Fun fact, there are some people who react to this in the US and don't even know the historical references, why it's funny, or worse, what wwii is. How is that even possible? It makes me embarrassed to be a human being. I'm an American btw so yeah 😂
And that kind of answers her question on whether this was improvised at all. All the sources I've read say that Cleese wrote everything out with great care and attention, kept to the script when performing, and expected others to do the same, in both Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.
It took the approximately six weks per episode with the dialogue being one of the last things in there. First they worked on the situations and actions. 12 episodes, perfect.
@@jeschinstad plenty shows go on for waaaay too long and sometimes they clearly jump the shark. 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers is perfect, every episode is a classic.
Fun fact: As John Cleese goes in and out of the dining hall doing the Hitler walk he shouts "'Ich kann mit einem Eierlöffel Fledermäuse toten!", which means "I can kill bats with an egg spoon!"
I remember absolutely losing the plot over the “Yes you did you invaded Poland” line the first time I ever heard it. It still tickles me to this day. One of my favourite comedy lines of all time
It's not even the finale with the Germans that sets this apart - the whole Fire Drill sequence in the middle of the episode is possibly the most hilariously executed piece of farce in any sitcom before or since. It's phenomenal.
Generally regarded as the funniest moment in British comedy. John takes the spotlight with the performance, but clearly Connie is an unsung comedy genius.
John Cleese said in an interview that in Germany, a German man came up to him after a stand up show and said, “don’t mention the war.” John Cleese and his real life wife, who plays the maid, wrote this so well that the British laugh at it as well as the Germans. Germans see the bumbling Englishman. Like the German man says at the end of the episode, “how did they ever win?” It was written so well that no one was offended.
How did we ever win? Well, after the frog was boiled and the lion got its tail pulled out, it took the bear and the bald eagle 4 years to save the lion’s bacon. (Don’t ask where the lion got the bacon.)
@@timonsolus Seems the bear and the bald eagle weren't really interested in standing up for other countries until they were attacked, if it wasn't for the frog, the lion and his cubs the bear would've been skinned and the bald eagle plucked, I suggest you read a real history of WW2 and not what passes for history that's taught in US schools.
When our son went to the UK for a language holiday to polish up his English, we used this episode as a training video to get him accustomed to the ideosyncrasies of some Britons.
John Cleese was later hired by the German Embassy in the UK to be the spokesperson for an essay contest for school kids, in which they had to write an essay about Germany, with the proviso of 'Don't Mention the War' :D
The whole point of this type of humour was to make light of a devastating period in history that many watching had personally endured and were mature enough to understanding the difference between humour and bitter feelings. They had moved on in life, unlike today's society who can barely mention Hitler's names without having a meltdown or being censored on the Internet for something that they have never suffered from.
Yay, you used possibly my favourite bit of the whole series in your intro. The "my god, you're ugly" and the follow-up line "you need a plastic surgeon dear, not a doctor." Completely random, and cruel, but very funny. In an episode where all the German stuff gets a lot of attention, that short sequence in the hospital is one of the best. Had been waiting for this one to pop up. Glad you liked it so much, Megan.😊
Yea, no one does offensive stuff anymore. Jimmy Carr's shows certainly aren't filled with racist and pedo jokes. Bill Burr certainly goes easy on everyone. Family Guy absolutely stays off the racist, homophobic and fat jokes. SNL joke swaps never offended anyone and never got hashtags started to get them cancelled, but were basically told to fuck off by NBC who stood with THEM and not the Karens. The same type of jokes Norm wasn't even allowed to do. Ricky Gervais took it easy at the Emmys, not joking about Weinstein and Prince Charles being pedos and still having lots of friends in the crowd. So sick of lazy fuckers complaining about things being better "in the old days". You weren't there, because if you were you would've remembered the countless comedians, TV shows, stage shows etc. that were cancelled just because they were slightly off mainstream. The only reasons Cleese got to do this is because he was too big to fail. That's why there weren't any other shows like this, unlike today. They were killed before even getting to pitch meetings. But I could be wrong, perhaps they all ARE cancelled. Like when Lenny Bruce was arrested in the 60s for just speaking. Or when Dave Chapelle got ONE(!) show cancelled after all the "shit" he said. And that show was replaced and immediately sold out. Or when Shane Gillis was fired (yea, dick move, I'll give you that) from SNL but got the job back a couple of years later. Even tho "things are getting worse every day". Also, there's the poor misunderstood racist, homophobic anti-waxx and anti-trans Joe Rogan. He's been cancelled so many times that all he has left is a podcast that makes him millions per episode, and a Netflix special. Poor guy, the cancel mob really did a number on him. Yea --- what a shitty time to be alive if you're a fan of comedy.
