Today is the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Prunella Scales (Sybil) who is married to actor Timothy West. Sadly she is now suffering from dementia. Their series when they toured the canals of the UK is wonderful TV.

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

I'm sorry to hear she's not well! I hope they had a lovely anniversary.

@mizofan

25 күн бұрын

@@MeganRuth I saw recent photos of her with a friend in Rye, Sussex (where she'd co-starred in Mapp & Lucia), she looked happy, so fingers crossed. She and Timothy were very touching in Great Canal Journeys, mentioned above, one of my favourites too.

6:01 This might have been just Basil Fawlty being Basil Fawlty: a stupid rule that he made up for his hotel, rather than a general thing.

@Fast_Eddy_Magic

4 ай бұрын

Unmarried couples weren't aloud to stay in the same hotel room in the old days ("We run a respectable place!"). Think the beginning of "Psycho", though by the '70s, I don't think it was enforced much. So technically it wasn't legal, here it's Basil being a dick.

All 12 episodes are gold, but there are a couple that are non stop funny. There is not really a big through line ( although a couple of things that have continuity ) so watching one out of turn won't spoil anything. It is great to see people watching these for the first time 50 years after they were made and the show still working perfectly.

Even for the time, Basil was prudish. John Cleese was born in 1939, but Basil is clearly considerably older than that, having served in the Korean War. He's an unhappily married man who's jealous of single people's freedom, so he chooses to restrict it in his hotel.

Basil Henson (Dr Abbott) was born in July 1918 and Elspet Gray (Dr Abbott) was born in April 1929 making them 60 and 49 in February 1979.

@paulkennedy8701

4 ай бұрын

​@@MeganRuth Unless the original comment was completely rewritten since you posted your reply, it was talking about the doctors. Basil Henson is the name of the actor.

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

@@paulkennedy8701aha yes he was! How interesting how the actor that played the doctor was also named Basil…

@paulkennedy8701

4 ай бұрын

@@MeganRuth It's also interesting that the male doctor and the young-man-showing-off-his-chest were both played by people called Henson. Another comment mentioned that Henson was only a little younger than Cleese. I was confused till I realised they were talking about Nicky, not Basil. (I don't think they are related.)

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

@@paulkennedy8701 that would be confusing! 😂

I remember, years ago, when Fawlty Towers just came out on video. A shop in Oxford Street in London, was playing it on a TV in their window, and the crowd became so large watching it, they caused an obstruction of the pavement and road.

You absolutely have to see the Fawlty Towers episode 'The Germans'...

@thedavestation2185

2 ай бұрын

Amazing. “Don’t mention the war”

@monacophotographyevents2384

2 ай бұрын

@@thedavestation2185 I've lived in Germany, and that has been said to me many times..The Germans love that episode. That line, and "I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it" and "yes you did, you invaded Poland" are just classic lines. And who can forget the walk?

This was a show that I used to watch a lot of the reruns. It is very funny. My favorite episode is the one with the rat. The Spanish waiter buys a rat as a pet, but was told that it was a Siberian hamster. When Basile finds out, he tries to get rid of it because they have an inspection coming up with a food inspector. So, the rat gets away and all the workers are looking for it trying to find it before the food inspector has a chance to see it. The whole episode is hilarious lol 😂😂

Basil makes up the rules for staying there at his whim. He's always trying to control what class of customers they allow to stay there. That's how everything goes wrong. 😂

It's always been commonplace in real life as well as fiction for men to have much younger partners. Youth is a highly sought after asset in a woman, but of no value in a man. For example, an average-looking 20-y-o waitress would have many admirers; an average-looking 20-y-o waiter would have none.

Glad you enjoyed this. Watched this so many times over the years

5:51 I've lived in several houseshares. One of them banned guests (regardless of gender) after a set time in the evening & another charged for them.

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

Wow! That's crazy!

