Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kodak.com!news-nysernet-16.sprintlink.net!news-east1.sprintlink.net!news-peer-europe.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!newsfeed1.swip.net!swipnet!newsfeed2.funet.fi!nntp.hut.fi!news.cs.hut.fi!not-for-mail From: Antti J Tuominen 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 Followup-To: alt.comedy.british,rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy,poster Date: 19 Sep 1999 14:14:41 GMT Organization: Helsinki University of Technology Lines: 880 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: Mon, 18 Oct 1998 23:59:59 GMT Message-ID: <7s2r4h$9jb$1@midnight.cs.hut.fi> NNTP-Posting-Host: alpha.hut.fi X-Trace: midnight.cs.hut.fi 937750481 9835 130.233.224.50 (19 Sep 1999 14:14:41 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@niksula.cs.hut.fi NNTP-Posting-Date: 19 Sep 1999 14:14:41 GMT Summary: This posting is a list of common questions (with answers) about the famous British sitcom show Fawlty Towers. User-Agent: tin/pre-1.4-19990805 ("Preacher Man") (UNIX) (OSF1/V4.0 (alpha)) Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.comedy.british:66721 rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy:14850 alt.answers:44463 rec.answers:52550 news.answers:167103 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, tuominen@iki.fi 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, ajtuomin@cc.hut.fi. 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 (adelizzi@minerva.cis.yale.edu): Info on US albums * Internet Movie Database Team: Filmographies * Simon Moore (simon@wjh.harvard.edu) and Ralph Johnson (ralph_johnson@qc.edu): Providing most of the facts about the structure * Mark Boyes (boyes@forty2.enet.dec.com): Addition to Sachs' filmography * Deryk Barker (dbarker@turing.cs.camosun.bc.ca): Extensive information on "Mapp and Lucia". Also Dave Rogers (dave.rogers@bt-sys.bt.co.uk) gave some info on the same subject. Mary Campbell was first to e-mail me about this show * Eleanor Lebourdais (elebourd@direct.ca): Adding "After Henry" * Coleen O'Hanley (MrsMonsoon@aol.com): Addition to Berkeley's filmography * Robert H. Strickland (strickla@airmail.net): Addition to Berkeley's and Cleese's filmographies * Han ten Cate (htencate@erols.com): Many additions to record info section etc. * Gordon Woods (sjoh0050@sable.ox.ac.uk): Addition to Prunella's filmography * Super Furry Animal (rbrown@cs.strath.ac.uk): Addition to Hall's filmography * Gareth Beale (gfb@sdc.cs.boeing.com): origins of Fawlty Towers * Stephen Smith (stevo@jonlan.demon.co.uk): John Cleese commercial * Herman ten Klooster (hermantk@pop.pi.net): John Cleese commecials * Dean Johnson (johnsond@revenant.std.teradyne.com): Third FT imitation info * Robert Wagner (typhoon@moha.szikszi.hu): Mailed the fawlty.mid * Bernie Morey (moreyb@zenithmedia.com.au): Addition to Berkeleys filmography * Timothy Koeller (tkoeller@worldnet.att.net): Cleese's business training films * Joshua Sloan (proth@juno.com): Cleese commercials(?) * Paul B. Guy (pbguy@bigpond.com): Cleese's training videos and Australian record release * Graham Bisset (graham@nmisystems.demon.co.uk): Info on remastered video release * Dan Harkless (dan@cafws3.eng.uci.edu): Corrections to imitations section and new source for scripts on the net * Steve Andrews (rarerecs@globalnet.co.uk): Additions to Cleese's filmography * David Chettleburgh (dac@soton.ac.uk): Additions to Cleese's and Scales' filmography * Graham Sellors (firestarter@pulpfiction99.freeserve.co.uk): Addition to Cleese's filmography. * Ed Wells (FAWLTY2000@aol.com): Link to Ed Wells - John Cleese Lookalike page. * Special thanks to Melinda "Bob" Casino (melinda@badger.idiscover.co.uk) 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.