Once upon a time we all made fun of each other and we could all take a joke. It was one way we connected and actually learned to love and forgive. Can’t do that anymore.
Yes we can screw "political correctness" and don't bend the knee to them. Just because the mentally ill are running the asylum doesn't mean we have to listen to them.
So it would seem you're incorrect. Well at least for Germans that liked to watch Fawlty Towers. As you probably know by now, this was a hit with the German audience. John Cleese tells a story of being in a German Hotel lobby years later (or was he at the bar), and this rather rotund jolly German shouts across the room, 'don't mention the war, eh John!' Or something to that effect. People just play everything too safe these days.
If you’ve ever seen National Lampoons European Vacation, the actor Ballard Berkeley who played the Major, was the old man driving the car that Clark Griswold crashes into when in London.
When Monty Python was making one of their movies, they stayed at a hotel where the manager had this type of character. Cleese remembered him and used that character for this series.
I went out with a German girl at University. She had never seen it, but saw the vhs (yes I’m that old), in my room and insisted we watched it. She thought it was hilarious.
My then fiancee and I loved FT and particularly this episode...so when we were having our wedding photos taken a few years later, and the photographer said "I want you to turn towards each other and look lovingly into one anothers eyes" we couldn't help ourselves, both muttering jokingly "My God you're ugly" at each other - one of our favourite photos - both of us grinning from ear to ear - Beautiful lady btw. Just love your reaction
Been hanging for this classic. Great to see you enjoying yourself so much, Meg, you never disappoint. Take my word, it gets even better. A pity you had to omit most of one of the Major's best racist rants, but the episode is so densely packed it's impossible to do it complete justice in a YT edit. I don't think they knew they'd be making another series just yet. As a babyboomer myself, I recall it had pretty much slipped out of everyday consciousness by the 70s, and even the 60s - there were just so many changes going on, but the 50s? OMG! 'What did your Daddy do in the war?' What rank/division? Where did he serve etc etc. But I remember something quite profound my late father said (he was an ordinary seaman in the RN):'Dad,.who won the war?' 'Well nobody really wins a war...'
The Doctor has been in both classic and new Doctor Who episodes, the latter being a very emotional scene 🎬 back to this reaction however, your company has made my day 😊
I met John Cleese in 2017. He has an amazing sense of humour and when we had a photo together (I was cosplaying as Negan from The Walking Dead) and he did a nervous pose in the photo just to make it funny.
I don’t think any of it is improvised, it’s a beautifully crafted script. It was also filmed in front of a live audience so it was rehearsed beforehand.
The fire drill sketch is one of the most perfectly crafted sketches I've ever seen. Megan, if you enjoyed that one, you really should react to Monty Python's Life of Brian - the stoning sketch is quite similar.
Loved your reaction Megan and so glad you enjoyed it. Sit coms do not come better than this. So many classic lines are still repeated by people 45 years later !!!
Really enjoyed your reaction to this brilliant comedian masterpiece :)...I could see you really loved it..and we loved watching you love it :)...yes..its a really funny episode....Falwty Towers is one of my favorite series of all time....:)
Try Still Game, it's a funny Scottish sitcom and the good thing is I've seen other people react to the full episodes without editing them on UA-cam. Still Game's very popular in Scotland, I'm not sure how popular it is down here in English but I love it personally
Interestingly me and my friend recently were binging this series for the Xth time and we came to the conclusion that this must be the funniest episode. Though I love "Hotel Inspector" episode very much.
Apparently (from memory) it took John Cleese and Connie Booth around 3 months to write each 34-ish minute episode, which explains the brilliant script. One of the best ever sitcoms IMHO, just don't mention the...