Hi Megan. I'm a child of the sixties. In the seventies rooms tended to be charged by occupancy, hence Basil's preoccupation with a "smuggled" person staying in the room. Nowadays the shysters charge extra for a single occupancy room, it costs more not to take your partner with you even though there is only one breakfast to be consumed instead of two ..... I really protein load for the day and make sure I get my monies worth when staying alone😆

@langdalepaul

4 ай бұрын

Don’t forget that a lot of people were still very prudish about people “living in sin”, i.e. not married. It was common for people to give false names at guest houses and B&Bs so they wouldn’t, at the very least, get disapproving looks, and often magically no vacancies.

5:23 - Brilliant timing!

My late partner was 10 years older than me..I lost her to cancer after 24 years together...so almost the same thing..but opposite.

Worth mentioning, Basil and the hotel was based on a real person by the name of Donald Sinclair. It was when the Monty Python team stayed at a hotel called the Gleneagles in Torquay in the early 1970's. Apparently, Donald was a lot worse than Basil.

My favourite series of all time. Every episode a gem meghan

2:30 Here they are at a waterfront resort community, I'm sure an open shirt would be acceptable there today on a hot day.

Very nice Meghan! My favorites here by you, Black Adder and Fawlty Towers..always a treat! :)

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊

No matter how many times we watch faulty towers tears of laughter flow absolutely brilliant.

Basil basically sees himself as the arbiter of the nation's morals.

Just a question, what is wrong with an older man and a younger woman? The greatest love of my life was 13 years younger than me, and I miss her every single day.

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

Absolutely nothing! I was talking about tropes in film and TV as it’s not very often you see the age gap the other way around. I’m sorry you lost your wife.

@TheZodiacz

3 ай бұрын

@@MeganRuth Prunella Scales is 7 years older than John Cleese so there's an anti-trope right here. 😁

@gonzo2495

Ай бұрын

@@TheZodiacz i think it was about the psychiatrists couple.

Hi Megan it actually doesn't matter what order you watch these in they're all stand alone stories.💓👍🇬🇧

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

I assumed that was the case! 😊

@simongeoghegan9842

4 ай бұрын

@@MeganRuth "Great mind's"🤗💓😘

To think I was 16 i think when that episode first aired. Your right the 1970s were a far different and I think in a lot of ways better times. People today seem to want to judge others for sneezing the wrong way. Male and female

FT eps vary in length - this one's the longest of the 12.

there used to be laws called "co-habitation" laws that made it illegal for 2 adults of the opposite sex to occupy the same hotel room, apt or home. there were laws, usually misdemeanors, against pre-marital sex and "living together" out of wedlock. these laws were rarely enforced but hotels would enforce these laws themselves. and no, that dude's open-front shirt with all the necklaces was silly even back then. it was more of a weird 70s "disco" era style. john cleese is the master of frustration. few could display exasperation for comedic effect as well as he could. thanks for the video.

@FloridaMugwump

4 ай бұрын

But having your shirt open on a hot day in the summer in a waterfront resort community is not so unusual.

@cjmacq-vg8um

4 ай бұрын

@@FloridaMugwump ... but this guy wasn't dressed for the beach. do you remember dan akroid and steve martin's "2 wild and crazy guys" from snl? that's how this guy was dressed. like a disco dork.

@FloridaMugwump

4 ай бұрын

@@cjmacq-vg8um Yes, when they went to a club. And their shirts were not open to the navel. She didn't mention the medallions. Or the style of shirt. I didn't say beach. I said a waterfront resort town on a hot day.

@cjmacq-vg8um

4 ай бұрын

@@FloridaMugwump ... you're still defending that dorkie disco style? next to hoodies, backward baselball hats and wearing your pants so low your underwear shows over the top with your butt hanging out the disco look is the worst style ever concieved by man.

