced a
briefcase, and when they asked the manager if he had seen it, he
pointed vaguely towards the door, and said "it's over there". After
repeated enquiries, they finally discovered he had put it behind a
brick wall across from the outside door of the hotel. When asked why
he had done this he told them he had thought it might be a bomb. This
was before bomb threats where commonplace, so Cleese and co. where
incredulous, and asked why on earth he imagined it might be a bomb.

"Well we've had some staff problems" he replied.

Cleese went on to say that after Fawlty Towers had been made, he went
back to see if the fellow was still around, but discovered that he had
emigrated to Canada to join his daughter. (Source: A Liars
Autobiography, Graham Chapman).

I've quoted the synopsis for the series from 'Life Before and After
Monty Python: The Solo Flights of the Flying Circus' by Kim "Howard"
Johnson:

"Basil Fawlty is the harried husband and irascible innkeeper who would
undoubtedly be running a first-class hotel if he didn't have to deal
with guests. His other obstacle to happiness and contentment is his
wife and worthy opponent, Sybil, who can hold her own against his
rages and fits. Polly, their maid, is the quiet voice of reason in the
eye of the storm, yet she manages to be drawn into Basil's schemes
more often than she would like. Their Spanish bellboy/waiter, Manuel,
is still the most consistent, constant irritant to Basil, however; his
slavish devotion to his employer and his less-than-perfect English
combined with a sub-standard intelligence are guaranteed to incur
Basil's wrath. The cast is rounded out with several resident guests,
including the scatter-brained major, and Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby,
with an assortment of guests coming and going each show."

(Copyright (c) 1993 by Kim "Howard" Johnson)

[I hope that using this quote from the book falls in the category of
"brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews". Would
someone care to make a new synopsis just for this FAQ?]

John Cleese claims to have spend 6 weeks on each show so every show is
really guaranteed to be packed with humour. After the first 6 shows,
however, Cleese and Booth got divorced (though they remained in
friendly terms) but the series lived on regardless. If you have never
seen any FT shows I strongly urge you to go to the nearest rental
store and rent some.

Question 2. Who played who on Fawlty Towers?

Because there already is a very good listing of actors and actresses
available at http://www.cm.cf.ac.uk/Fun/FawltyTowers.html I though it
necessary to only list the FT regulars:

Character name Actor/actress

Basil Fawlty John Cleese
Sybil Fawlty Prunella Scales
Manuel Andrew Sachs
Polly Connie Booth
Major Gowen Ballard Berkeley (died 19th Jan. 1988 aged 83)
Miss Tibbs Gilly Flower
Miss Gatsby Renee Roberts
Terry Brian Hall (second series)

Question 3. How many shows were there and when were they aired?

In all there were 12 shows. The shows were shown in two series. First
series aired in mid-seventies included the following shows:

Episode Airing date

A Touch of Class 19th Sep. 1975
The Builders 26th Sep. 1975
The Wedding Party 3rd Oct. 1975
The Hotel Inspectors 10th Oct. 1975
Gourmet Night 17th Oct. 1975
The Germans 24th Oct. 1975

After 4 years followed the second series which included the shows:

Episode Airing date

Communications Problems 19th Feb. 1979
The Psychiatrist 26th Feb. 1979
Waldorf Salad 5th Mar. 1979
The Kipper and the Corpse 12th Mar. 1979
The Anniversary 26th Mar. 1979
Basil the Rat 25th Oct. 1979

For full episode guide with even short descriptions of each show you
should take a look at
http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~dave/guides/FawltyTowers/. Also there has
been discussion about some unaired episodes but I have no confirmed
knowledge of it. It has been suggested that they (or it) were "pilots"
or "trailers". If some Brit would be kind enough to check this from
the BBC Viewer Service (as a Finn I can't do much about it as they
only serve British customers) and share it with the rest of us.

Hans ten Cate told that "The Secret Policeman's Third Ball: The
Comedy" album has a segment on there with Andrew Sachs playing Manuel
in front of a theater audience. I hope that all appearances are now
accounted for.

Question 4. Can anyone tell me the name of Fawlty Towers' theme? Is it
an old piece of music, or was it written for the show?