I don't believe any of it was improved. John Cleese and Connie Booth meticulously crafted each episode, which is one reason they could only manage six episodes per series.
I think they spent roughly 6 weeks writing and rewriting each episode, and it shows. Possibly there are moments of ad-lib, if something unexpected happens in a scene. But it’s otherwise very tightly scripted. I think a part of the next episode (‘Mrs Richards’) - which is brilliant - was ad-libed in rehearsal, it’s the line with the word ‘Brain’ in it… I won’t spoil it…. And John Cleese was convinced to keep it in by Andrew Sachs (The actor that plays Manuel).
My partner still hasn't seen this but she'd probably enjoy it. She could translate it for the German audience! Also, it's notable that we can name Louis Mahoney as the doctor in this, because of a vanishingly small number of black actors you might expect to see on screen. Who were almost always defined in terms of the reaction of the white actor. I guess people really think and feel a different way.
Germans actually don't take it seriously. They actually are quite outgoing about the jokes and love this episode. When John Cleese (the actor who played Basil Fawlty) went to Germany, the Germans kept going up to him and told him "not to mention the war".
Quite the controversial episode but also quite a misunderstood, it was never making fun of Germany or German People it was making fun of people who still held grudges after world war 2 when even in the 1970’s, world war 2 was 30 years ago also John Cleese once said how if other characters in the show were apparently bad stereotypes of other countries then how does Basil Fawlty and the Major make British people look?
It's not controversial because of the stuff about Germany. It's controversial because of the Major calling black and asian cricketers 'n*****s' and 'c***s'
This was 1975 the war was only 30 years before and fresh in peoples minds. Yes people were very racist then.1975 was nearly 50 years ago so a lot more time has passed since this was made, no more characters like the Major about now.
@@michaellaw3943 On TV - Black and White Minstrels, Bernard Manning, Alf Garnet, Robison's Jam Still had Gollywog badges. Trust me people were very racist. There were no discrimination laws, no Equality Act.... I could go on and on
I don't think our American cousins can fully understand the subtleties of these programmes, a lot of English sensibility and harboured resentments that Americans would not understand
There is a few more British shows you really should watch and react to. The most famous is of course Mr. Bean. Not the movies, but the tv-episodes. Next is the show 'Allo 'allo!. That show is ridiciulously funny. And lastly, an old show I recently discovered is the show: Mind your Language. The last show would hardly be allowed on tv today, as it depicts stereotypical representations of different cultures.
Fun fact: Every German I’ve ever talked to absolutely LOVED this episode
I very nervously showed this to my german friend in Ireland. I thought he was going to die from laughter....
I also heard that this episode is the most popular among Germans, so that sounds just about right.
As a German a can fully agree. I love this episode.
@@johnnyrosenberg9522 In a John Cleese interview, he said that in a hotel in Germany, some German fellow shouted "Hey John, don't mention zer vor!".
Fun fact, there are some people who react to this in the US and don't even know the historical references, why it's funny, or worse, what wwii is. How is that even possible? It makes me embarrassed to be a human being. I'm an American btw so yeah 😂
It took John Cleese and Connie Booth weeks to write each episode.
Well worth the effort. Utter perfection. 🙂
And that kind of answers her question on whether this was improvised at all. All the sources I've read say that Cleese wrote everything out with great care and attention, kept to the script when performing, and expected others to do the same, in both Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.
It took the approximately six weks per episode with the dialogue being one of the last things in there.
First they worked on the situations and actions.
12 episodes, perfect.
@@hansvandermeulen5515 Perfect except for one thing; way too few.
@@jeschinstad plenty shows go on for waaaay too long and sometimes they clearly jump the shark.
12 episodes of Fawlty Towers is perfect, every episode is a classic.
@@hansvandermeulen5515 18 perfect episodes would be more perfect. :)
Fun fact: As John Cleese goes in and out of the dining hall doing the Hitler walk he shouts "'Ich kann mit einem Eierlöffel Fledermäuse toten!", which means "I can kill bats with an egg spoon!"
I remember absolutely losing the plot over the “Yes you did you invaded Poland” line the first time I ever heard it. It still tickles me to this day. One of my favourite comedy lines of all time
No idea who contributed most to the script, if him or Connie, but that particular line and really the whole thing was inspired.