@cjmacq-vg8um

4 ай бұрын

@@FloridaMugwump ... YT keeps refusing to post my comments! here's my original post to you for the 2nd time - you're still defending that dorkie disco style? next to hoodies, backward baselball hats and wearing your pants so low your underwear shows over the top with your butt hanging out the disco look is the worst style ever concieved by man.

In the old days, 1970s and earlier hotels and motels especially owner run, did not want their places used as a location for adultery. Why? People might use false names, trash the room, be seen as a low class hotel, etc. Unlike today, hotels didn’t get a credit card for identity and for damages.

Some really great character actors appeared in Fawlty Towers. Basil Henson was in a great series called When the Boat comes in. Luan Peters, who plays the Australian girl was in a few Hammer Horror films. Great reaction.🤩

The English are great laughing at themselves, not so the southern Europeans. In Spain, they changed Manuel's nationality to Italian. Also, for those of you who remember ''Allo, 'Allo, In France it was dubbed into French and it was just completely bizarre.

Basil just makes up rules as it suits him.

John Cleese was married to Polly, the maid\waitress❤❤

John Cleese was married to Connie Booth who played the housekeeper Polly.

Honesty is always the best policy Megan

2:28 You're right. Today it's women who wear the deep v-neck shirt with a hairy chest. Jk 😂.

even today hotels are not very happy with guests who are not checked in. and a room for 2 is normally more expensive. cleaning etc.

Hi Megan Another great reaction I bet your cheeks were hurting after that one Your face cheeks I’m talking about of course 😂❤️

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

😂 indeed they were! Thank you 😊

At the time it was made Cleese was 40 & Scales 47. Henson was in fact only 6 years Cleese' junior. Appearances can be deceptive.

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

I was talking about the doctors :)

@TheZodiacz

3 ай бұрын

@@MeganRuth All 3 of them? 🤣

Hi from Derry, N Ireland! Love the Giants Causeway jumper

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😊

'Basil the Rat' available on Daily Motion.

The deaf woman is amazing

Rigsby had the same rules, yes that was 70s Britain

That Nigerian Guiness packs quite a punch! Lovely taste though. Good video as well 😀

The housekeeper called Polly was played by Connie Booth. She was John Cleese's wife.

They said on a documentary that they would get passed the censor with the name change on the intro's, they'd never check that

It s unbelieveable how he could act all this /these scenes without getting a headache..

Hi Megan, the idea that no visitors are allowed in the rooms after 10pm is not just a 70s phenomenon. When booking a hotel room, they do ask that you specify the number of occupants (fire regulations), so even today you would not technically be allowed to bring a guest into the room as it contravenes said fire regulations

fabulous

You have to love Sybil. Prunella Scales is amazing. Ohhh, and you must watch the first episode of this series.Communication Problems. One of the best FT episodes ever! (but lots to choose from)

LOVED FAWLTY TOWERS..ANDCMY SON AND I WENT TO SEE JOHN CLEESE IN 2000'S, HE WAS FUNNY AND FASCINATING👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Bring it on Marvellous Megan. A pity you mixed up the sequence but at least you figured it out. They are best watched in order, but each episode stands alone so no real harm done. More please - as often as you can manage it!

An extreme example of age disparity can be seen in the 1970 film "Lola" (AKA Twinky AKA London Affair). The protagonist is 38 (played by Charles Bronson) and his "wife" is 16. The marriage is setup for Visa reasons in Scotland. Though the actress playing the wife was really 20. While Bronson's real age was 49 at the time.

As someone that lived though the 70's, I can tell you that the UK was a very different place, in a religious way. So having someone in your room, that you were not married too, after 10pm was looked down upon, and not good for your moral soul, as you were living in sin. The age difference thing in marriage, was a common thing at one time, more in rural areas, it was a way of passing on money and property, and not letting it go to the state or crown. The older man, say 45-50, would marry a young woman, after he had worked hard all his life. Then went he passed away, the young woman would inherit every thing, and if she had not had children from the marriage, she would marry a young man. And the cycle carried on.