The Internet Movie Database says that music for the Fawlty Towers was
composed by Dennis Wilson. So I guess it was written for the show. I
have no idea what the theme is called (sorry).

Hans ten Cate posted me of a CD containing this particular theme. Here
is the info he sent: "[the album is] "Public Television's Greatest
Hits" (1990) BMC Classics/RCA Victor, 60470-2-RC (U.S.) It says
"Fawlty Towers" by Dennis Wilson, arranged by Byron Olson. Its a much
slower and extended(!) version than the original theme song, but its
the same song alright..."

Robert Wagner from Hungary mailed me a .MID file containing the Fawlty
Towers theme. Robert says it's supposed to sound best on a Gravis
Ultrasound. If you are able to play MID files you can download it here
(http://www.hut.fi/~ajtuomin/Fawlty-Towers.FAQ/fawlty.mid). Thanks,
Robert.

Question 5. Where is the structure used in the filming of Fawlty Towers?

There was some discussion about this in the alt.comedy.british and the
participants came to this conclusion: the structure used for external
shots was located in a village called Woburn Green, near High Wycombe
in Buckinghamshire and was called the Wooburn Grange Country
Club. According to _The British Location Guide_ the house was an
Indian restaurant, then a nightclub called "Basil's". The structure
was damaged by fire some years back and was demolished. Today the
location is occupied by eight houses. Nothing to see, sorry.

Question 6. What did the Fawlty Towers sign say in episode XXX?

Here's a list of things that were seen on the sign. Listed in order of
appearance.

Episode Sign says

A Touch of Class FAWLTY TOWERS
The Builders FAWLTY TOWER (with L hanging down)
The Wedding Party FARTY TOWER (with W hanging down)
The Hotel Inspectors FAW TY TO WER
Gourmet Night WARTY TOWELS
The Germans (sign not shown)
Communications Problems FAWLTY TOWER (with L hanging down)
The Psychiatrist WATERY FOWLS (with kid seen adjusting it)
Waldorf Salad FLAY OTTERS
The Kipper and the Corpse FATTY OWLS
The Anniversary FLOWERY TWATS
Basil the Rat FARTY TOWELS

Question 7. I saw something terribly similar to Fawlty Towers. Are there
imitations?

There were in fact at least two imitations of Fawlty Towers in the
U.S. The first one was called "Snavely" (with Harvey Korman in the
Basil role) but it never got further than a pilot

Second attempt went a bit further. It was called "Amanda's" and had a
six-show run on ABC-TV (beginning Feb 10, 1983). John Cleese was a bit
baffled with the Amanda's: "I asked the American company how the
adaptation was looking, and they told me `It's looking good - we've
only made one change.' They wrote out Basil Fawlty, which I found
incomprehensible."

Dean Johnson mailed me info about a show called "Newhart" which ran on
U.S. television in the 80's. In Johnson's words Newhart featured Bob
Newhart as the part of Basil. Newhart's innkeeper was much more mellow
than Basil ever was and the cast and setting are nearly identical to
FT.

In contrast, Dan Harkless told that "Newhart was nothing like Fawlty
Towers". Also Harkless points out a number of differences in the
show, in fact there seems to be very little common with the two shows.

I must confess I haven't seen any of Newhart shows so I'm not in a
position to say anything on this subject and I rely totally on the
readers.

------------------------------------------------------

SCRIPTS, VIDEOS, ETC.

Question 8. Where can I get the scripts for the Fawlty Towers shows via
internet?

The complete script for "A Touch of Class" is available at
http://welcome.to/fawltytowers. Others are currently not available
but welcome.to claims to have them in the near future. Better and
recommended way to get your hands on the scripts would be to try to
get the script books. See Q9 for information about the script books.

Question 9. Are there some kind of script books or something?