My favourite line is in Basil the Rat. 'Do they have rats in Spain or did Franco have them all shot?'
@@Nooziterp1 that’s definitely in my top 5 🤣
It's not even the finale with the Germans that sets this apart - the whole Fire Drill sequence in the middle of the episode is possibly the most hilariously executed piece of farce in any sitcom before or since. It's phenomenal.
Yes you did, you invaded Poland ....LMFAO! always gets me
Honestly one of my favourite lines! 😂
Generally regarded as the funniest moment in British comedy.
John takes the spotlight with the performance, but clearly Connie is an unsung comedy genius.
John Cleese said in an interview that in Germany, a German man came up to him after a stand up show and said, “don’t mention the war.” John Cleese and his real life wife, who plays the maid, wrote this so well that the British laugh at it as well as the Germans. Germans see the bumbling Englishman. Like the German man says at the end of the episode, “how did they ever win?” It was written so well that no one was offended.
How did we ever win? Well, after the frog was boiled and the lion got its tail pulled out, it took the bear and the bald eagle 4 years to save the lion’s bacon. (Don’t ask where the lion got the bacon.)
@@timonsolus Seems the bear and the bald eagle weren't really interested in standing up for other countries until they were attacked, if it wasn't for the frog, the lion and his cubs the bear would've been skinned and the bald eagle plucked, I suggest you read a real history of WW2 and not what passes for history that's taught in US schools.
Remember the fury from the left over the N word in this particular episode though?
Another timeless classic that never grows old
"...One of the best pieces of television I have ever seen in my entire life." I couldn't agree with you more!
As good as it is when the Germans arrive, the fire drill is absolute perfection.
Couldn't agree more!
What drill, we didn't hear a drill??!!
WE’RE HAVING IT!!!
@MeganRuth The major's claims about cricketers & women is bizarre & hilarious!
When our son went to the UK for a language holiday to polish up his English, we used this episode as a training video to get him accustomed to the ideosyncrasies of some Britons.
John Cleese was later hired by the German Embassy in the UK to be the spokesperson for an essay contest for school kids, in which they had to write an essay about Germany, with the proviso of 'Don't Mention the War' :D
Really?
Brilliant. Even now I can remember my old man laughing his head off at this every time he watched it. Thanks for the reminder 👍🤣
Either the car or the German episode brings tears to my eyes every time, and I have seen them hundreds of times. Nothing was ever funnier. 😂
For me as a German this episode is my favourite one. Oh, by the way...please, don't mention the war!😊
@@Eyyoh755 “Me!? You started it!” 😜
🤣
The whole point of this type of humour was to make light of a devastating period in history that many watching had personally endured and were mature enough to understanding the difference between humour and bitter feelings. They had moved on in life, unlike today's society who can barely mention Hitler's names without having a meltdown or being censored on the Internet for something that they have never suffered from.
Yay, you used possibly my favourite bit of the whole series in your intro. The "my god, you're ugly" and the follow-up line "you need a plastic surgeon dear, not a doctor." Completely random, and cruel, but very funny. In an episode where all the German stuff gets a lot of attention, that short sequence in the hospital is one of the best.
Had been waiting for this one to pop up. Glad you liked it so much, Megan.😊
No words, some of our best comedy EVER and great reaction babe.
Best episode 😄, John Cleese is a master of comedy. Greetings from Germany 👋.
The guy who plays the Doctor, Louis Mahoney, had parts in films such as The Omen, part 3, Captain Phillips and Live and Let Die.
People back in the 70's was not offended by everything.
That is why there was comedy. Unlke today when comedy is a thing of the past.
Yea, no one does offensive stuff anymore. Jimmy Carr's shows certainly aren't filled with racist and pedo jokes. Bill Burr certainly goes easy on everyone. Family Guy absolutely stays off the racist, homophobic and fat jokes. SNL joke swaps never offended anyone and never got hashtags started to get them cancelled, but were basically told to fuck off by NBC who stood with THEM and not the Karens. The same type of jokes Norm wasn't even allowed to do. Ricky Gervais took it easy at the Emmys, not joking about Weinstein and Prince Charles being pedos and still having lots of friends in the crowd.
