The Master Remastered: 'Fawlty Towers: Remastered'

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FANS OF JOHN CLEESE'S dry British situational humor shouldn't need an excuse to rewatch any of the 12 outstanding episodes of "Fawlty Towers," but this week's release of the "Remastered" set certainly provides one.

After "Monty Python," Cleese went on to this short-lived series, which aired for only two seasons in the mid-1970s. Its premise is simple: Cleese stars as Basil Fawlty, the owner and operator of a hotel called Fawlty Towers, along with his insufferable wife Sybil (Prunella Scales). Waitress/maid Polly Sherman (played by Cleese's wife-at-the-time, Connie Booth) is responsible for untangling many of her boss's messes, and Spanish waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs) is a convenient butt of jokes.

The new DVD set features commentary and interviews with the cast — including Booth, who has not commented on the show in decades. The real core of this set, though, are the remastered episodes. Here are five of our favorites:

1. "Basil the Rat"

Vermin in hotels are never a good idea, and this episode (which was the series finale) finds every one of the hotel staff chasing after Manuel's pet "hamster," which has gotten loose inside — conveniently during the visit of a Health & Safety inspector. The ripple effect of the snafus here is far-reaching, as an entire menu needs to be yanked off the table for fear of rat poison.

2. "The Hotel Inspectors"

This episode is the queen of all misunderstandings, as Basil alternately abuses and fawns over two hotel guests whom he mistakes for hotel inspectors. Of course, neither is in that employ, but therein lies the fun, as Basil takes out his frustration on these innocent guests right as the real inspectors show up.

3. "Communication Problems"

Most of the mix-ups on "Fawlty Towers" involve situations specific to the hotel business. But some of the best moments center on the prickly relationship between Basil and his wife.

In "Communication Problems", Basil arranges for a bet to be placed on a horse on his behalf and then squirrels the winnings away with one friend or another to hide it from Sybil. When this all gets mixed up with a guest who's particularly hard of hearing, we revisit the one golden rule of Fawlty Towers: Basil always loses.

4. "The Kipper and the Corpse"

One of the greatest episodes is built on one of the simplest of premises: what to do when you find that one of the hotel guests has croaked?

Never to go with the simplest solution, Basil instead insists on moving the corpse from room to room, avoiding other hotel guests whenever possible — and tangling himself deeper and deeper into a web of fibs as he tries to explain his way out of the situation.

5. "The Germans"

Almost universally regarded as the series' best episode, "The Germans" finds Basil attempting to accommodate several German guests during a particularly tense political climate. To make matters worse, a concussion makes him even more immune to tact, resulting in some of the most quotable moments of the series ("You started it!" / "We did not!" / "Yes you did, you invaded Poland!" and "Don't mention the war. I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it!") — not to mention Cleese's most absurd mannerisms as he embarks on a grotesque impersonation of Hitler in the hotel lobby. It's hilarity that crosses over into tastelessness — by far the most effective ingredient in situational comedy.

Written by Express contributor Catherine Lewis
Photo courtesy BBC