Yes. There are Fawlty Towers script books. Here is a brief listing of them:

Title: Authors: Publisher: ISBN: Contents:
FAWLTY John Cleese and Futura/Contact 0-8600-7598-2 Scripts for "The
TOWERS Connie Booth Publications (paperback) Builders", "The
(1977 UK) Hotel Inspectors"
and "Gourmet Night"
FAWLTY John Cleese and Weidenfeld and 0-7088-1547-2 Scripts for "The
TOWERS Connie Booth Nicolson (1979 (paperback) Wedding Party",
TWO UK) "A Touch of Class"
and "The Germans"
The John Cleese and Methuen London 0-413-18390-4 Scripts for ALL
Complete Connie Booth (1988 UK) (hardcover) twelve TV shows
FAWLTY
TOWERS
Mandarin (1989 0-749-30159-7
UK) (paperback)
Pantheon (1989 0-679-72127-4
US) (paperback)

You should ask for these titles from your local bookstore. If you
can't find them locally try the places recommended in the
alt.comedy.british FAQ's "Buyer's guide".

Question 10. Can I get the Fawlty Towers shows on video tape?

Yes, you can. All Fawlty Towers shows has been published on video
tape. The videos are named as follows:

Title: Length: Contents:
The Germans 90 min "The Hotel Inspectors", "The Germans"
and "A Touch of Class"
The Psychiatrist 97 min "The Builders", "The Wedding Party" and
"The Psychiatrist"
The Kipper and the 92 min "Gourmet Night", "Waldorf Salad" and
Corpse "The Kipper and the Corpse"
Basil the Rat 93 min "Communication Problems", "The Anniversary"
and "Basil the Rat"

If you can't figure out where you can get these tapes maybe you ought
to take a look at the alt.comedy.british FAQ especially part 4
"Buyer's guide". (If someone knows the publishing years for the
videos, please mail me.)

Also Graham Bisset noted that all the episodes were recently released
on four video tapes as remastered series. They should be available in
the UK for about 30 pounds I'm told.

Question 11. Is there any other material other besides books and videos?

Why, yes. Here is a complete (as far as I know, correct me if I'm
wrong) list of Fawlty Towers albums in existence:

Title: Publisher: Contents:
Fawlty Towers BBC Records Soundtracks from the shows
(1979 REB 337) "The Hotel Inspectors" and
"Communications Problems"
Fawlty Towers: BBC Records
Second Sitting (1981 REB 405) Soundtracks from the shows
"The Builders" and "Basil the Rat"
Fawlty Towers: BBC Records Soundtracks from the shows
At Your Service (1982 REB 449) "The Germans" and "The Kipper
and the Corpse"
Fawlty Towers: BBC Records Soundtracks from the shows
A La Carte (198? REB 484) "Waldorf Salad" and "Gourmet Night"

I left out the authors for obvious reason as they all are the same:
John Cleese and Connie Booth. All albums also include narration by
Andrew Sachs for the more visual scenes.

Eric Adelizzi kindly mailed me information about some US published
albums (as a part of "BBC Radio Presents" series) which seem to be
rereleases of the original BBC releases.

Title: Publisher: Contents: ISBN:
Volume One Bantam-Doubleday-Dell "Communications Problems" 0-553-47314-X
Publishing (referred to on the
package as "Mrs. Richards"),
"Basil the Rat", "The Builders"
and "The Hotel Inspectors"

Volume Two Bantam-Doubleday-Dell "The Kipper and the 0-553-43700-X
Publishing Corpse", "The Germans",
"Waldorf Salad" and
"Gourmet Night"

These are also narrated by Andrew Sachs.

To further mess things up these previous records were also released in
the U.K. as Hans ten Cate was kind to inform me. And the info
follows: for Volume One (1988) BBC Enterprises Ltd. ZBBC 1006 (ISBN
0-563-225416) and Volume Two (1988, 1994) BBC Enterprises Ltd. ZBBC
1015 (ISBN 0-563-22542-4). Also there has been a relatively new
release which I've missed.

Title: Publisher: Contents: ISBN:
Volume Three Bantam-Doubleday-Dell "A Touch of Class", 0-553-47382-4
Publishing "The Anniversary",
"The Psychiatrist" and
"The Wedding Party"

And the same is also available from BBC Enterprises Ltd. Volume Three (1994)
ZBBC 1634 (ISBN 0-563-39326-2).