So sick of lazy fuckers complaining about things being better "in the old days". You weren't there, because if you were you would've remembered the countless comedians, TV shows, stage shows etc. that were cancelled just because they were slightly off mainstream. The only reasons Cleese got to do this is because he was too big to fail. That's why there weren't any other shows like this, unlike today. They were killed before even getting to pitch meetings.
But I could be wrong, perhaps they all ARE cancelled. Like when Lenny Bruce was arrested in the 60s for just speaking. Or when Dave Chapelle got ONE(!) show cancelled after all the "shit" he said. And that show was replaced and immediately sold out. Or when Shane Gillis was fired (yea, dick move, I'll give you that) from SNL but got the job back a couple of years later. Even tho "things are getting worse every day".
Also, there's the poor misunderstood racist, homophobic anti-waxx and anti-trans Joe Rogan. He's been cancelled so many times that all he has left is a podcast that makes him millions per episode, and a Netflix special. Poor guy, the cancel mob really did a number on him.
Yea --- what a shitty time to be alive if you're a fan of comedy.
“Ja. Und do nicht mention ze titten.”
“What?”
“Ze boobs! Ve must not mention zem! Or look at zem! And especially nicht touch zem!”
Once upon a time we all made fun of each other and we could all take a joke. It was one way we connected and actually learned to love and forgive.
Can’t do that anymore.
YOU may not....but the REST of us do!!
@@anthonydebski5814I think he means as a society, which is true thanks to political correctness.
Yes we can screw "political correctness" and don't bend the knee to them. Just because the mentally ill are running the asylum doesn't mean we have to listen to them.
Actually I lived and worked in Germany for a while, and they loved Fawlty Towers, and had no problem at all with this episode
I love when Polly says: "...and the flowers have just fallen on him..." 🤣🤣
All time classic you can never beat this kind off writing and acting
So it would seem you're incorrect. Well at least for Germans that liked to watch Fawlty Towers. As you probably know by now, this was a hit with the German audience. John Cleese tells a story of being in a German Hotel lobby years later (or was he at the bar), and this rather rotund jolly German shouts across the room, 'don't mention the war, eh John!' Or something to that effect.
People just play everything too safe these days.
Never a truer word was spoken! Safe today is so dangerous, and people can't see it!
Aaaaheee speeeeka da gud eeeeenglisssssssh! I lerrrrrn eeet from a buk! One of the absolute classic lines from all TV history
If you’ve ever seen National Lampoons European Vacation, the actor Ballard Berkeley who played the Major, was the old man driving the car that Clark Griswold crashes into when in London.
01:40 Basil was just doing the old sudden surprise reaction to someone knowing his name.
Have you seen The Young Ones? That's another great British comedy.
Thought Megan was gonna collapse with laughter 😂😂
The alarm drama is so painful 😂
Leonard Rossiter = Reginald Perrin. CJ had the quote "I didn't get where I am today. . . . " Another great British sitcom!
This is pure magic!
Thanks… 💙🥂
'Basil the Rat' is the best episode.
When Monty Python was making one of their movies, they stayed at a hotel where the manager had this type of character. Cleese remembered him and used that character for this series.
Cleese mentioned the joke was for those Brits who were still hung up about it
loved your reaction megan
There's one split second in there where Cleese says "Ní".
This show started the same year as The Holy Grail showed in cinemas
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I can tell you really enjoyed this one Megan. It is one of the best episodes of FT. Now on to series two. :)
I certainly did! 😂
In actual fact, Germans love that episode. They regularly show it and quite from it in Germany.
I went out with a German girl at University. She had never seen it, but saw the vhs (yes I’m that old), in my room and insisted we watched it. She thought it was hilarious.
"However did they win?"
My then fiancee and I loved FT and particularly this episode...so when we were having our wedding photos taken a few years later, and the photographer said "I want you to turn towards each other and look lovingly into one anothers eyes" we couldn't help ourselves, both muttering jokingly "My God you're ugly" at each other - one of our favourite photos - both of us grinning from ear to ear - Beautiful lady btw.
Just love your reaction
Been hanging for this classic. Great to see you enjoying yourself so much, Meg, you never disappoint. Take my word, it gets even better. A pity you had to omit most of one of the Major's best racist rants, but the episode is so densely packed it's impossible to do it complete justice in a YT edit. I don't think they knew they'd be making another series just yet.
As a babyboomer myself, I recall it had pretty much slipped out of everyday consciousness by the 70s, and even the 60s - there were just so many changes going on, but the 50s? OMG! 'What did your Daddy do in the war?' What rank/division? Where did he serve etc etc. But I remember something quite profound my late father said (he was an ordinary seaman in the RN):'Dad,.who won the war?' 'Well nobody really wins a war...'
Widely regarded as the best FT episode.
The Doctor has been in both classic and new Doctor Who episodes, the latter being a very emotional scene 🎬 back to this reaction however, your company has made my day 😊
The funniest episode. Though I think Basil the Rat is a close second. 'Do they have rats in Spain or did Franco have them all shot?'
God bless you, Megan!!! I'm here laughing hysterically with you!
This episode and "Basil the Rat" are often considered to be the best two episodes of the entire series, comedy gold.
And Communication Problems and The Psychiatrist
The only episode I don’t like is The Anniversary episode.
@@mizofan Yes, both of those are excellent too.
@@ThunderForce2000 It's definitely a weaker one, near the bottom of the list.
I met John Cleese in 2017. He has an amazing sense of humour and when we had a photo together (I was cosplaying as Negan from The Walking Dead) and he did a nervous pose in the photo just to make it funny.
I don’t think any of it is improvised, it’s a beautifully crafted script. It was also filmed in front of a live audience so it was rehearsed beforehand.
The fire drill sketch is one of the most perfectly crafted sketches I've ever seen. Megan, if you enjoyed that one, you really should react to Monty Python's Life of Brian - the stoning sketch is quite similar.
There was a FOUR YEAR GAP Megan, between the end of the first series and the first airing of the start of the second series.
A very small detail that people miss in this episode, is that the burglar alarm went off because Basil didn’t access the safe correctly.
Loved your reaction Megan and so glad you enjoyed it. Sit coms do not come better than this. So many classic lines are still repeated by people 45 years later !!!
What a perfect way to start the evening.
Toad in the Hole with a bottle of San Miguel whilst watching Megan totally losing it over Fawlty Towers 👌😘
lol, forever gold. A treasure of a sitcom!
Really enjoyed your reaction to this brilliant comedian masterpiece :)...I could see you really loved it..and we loved watching you love it :)...yes..its a really funny episode....Falwty Towers is one of my favorite series of all time....:)
Oh the woman laughs like Melanie on Neighbours, it might even BE her!
Wait until you see ‘Basil The Rat.’ It’s the funniest 30 minutes of TV ever made 😀
As bad as Basil Fawlty is, I don’t think even he would have behaved as badly as he did the the final act of this episode if he wasn’t concussed.
I think so too!
The peak of John Cleese’s career!
I really fancy a Prawn Goebbels after watching this hilarious episode.
30 Minutes of perfection
Agreed!
28 mins maybe - personally, I'd not describe the Major's racist outburst as 'perfection'.
@@wembleyford shrapnel 🙃
Try Still Game, it's a funny Scottish sitcom and the good thing is I've seen other people react to the full episodes without editing them on UA-cam. Still Game's very popular in Scotland, I'm not sure how popular it is down here in English but I love it personally
No improv, all scripted - written by John Cleese (Basil) and Connie Booth (Polly) - they were married for a time.
They spent weeks and weeks perfecting every script. That's why they are so expertly crafted.
Interestingly me and my friend recently were binging this series for the Xth time and we came to the conclusion that this must be the funniest episode. Though I love "Hotel Inspector" episode very much.
Some other good British Comedy sitcoms worth watching are: One Foot In The Grave, Keeping Up Appearances, Thin Blue Line and of course Mr Bean.
This episode was the only one banned in Germany in the 70's........for some reason
Apparently (from memory) it took John Cleese and Connie Booth around 3 months to write each 34-ish minute episode, which explains the brilliant script.
One of the best ever sitcoms IMHO, just don't mention the...
Season 2 Episode 1 is my favourite.
Voted the best ever sitcom episode in the UK.
Hello Megan, how are you? 🤔 Love Fawlty Towers, my favourite British show ever made! Your reactions are priceless here & have a beautiful day! ❤️
Thanks Falcom! You too 😊
Wow Meg you really get it. 👍
This is my favorite episode! 😂
I can see why!
@@MeganRuthYou missed out most of what the major says about cricketers & women. That has often been badly cut when repeated during the 2010s & 2020s.
Great reaction 🙂
Thank you!! 😊
I don't believe any of it was improved. John Cleese and Connie Booth meticulously crafted each episode, which is one reason they could only manage six episodes per series.
I think they spent roughly 6 weeks writing and rewriting each episode, and it shows. Possibly there are moments of ad-lib, if something unexpected happens in a scene. But it’s otherwise very tightly scripted.
I think a part of the next episode (‘Mrs Richards’) - which is brilliant - was ad-libed in rehearsal, it’s the line with the word ‘Brain’ in it… I won’t spoil it…. And John Cleese was convinced to keep it in by Andrew Sachs (The actor that plays Manuel).
Everyone loves this episode (except John Cleese)
funniest tv show ever
Hmmm. Deutscher Volk. Wait until you get to Blackadder Goes Forth!!!!🤣
My partner still hasn't seen this but she'd probably enjoy it. She could translate it for the German audience! Also, it's notable that we can name Louis Mahoney as the doctor in this, because of a vanishingly small number of black actors you might expect to see on screen. Who were almost always defined in terms of the reaction of the white actor. I guess people really think and feel a different way.
I work at a hotel and we follow these exact rules when we have Germans.
Germans actually don't take it seriously. They actually are quite outgoing about the jokes and love this episode. When John Cleese (the actor who played Basil Fawlty) went to Germany, the Germans kept going up to him and told him "not to mention the war".
I respectfully disagree, the funniest episode ever was when O' Riley the builder did a renovation at the hotel! 😂
No one does comedy like the Brits.
If you like John Cleese, I would recommend the movie Clockwise which stars him, a similar type of humour
Close its "Clockwise" made in 1986. It's absolutely absurd & I love Penelope Wilton in it. Mr Stimpson's eventful day 😂😂
@@fleason771 ah, I never noticed I misspelt it until you pointed it out! Yeah, it's a fantastic watch 🤣
Quite the controversial episode but also quite a misunderstood, it was never making fun of Germany or German People it was making fun of people who still held grudges after world war 2 when even in the 1970’s, world war 2 was 30 years ago also John Cleese once said how if other characters in the show were apparently bad stereotypes of other countries then how does Basil Fawlty and the Major make British people look?
It's not controversial because of the stuff about Germany. It's controversial because of the Major calling black and asian cricketers 'n*****s' and 'c***s'
If thre a t v vote for best t v comedy this got to be in the top five
Megan, whatever you do, don't mention the war.... ;P XD
I don’t thing there is a bad episode but the worst IMO is Basil the Rat, the only show that comes close to Fawlty Towers is Only Fools and Horses!
This was 1975 the war was only 30 years before and fresh in peoples minds. Yes people were very racist then.1975 was nearly 50 years ago so a lot more time has passed since this was made, no more characters like the Major about now.
People weren’t racist in 1975, they just saw the funny side of different races and sexes.
@@michaellaw3943 On TV - Black and White Minstrels, Bernard Manning, Alf Garnet, Robison's Jam Still had Gollywog badges. Trust me people were very racist. There were no discrimination laws, no Equality Act.... I could go on and on
I love farty towels
I don't think our American cousins can fully understand the subtleties of these programmes, a lot of English sensibility and harboured resentments that Americans would not understand
Don't mention the war... I think I mentioned it once or twice and got away with it...
do Doctor Who!
Utter genius this show. Not one episode that wasn't hilarious.
The whole point of some of these shows was to show up racism.
You ain't seen nothing until you've seen Alf Garnet - in sickness and in health.
There is a few more British shows you really should watch and react to. The most famous is of course Mr. Bean. Not the movies, but the tv-episodes. Next is the show 'Allo 'allo!. That show is ridiciulously funny. And lastly, an old show I recently discovered is the show: Mind your Language. The last show would hardly be allowed on tv today, as it depicts stereotypical representations of different cultures.