I live in Monaco, and not only are there (much) older men with younger women, but also older women with younger men. And although this has to do with money in many cases, there are many couples here where money is not the reason they are together. In general, it's very accepted here by the residents, and no one is bothered about it, although tourist tend to comment on it.

5:30 Face goals.

This wasn't the norm in most Hotels, but remember Basil is different.

John Cleese felt he had to apologize in advance to Nicky Henson for Basil being so rude to him in this episode, because they knew each other rather well. Cleese, always to his credit, was highly complimentary about the rest of the cast. But then, like a lot of performers, it's tougher watching themselves than watching everyone else.

Cant believe you missed the Bananas joke!

One of the funniest Fawlty Towers episodes imo.

LOST IN SPACE: June Lockhart was about 2 years older than Guy Williams.

Even in the early 80s the established view was no sex before marriage. Hotels did not want to get a reputation for allowing “that sort of thing” on their premises.

I grew up in the 70’s. That exposed hairy chest and medallion style was real. But what you don’t get here is the likelihood that he was also doused in cheap cologne.

Simon Cowell still sports a hairy chest along with King Kong.

"Future Megan" is really well informed... Maybe she should do ALL the reactions from now on?

@paulkennedy8701

4 ай бұрын

Given the immutability of the timeline, I expect she will have to. If past Megan hasn't done them by now she never will.

This episode is a classic 'farce' and who better to cast in it than Mrs Brian Rix (Elspet Gray/Mrs Doctor Abbott) who had been playing these parts for 16 years in The Whitehall Farces.

A shame your edit removed Sybil calling Basil an "aging brilliantine stick insect".

😊😊😊😊😊❤❤

Please watch the episode entitled 'The Kipper and the Corpse'.

Brilliantine stick-insect!

Funny sitcom

You've never heard the phrase, "No sex please, we're British".

That v neck didn’t fly in the 70s

9:18 Finally, an older woman with a younger man! 🥸👍

Fawlty towers was amazing program. Shame they only made 12 episodes across 2 series. Btw I remember going to Ibiza in the 90's with a good friend. There was 2 young ladies in the room above ours in the hotel and because no unregistered guests were allowed in the rooms I saw more than once young men shimmering down the drain pipe in the morning! 😁

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

aha oh my! 😂

How can you "watch" this when mixing up the scenes ? BLOCKED

Weĺ he was married to polly so

6:05 had nothing to do with the 70s. The 70s in Europe were extremely promiscuous (unlike the US!!!). Being a comedy show this was taking the **** out of the attitude of older people chiefly in far out provincial areas.

Basil was designed to be very out of touch even by 1970’s standards to be fair, pretty much designed like a person still living like WW2 was still going

@MeganRuth

4 ай бұрын

Ahh I see!

@TheZodiacz

3 ай бұрын

Don't mention the war!

It didn’t fly then. It’s just comedy

Megan, can't say I think much of the editing on this one The story was pretty much lost

Connie booth who is Canadian and played polly wrote faulty towers

@janhawranke8064

3 ай бұрын

Together with Cleese.....

@normandavidtidiman9918

2 ай бұрын

Booth is American by birth. Indianapolis,Indiana.

We have new prudery.Horrible,, Basil was in his late 50s at this time .. That style makes men look older I suppose, Wiomen like men who have achieved something and have a good income , Women have children best befor thirty , These things always have reasonable reasons and are very oftem more the womans will than man´s.

@paulkennedy8701

4 ай бұрын

Ah. You mean Basil Henson, the actor. I thought you meant "Basil Fawlty", the character. I reread it several times, because I couldn't work out what you were saying..

THE 70'S WAS WORST STYLES OF ALL TIME!!!👎👎👎👎👎👎👎😵😵😵😵😵😵👎👎👎👎👎👎

I love your reactions, but comedy casting is half of the casting inappropriate couples is part of the fun