Also Hans ten Cate said that AVC Corporation (in the U.S.) supposedly
released audio cassettes of all the episodes in 1988 (1988) AVC
Corporation/The Mind's Eye (U.S.) but this was still unconfirmed.

PolyGram records also released all four albums in Australia in
1983-1984. Info kindly provided by Paul B. Guy.

Question 12. Is there a newsgroup for Fawlty Towers?

No (at least I don't know of one). But if you are looking for other
Fawlty Towers fans you're most likely to find them in newsgroups such
as alt.comedy.british, rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy or even
alt.fan.monty-python. Creating a newsgroup was under discussion at one
point, but everyone came to the conclusion that there wouldn't be
enough traffic to justify a newsgroup. A mailing list would probably
be of more service but I have no knowledge of one existing. I'm
willing to host a mailing list in my own computer if people think it
neccessary.

Question 13. Where can I find Fawlty Towers information in the net?

Note: Not all of the following links are directly Fawlty Towers related.

The Unofficial Guide To Fawlty Towers (Chris Tomlinson & John Gasson)
http://www.btinternet.com/~c.tomlinson/fawlty.htm

The FAWLTY TOWERS Multimedia Page (Stefan Ruehrup)
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/8373/

The TV show guides
http://www.cm.cf.ac.uk/Fun/FawltyTowers.html
http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~dave/guides/FawltyTowers/

Internet Movie Database (IMDb Ltd.)
http://uk.imdb.com/ [UK site]
http://us.imdb.com/ [US site]

Monty Python Bibliography (includes some FT stuff) (Hans ten Cate)
http://www.futron.com/hans/mp.bibliog.html

Ed Wells - John Cleese Lookalike pages
http://www.johncleese.co.uk/

Newsgroups
news:alt.comedy.british
news:rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy

alt.comedy.british FAQ
posted monthly to news:alt.comedy.british
also available on any usenet ftp archive (like rtfm.mit.edu)

The Fawlty Towers FAQ
posted monthly to alt.comedy.british and rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy
http://www.iki.fi/tuominen/Fawlty-Towers.FAQ/newest.txt (text version)
http://www.iki.fi/tuominen/Fawlty-Towers.FAQ/newest.html (html version)

Question 14. I know something that you don't about FT. What do I do?

If you have any further knowledge or corrections to information stated
above I very strongly advice you to e-mail me on the matter and get
things right. If you have a question about Fawlty Towers that should
be on this FAQ don't hesitate to e-mail me. I try to get the answers
if I possibly can. Any contributors will be listed below.

------------------------------------------------------

FILMOGRAPHIES

Have you ever wondered what the Fawlty Towers cast did before or after
Fawlty Towers? Well, here's a brief filmography for each FT
regular. Data from the Internet Movie Database. (Any additions should
be submitted to IMDB not me. See Q13 how to contact.) You can also
find more information on each film from the Internet Movie Database.

Thanks for all who have given bits and pieces missing here and
there. I finally had the time to update the filmographies. I apologise
for all who send me information but didn't see them added (until
now). If someone feels that his/her name is missing from the credits
please let me know. A few pieces are missing again. You can see them
marked as "??" or then it's just missing.

In addition to movies and TV appearances at least John Cleese and
Andrew Sachs have appeared in various TV commercials. If you have
detailed info about any of these, please let me know. I'm doing a
little listing of them, too.

Note: titles in quotes (") are TV series.

Filmography 1. John Cleese (44 films, 6 TV series)

* Magic Pudding, The (2000) [voice: Albert the Magic Pudding]
* Out-of-Towners, The (1999) [Mr. Mersault] (actor)
* "Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom" (1999) (mini)
[Himself] (actor)
* Isn't She Great (1999) [Henry Marcus] (actor)
* World is Not Enough, The (1999) [R] (actor)
* "Funny Women" (1998) (mini) [Himself] (actor)
* Parting Shots (1998) [Maurice Walpole] (actor)
* George of the Jungle (1997) [voice: An ape named 'Ape']
* Fierce Creatures (1997) [Rollo Lee] (actor, director, producer)
* Wind in the Willows, The (1996) [Mr. Toad's Lawyer]
* "Look at the State We're In!" (1995) [Himself]
* Jungle Book, The (1994) aka Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994)
[Dr. Plumford] (actor)
* Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) [Mentor, Dr. Waldeman] (actor)
* Swan Princess, The (1994) [Jean-Bob]. Note: (voice) (actor)
* Splitting Heirs (1993) [Raoul P. Shadgrind] (actor)
* American Tail: Fievel Goes West, An (1991) [Voice of Cat R. Waul]
Note: (voice) (actor)
* Bullseye! (1991) [Man on the Beach in Barbados Who...] (actor)
* Erik the Viking (1989) [Halfdan the Black] (actor)
* Big Picture, The (1989) [Bartender] (actor)
* Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) [Archie](actor, writer, director)
* Clockwise (1986) [Brian Stimpson] (actor)
* Silverado (1985) [Sheriff Langston] (actor)
* Secret Policeman's Private Parts, The (1984) (actor)
* Yellowbeard (1983) [Harvey "Blind" Pew] (actor)
* Monty Python's the Meaning of Life (1983) [Second Fish, Grim] (actor,
composer, writer)
* "Whoops Apocalypse" (1982) [Giles Flack] (actor)
* Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) [various roles] (actor)
* Privates on Parade (1982) [Giles Flack] (actor)
* Secret Policeman's Other Ball, The (1982) (actor)
* Great Muppet Caper, The (1981) [Neville] (actor)
* Secret Policeman's Ball, The (1981) (actor)
* Taming of the Shrew, The (1980) (TV) [Petruchio] (actor)
* Time Bandits (1980) [Robin Hood] (actor)
* Away from It All (1979) (as Nigel Farquhar-Bennett) (Narrator)
* Life of Brian (1979) [Reg, + minor roles] (actor, writer)
* Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe (1977)
* "Norway, Land of Giants" (197?, supposedly mid 70's)
* Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It, The (1977)
[Arthur Sherlock Holmes] (actor, writer)
* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Basil Fawlty] (actor, writer)
* Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) [Sir Launcelot, + minor roles]
(actor, writer)
* Romance with a Double Bass (1974)[Musician Smychkov] (actor, writer)
* Goodies and the Beanstalk, The (1973) (TV) [The genie]
* Love Ban, The (1973) aka It's a 2'6'' Above the Ground World (actor)
* Rentadick (1972) (writer)
* And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) [various roles]
(actor, writer)
* Statue, The (1971) [Harry] (actor)
* Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, The (1970) (writer)
* "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969) aka "Monty Python" (1969-1974)
[Mr. Hilter and many others] (actor)
* Magic Christian, The (1969) [Director in Sotheby's] (actor, writer)
* Bliss of Mrs. Blossom, The (1968) (actor)
* How to Irritate People (1968) (TV) (writer)
* Interlude (1968) (actor)
* "At Last the 1948 Show" (1967) (actor)
* "Frost Report, The" (1966-1967) (actor)

Timothy Koeller told that John Cleese has made a series of business
training films (I also recall seeing some of these). Tim guessed they
where made in the early 1980's. Cleese demonstrates improper and
proper ways to do things. The films where about 10 to 15 minutes
each.

Paul B. Guy shed more light on the matter. In addition to John Cleese
these training videos featured Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
Narration was usually by Andrew Sachs. The first batch was probably
made in late 70's (77 or 78) and further batches were made over the
next few years. There were six sets in all. The company behind the
videos was Video Arts.

According to Steve Andrews, Cleese appeared on at least one party political
broadcast for either the SDP or the SDP/Liberal Alliance in the UK sometime
in the mid to late 1980's.

Cameo appearances

I've separated a new sub-section for cameo appearances. Some entries
in the film section might be cameo appearances and will be moved here
when someone notes on them. Same goes for the rest of the crew.

* "Kiss me Kate" (sitcom starring Carolyn Quentin) John Cleese as
himself

Commercials

* John Cleese is appearing in a commercial on the Swedish
television for Telia Mobitel (mobile telecommunications). The ad
includes a Fierce Creatures -plug.

