Fawlty Towers was a British television comedy starring John Cleese as hotel proprietor Basil Fawlty. Cleese, one of the original members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, returned to television as the writer and star of Fawlty Towers. Although only twelve episodes were produced (six in 1975, six in 1979), it remains one of the most widely syndicated comedy series in television history, and continues in regular syndication on public television stations throughout the United States to this day. Much as All in the Family broke ground by portraying a flawed family, Fawlty Towers took the premise to its comedic extreme. Fawlty and his wife constantly argued, insulted each others' intelligence, and generally made each other miserable. Their pointed barbs and insults marked a new high (or low) in television dialogue. Fawlty Towers proved critically, if not commercially, successful. The series garnered two British Association of Film and Theatre Actors awards for Best Comedy Series and Cleese received an award from The Royal Television Society for his writing and acting.

Further Reading:

Cleese, John, and Connie Booth. The Complete Fawlty Towers. London, Methuen, 1988; New York, Pantheon, 1989.

Margolis, Jonathan. Cleese Encounters. New York, St. Martin's, 1992.