Fawlty Towers: Basil and Sybil discuss hotel guests
Although Fawlty Towers only aired for two seasons between 1976 and 1979, the BBC sitcom still remains to be one of the most successful sitcoms on British TV.
The show, which consists of 12 episodes, follows the life of brash hotel owner Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese) and the mishaps of guests who come to stay.
Viewers couldn’t get enough of the trials and tribulations of Basil as the show also featured regular characters including his wife Sybil, waiter Manuel and chambermaid Polly.
Recently, it was revealed the sitcom was making a comeback as John Cleese is reprising his role as the short-fused manager alongside real-life daughter Camilla who will play his daughter in the show.
As the show’s been off-air for 44 years, with the last episode on October 25, Express.co.uk has decided to take a look to see where the cast is now.
Basil Fawlty: John Cleese
John Cleese was already an established actor before joining Fawlty Towers for starring in Monty Python.
When the BBC sitcom came to an end, John continued his acting career and went on to write and star in A Fish Called Wanda, which featured the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin.
The 83-year-old has also gone on to star in films such as Harry Potter, Rat Race, James Bond and Charlie’s Angels.
He’s also voiced characters in multiple animations such as King Harold in the Shrek franchises, King Gristle Sr. in Trolls and Dr Glickenstein in Igor.
Aside from acting, John has been highly critical of the “woke” culture and political correctness over the years.
At the end of October, the 77-year-old will broadcast his new show The Dinosaur Hour on GB News which will feature a series of celebrity guests.
Speaking to Michelle Dewberry on GB News about the upcoming show, he said: “They (bosses) said, ‘Would you like to do 10 shows? You can do whatever you like.’
“Can you imagine the BBC doing that? It would be subject to committee A and then after committee A had approved it, you’d go to Committee B.
“They said you can do anything and I’ve had no interference of any kind and it has been joyful.”
Prunella Scales: Sybil Fawlty
After her role as Sybil came to an end, Prunella continued her acting career for over three decades and starred in the likes of Howards End, Wolf, After Henry and Smelling of Roses.
For 10 years, she also played the character Dotty in Tesco’s adverts.
Fawlty Towers fans were thrilled in 2007 when Prunella reprised her role as Sybil as part of a sketch for Children in Need.
Outside of acting, the 91-year-old has been heavily involved in charity work over the years and is an ambassador for SOS Children’s Villages.
Prunella married her husband, actor Timothy West back in 1963 and the pair went on to have two sons, All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West and Joseph West.
In 2014, her husband revealed Prunella had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which sadly ended her long-standing acting career.
Due to her condition, the actress won’t be appearing in the Fawlty Towers reboot as John detailed the episode will start with Sybil’s death.
Speaking about his wife’s condition, on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, Tim said: “She has a bit of a serious memory problem, it’s meant we don’t have the same kind of conversations that we used to have, which is sad for us both.”
“But she enjoys life, she gets about, we go to the theatre, we go to meet friends, and I’m very lucky, really. Very lucky.”
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Andrew Sachs: Manuel
Andrew Sachs became a fan-favourite of the show as the Spanish waiter Manuel.
When the sitcom came to an end, the actor became well-known for his voice-over work in film and radio.
The actor narrated multiple documentaries, which included all of BBC’s television series Troubleshooter.
In the late 2000s, Andrew starred in ITV’s Coronation Street, after being a huge fan of the soap for decades.
Joining the cast as Norris’ brother Ramsay, viewers saw Andrew became a Weatherfield resident for 27 episodes before leaving in August 2009.
Shortly after in 2012, the actor was diagnosed with vascular dementia, which sadly left him unable to speak and forced him to use a wheelchair.
Four years after being diagnosed, Andrew died at the age of 86.
Connie Booth: Polly Sherman
Starring alongside her then-husband John Cleese, Connie played waitress and chambermaid Polly in Fawlty Towers, which she also co-wrote.
When the show ended, the 82-year-old appeared in the likes of The Deadly Game, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and Wizadora.
However, five years after her role as Wizadora in 1995, Connie decided to end her acting career to go down a different path entirely.
Studying for five years at the University of London, Connie became a psychotherapist and now lives in London with her husband John Lahr.
Her last acting role was as Miss March in the TV show The Buccaneers.
Connie and John Cleese share daughter together called Cynthia who starred in A Fish Called Wanda alongside her dad.
It’s not yet been confirmed when the reboot of Fawlty Towers will air.
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