* John Cleese is currently doing a series of ads on British TV for
an insurance company called Norwich Union. In the second in the
row he apologizes for being too flippant in the first and
continues accompanied by mournful music. In the third he
apologizes for drawing attention away from the name of the
company and stands behind a billboard while delivering his
speech. After a shout from the director ("Feet!") he also pulls
up his feet and disappears from sight.

* John Cleese made a series of commercials for the Dutch bank
Postbank (as it is called now, part of ING group). In these
commercials he invariably sets out to prove how well known
"Giroblauw" (Giro-blue; house colour of this bank) is among the
public. Equally invariably everybody has never heard of it.

* During nth rerun of Fawlty Towers on Comedy Central John Cleese
appeared on short commercial-lets saying things like: "I'm John
Cleese, and you're watching Comedy Central, as you already
knew."

* J.C. has also done some anti-smoking commercials.

* John Cleese appeared in a series of commercials for the UK's
largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's, maybe three times,
between 1998/1999. It was a campaign designed to spell out how
cheap the prices were. This campaign was unsuccessful (resulting
in a fall in profits for Sainsbury's) and he was dropped for
their next campaign.

Filmography 2. Prunella Scales (22 films, 6 TV series)

* "Funny Women" (1998) (mini) [Herself]
* Stiff Upper Lips (1997) [Aunt Agnes]
* "Emma" (1997) (mini) TV Series [Miss Bates]
* Breaking the Code (1996) (TV) [Sara Turing]
* Dalziel and Pascoe: An Advancement of Learning (1996) (TV) [Edith
Disney]
* Awfully Big Adventure, An (1995) [Rose]
* "Signs and Wonders" (1995) (mini) [Elizabeth Palmore]
* Wolf (1994) [Maude]
* Second Best (1994) [Margery]
* Rector's Wife, The (1993) (TV) [Marjorie Richardson]
* Question of Attribution, A (1992) [H.M.Q.]
* Howards End (1992) [Aunt Juley]
* Freddie as F.R.O.7 (1992) [Queen/Various Voices]. Note: (voice)
* Chorus of Disapproval, A (1988) [Hanna ap Llewellan]
* Consuming Passions (1988) [Ethel]
* "After Henry" (1987) [Sarah France]
* Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The (1987) [Moira O'Neill]
* "Mapp and Lucia" (1985) (mini) [Miss Elizabeth Mapp]
* Absurd Person Singular (1985) (TV) [Marion Brewster-Wright]
* Wicked Lady, The (1983) [Lady Kingsclere]
* Merry Wives of Windsor, The (1982) (TV) [Mistress Page]
* Boys from Brazil, The (1978) [Mrs. Harrington]
* Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1977) [Glynis]
* Littlest Horse Thieves, The (1977) aka Escape from the Dark [Mrs.
Simon]
* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Sybil Fawlty]
* "Marriage Lines" (1963)
* Waltz of the Toreadors (1962) [Estella]
* Hobson's Choice (1954) [Vicky Hobson]
* Laxdale Hall (1952) aka Scotch on the Rocks (1952) [Morag McLeod]

Commercials

* Prunella Scales is currently appearing in a series of comic
commercials on ITV f or the Tesco supermarket chain. She plays a
domineering knowall mother who goes shopping with her grownup
daughter.

Filmography 3. Andrew Sachs (14 films, 6 TV series)

* "Jack of Hearts" (1999/II) [Peter Pryce]
* "Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom" (1999) (mini)
[Himself]
* Norman Ormal: A Very Political Turtle (1998) (TV) (voice)
* "Funny Women" (1998) (mini) [Himself]
* "Hotel" (1997) (mini) TV Series (narrator)
* Einstein Revealed (1996) (TV) (Albert Einstein)
* Taxandria (1996)
* Faust (1994) aka Lekce Faust aka Lesson Faust [Voices (English
version)]
* "Every Silver Lining" (1993)
* Mystery of Edwin Drood, The (1993) [Durdles]
* Consuming Passions (1988) [Jason]
* "There Comes a Time" (1985)
* "Dead Ernest" (1982) [Ernest]
* History of the World: Part I (1981) 1981 [Gerard]
* Tempest, The (1979) (TV) [Trinculo]
* Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) 1978 [Hospital Inmate]
* "Send In the Girls" (1978)
* Are You Being Served? (1977) [??]
* What's Up Nurse! (1977) [Waiter]
* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Manuel]
* Frightmare (1974) [Barry Nichols]
* Romance with a Double Bass (1974) [Musician Zhuchkov]
* Night We Dropped a Clanger, The (1959) [A.C.2 Briggs]
* It's Your Move (19??)

