Where are the original Fawlty Towers cast now?
Classic 1970s sitcom is being rebooted by John Cleese and his daughter
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.John Cleese is rebooting his classic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, it was announced this week.
The British actor and writer, who starred in the original series as hotel owner Basil Fawlty, is collaborating on the new show with Spinal Tap filmmaker Rob Reiner.
He will write and star in the revival, which is currently in development, along with his daughter, Camilla Cleese.
The Fawlty Towers reboot will reportedly explore “how Cleese’s over-the-top, cynical and misanthropic Basil Fawlty navigates the modern world”.
Cleese claimed that an initial meeting about the series had yielded “one of the best creative sessions I can remember”.
So what happened to the main four castmembers of Fawlty Towers?
John Cleese
After Fawlty Towers finished, Cleese, who played bedraggled hotelier Basil Fawlty, went on to enjoy a successful film career.
Highlights include 1981’s Time Bandits, directed by fellow Monty Python star Terry Gilliam, and the screwball comedy A Fish Called Wanda (1988), which Cleese also wrote.
He would also play “R” and “Q” in two James Bond films –The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day – and had a small role in the Harry Potter film franchise.
Later in life, Cleese has become known for his criticisms of “woke” culture and political correctness, and starred in the 2018 sitcom Hold the Sunset.
Prunella Scales
Scales, who played Basil’s domineering wife Sybil Fawlty, went on to enjoy a prolific career after Fawlty Towers came to an end.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Perhaps her best-known post-Fawlty role came in 1991’s A Question of Attribution, written by Alan Bennett, which saw Scales earn a Bafta nomination for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II.
For 10 years, Scales appeared in advertisements for Tesco supermarkets, playing “Dotty” Turnbull, alongside Jane Horrocks.
Between 2014 and 2021, she hosted the Channel 4 travel series Great Canal Journeys alongside her husband, the actor Timothy West.
Sadly, Scales was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease back in 2014, and was forced to retire from acting in 2020.
Connie Booth
Booth played hotel employee Polly in Fawlty Towers, and also co-created the series alongside her then husband Cleese.
They had split up by the time Fawlty Towers finished airing, however, and Booth has been reluctant to discuss the series in interviews in the years since.
After finishing work on the show, Booth continued to act in various film, TV and theatre projects throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1995, she gave up acting and became a psychotherapist for the remainder of her career.
Sachs, who played the role of Spanish waiter Manuel, became known for his voiceover work after finding fame on Fawlty Towers.
In 2008, Sachs was the victim of an infamous radio prank by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, in which the duo left obscene messages on his telephone answering machine. The stunt prompted widespread outrage and condemnation.
Sachs died on 23 November 2016, having been diagnosed with vascular dementia four years earler.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments