Don't mind him, he's from Barcelona.

When the name John Cleese is mentioned, probably the first thing to come to mind was his all-too-brief stint in Monty Python's Flying Circus. However, he's well-known for a sitcom which is just as funny - Fawlty Towers.

The Two Towers: No, I'm not talking about the much anticipated second story in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but rather the two "eras" of Fawlty Towers.

As most people probably know, there were only twelve episodes of Fawlty Towers ever made. What may be only known to the die hard fans though, is that the first six episodes were made in about 1975 when Cleese and his wife at the time, co-star Connie Booth were still together.

Four long years passed (And Cleese divorced Booth) before they all got back together in 1979 for a second season of six more episodes.

As Cleese says in the interviews, making each episode was a very time consuming process. Editing alone took about an hour per minute; that works out to be close to 30 hours of editing for one episode.

Heeeeeere's John(ny)!: The stars of Fawlty Towers are:

John Cleese: Basil Fawlty
Prunella Scales: Sybil Fawlty
Andrew Sachs: Manuel (Spanish waiter)
Connie Booth: Polly (maid/waitress)

It would take a whole epinion to write about how excellent these characters are, but I'll try to explain it briefly.

Basil is the owner of Fawlty Towers, a very insensitive and insulting person who dreams of his hotel having snob appeal and to have rich and important people stay there, as well as keeping the riff raff out. Sadly, he can't tell the difference between the two...(A Touch of Class.)

Sybil is Basil's wife, and as much as he would like to believe he's in charge, Sybil has but to scream his name and he knows who controls the keys to Fawlty Towers.

Manuel is the Spanish waiter who doesn't understand much English, so whenever he makes a fool of himself (or Basil), someone is always pointing out to the guests to "don't mind him, he's from Barcelona." Manuel even affectionately (or not...) names his rat Basil in the final episode (Basil the Rat.)

Polly is the maid, waitress and sometimes desk receptionist who usually gets Basil out of trouble with his wife Sybil. She's always learning new languages (The Germans), and trying to make a go of her artistic and writing skills as well.

The only recurring character worth mentioning is the Major, who just plain acts senile half the time, but has some very funny lines. There are also two older ladies, but they are usually just there for Basil to insult.

The Episodes:

A Touch of Class: Basil advertises for a better clientele and attracts a bit of riff raff.

The Builders: I'm so sorry; I'm afraid the dining-room door seems to have disappeared.

The Wedding Party: I know what people like you get up to, and I think it's disgusting.

Hotel Inspectors: Oh please! It's taken us twelve years to build this place up. If you put this in the book we're finished.

Gourmet Night: If you don't like duck, you're rather stuck.

The Germans: So that's two eggs mayonnaise, a prawn Goebbels, a Herman Goerring and four Colditz salads.

Communication Problems: Basil can't win...even when he wins.

The Psychiatrist: Basil provides enough material for an entire psychiatry conference.

Waldorf Salad: You ponce in here expecting to be waited on hand and foot, well I'm trying to run a hotel here.

The Kipper and the Corpse: Number eight is dead! Twenty five to go.

The Anniversary:I'll just pop upstairs and ask her to stop dying and then you can all come up and identify her.

Basil the Rat: Wanted - kind home for savage rodent.

Special Features:

This 3 DVD collection comes with an excellent number of extras, including...

Interviews: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs

Director's Commentary

A Visit to Torquay: Home of Fawlty Towers

Subtitles: English, French, German

A Who's Who Guide to the stars of Fawlty Towers

Outtakes and more!

Each DVD is approximately 170 minutes long and contains four episodes (plus special features.)

High points: All twelve episodes are funny, but I feel that The Germans and Communication Problems stand out as the better episodes.

Low points: On the other hand, both The Wedding Party and The Anniversary are a bit slow and monotonous overall (although they do have funny bits.) I rarely watch these two episodes anymore.

Overall, I'd say that if you like John Cleese in Monty Python, you should enjoy his work in Fawlty Towers as well. Just realize that although it's still British comedy, it is a different style (sitcom, as opposed to sketch comedy.)

While it is a bit pricey, you do get your money's worth in episodes and special features. I highly recommend these DVDs to fans of the series. For those not as interested in British comedy, you may want to rent an episode first.