Filmography 4. Connie Booth (18 films, 3 TV series)

* "Buccaneers, The" (1995) (mini) [Miss March] (actress)
* Leon the Pig Farmer (1992) [Yvonne Chadwick] (actress)
* American Friends (1991) [Caroline Hartley] (actress)
* Hawks (1989) [Nurse Jarvis] (actress)
* High Spirits (1988) [Marge] (actress)
* Return of Sherlock Holmes, The (1987) (TV) [Violet] (actress)
* 84 Charing Cross Road (1986) [The Lady from Delaware] (actress)
* Rocket to the Moon (1986) (TV) [Belle Stark] (actress)
* Past Caring (1985) (TV) (actress)
* Nairobi Affair (1984) (TV) [Mrs. Gardner] (actress)
* Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1983) (TV) (actress)
* Story of Ruth, The (1981) [Ruth] (actress)
* Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980) (TV) [Mrs. Errol] (actress)
* Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1980) (TV) (actress)
* Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It, The (1977) [Mrs.
Hudson, Francine Moriarty] (actress)
* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Polly] (actress, writer)
* Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) [The Witch] (actress)
* Romance with a Double Bass (1974) [Princess Costanza] (actress, writer)
* And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) [various roles]
(actress)
* "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969-1974) aka "Monty Python" [various
roles] (actress)
* How to Irritate People (1968) (TV) [various roles] (actress)

Filmography 5. Ballard Berkeley (22 films, 4 TV series)

* BFG, The (1989) (voice of Head Of The Army) { Hmm? Strange, BB died in
1988. }
* "Fresh Fields" (19??) [Guy Mainwaring]
* National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) [Second English Motorist]
* Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980) (TV) [Sir Harry]
* "To The Manor Born" (one episode) (1979) [Audrey's rich uncle]
* Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair (1979) [Judge]
* Queen of the Blues (1979) (as Ballard Barclay) [Uncle Fred]
* Playbirds, The (1978) [Trainer]
* Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976) [Lord Snodley]
* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Major Gowen]
* "Are You Being Served? (episode: "Memories Are Made of This")" (1972)
[customer buying fishing lures]
* Murder Game, The (1965) [Sir Colin Chalmers]
* Night Caller from Outer Space (1965) aka Blood Beast From Outer Space
[Commander Savage]
* Matter of Choice, A (1963) [Charles Grant]
* Night of the Demon (1957) aka Curse of the Demon [1st Reporter]
* Passport to Treason (1955) [Insp. Thredgold]
* Dangerous Cargo (1954) [Findley]
* White Fire (1954) [Insp. Haley]
* After the Ball (1953) [Andrews]
* Operation Diplomat (1953) [Inspector Austin]
* Stage Fright (1950) [Sergeant Mellish]
* Third Time Lucky (1948) [Bertram]
* They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) [Rockcliffe]
* In Which We Serve (1942) [Engineer Commander]
* Saint in London, The (1939) [Richard Blake]
* Last Adventurers, The (1937) aka Down to the Sea in Ships [Fred Devlin]

Filmography 6. Gilly Flower (1 TV series)

* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Miss Tibbs]

Filmography 7. Renee Roberts (1 TV series)

* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Miss Gatsby]

Filmography 8. Brian Hall (5 films, 4 TV series)

* "Billy Webb" (1991?) [Billy Webb's father] (actor)
* China O'Brien (1990) Note: (stunts) (other crew)
* "Alonzo Bonzo" (1998-89?) [Billy Webb's father] (actor)
* "You Must Be the Husband" (1987) [Pat] (actor)
* Long Good Friday, The (1980) [Alan] (actor)
* McVicar (1980) [Terry Stokes] (actor)
* "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979) [Terry (second series)] (actor)
* Land That Time Forgot, The (1975) [Schwartz]
* Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974) [2nd Removal Man]

RELEASE HISTORY
Version 1.0 (19th September 1995):
Initial Release
Version 1.1 (19th October 1995):
Few minor errors corrected
Filmographies added
New links added
Some US albums added
Version 1.2 (19th November 1995):
Added a topic about the Fawlty Towers structure
2 new film credits (still unchecked)
Version 1.3 (19th December 1995):
Nothing much. A few minor additions
Version 1.4 (19th January 1996):
A few additions and corrections to film credits
New links added
Version 1.5 (19th February 1996):
Filmographies thoroughly updated
Version 1.6 (19th April 1996):
What's new? -section
Net resources updated
Version 1.7 (19th July 1996):
New information about some Fawlty Towers records
Info on the Fawlty Towers theme
Fawlty Towers imitations
Andrew Sachs appearing as Manuel on the Secret Policeman's Third Ball
record
Additions to Filmographies
Version 1.8 (19th September 1996):
Updated links
Inserted a sub-section to John Cleese's filmography about commercials
Origins of Fawlty Towers inserted to Q1
Version 1.9 (19th March 1997):
New information about Fawlty Towers imitations
Fawlty Towers theme available as .MID
Did an emacs spell check and corrected few typos
Version 1.10 (19th May 1997):
New Fawlty Towers WWW-pages, old ones removed
Additions to commercials and filmographies section
Version 1.11 (19th December 1997):
Added new links and old ones updated
Updated all filmographies from Internet Movie Database
Corrected an error in John Cleese's filmography's commercials
section about Norwich Union.
Version 1.12 (19th 1998):
Some clarifications in the imitations section especially on Newhart.
Where to get the scripts on the net.
Additions to John Cleese's and Prunella Scales' filmographies.
Info on new video release.
Info on Australian record release.

CONTRIBUTORS
* Eric Adelizzi ([email protected]): Info on US albums
* Internet Movie Database Team: Filmographies
* Simon Moore ([email protected]) and Ralph Johnson
([email protected]): Providing most of the facts about the structure
* Mark Boyes ([email protected]): Addition to Sachs' filmography
* Deryk Barker ([email protected]): Extensive information
on "Mapp and Lucia". Also Dave Rogers ([email protected])
gave some info on the same subject. Mary Campbell was first to e-mail
me about this show
* Eleanor Lebourdais ([email protected]): Adding "After Henry"
* Coleen O'Hanley ([email protected]): Addition to Berkeley's filmography
* Robert H. Strickland ([email protected]): Addition to Berkeley's
and Cleese's filmographies
* Han ten Cate ([email protected]): Many additions to record info section
etc.
* Gordon Woods ([email protected]): Addition to Prunella's
filmography
* Super Furry Animal ([email protected]): Addition to Hall's
filmography
* Gareth Beale ([email protected]): origins of Fawlty Towers
* Stephen Smith ([email protected]): John Cleese commercial
* Herman ten Klooster ([email protected]): John Cleese commecials
* Dean Johnson ([email protected]): Third FT imitation
info
* Robert Wagner ([email protected]): Mailed the fawlty.mid
* Bernie Morey ([email protected]): Addition to Berkeleys
filmography
* Timothy Koeller ([email protected]): Cleese's business training
films
* Joshua Sloan ([email protected]): Cleese commercials(?)
* Paul B. Guy ([email protected]): Cleese's training videos and Australian
record release
* Graham Bisset ([email protected]): Info on remastered
video release
* Dan Harkless ([email protected]): Corrections to imitations section
and new source for scripts on the net
* Steve Andrews ([email protected]): Additions to Cleese's
filmography
* David Chettleburgh ([email protected]): Additions to Cleese's and Scales'
filmography
* Graham Sellors ([email protected]): Addition
to Cleese's filmography.
* Ed Wells ([email protected]): Link to Ed Wells - John Cleese Lookalike
page.

* Special thanks to Melinda "Bob" Casino ([email protected])
for all the help and ideas she has given

If you are not on this list and think you should be, I may have
forgotten to add you and you should mail me to correct it.

--
Antti J. Tuominen, JMT 3A 131, 02150 Espoo.