Why only 12 Fawlty Towers? (British people reply)

[senor boogie woogi]

Hola!

I am an American living in China. As a teen in 1980s America, my pot smoking somewhat nerd friends said that Monty Python ruled. I tried watching Monty Python, the Flying Circus, "The Life of Brian", "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and "A Fish called Wanda". Although mildly humerous, not my style.

Here in China, my best friend here introduced me to "Fawlty Towers". One of the funniest shows I have ever seen. "The kipper and the corpse" episode never gets old. Most all of them do. For the record, Prunella Scales was a nice looking woman! Being named in real life prunella probably added to her character.

Why only 12 episodes? The first episodes took place in 1975, the newer ones in 1979. I understand that John Cleese and Connie Booth (who played Polly) were married and were divorced in 1978, and so that went the show. It seems to me that Cleese and company were a comedy troope like rock musicians were a band. They play with each other and then break up.

I cannot believe that a program like this only lasted in gloomy England where there was only two or three stations on the air. What happened? this series should of lasted 10 damn years (except the major and the Sisters would of been dead, a.l.a 'A special Fawlty Towers in the USA)

Senor

[rangers689]

I think they only made 12 episodes because they were writen by John Cleese and Connie Booth (polly the maid) they were married and i believe they then got divorced so i think this was why no more were ever written

[JethroSimpson]

I think they said that they didn't want to ruin it by doing more episodes, they thought the 12 they had were brilliant so did not want to keep going and possibly make bad episodes. I think John Cleese and Connie Booth's divorce probably was also a factor too.

[alienkattuk]

Originally Posted by senor boogie woogi

Here in China, my best friend here introduced me to "Fawlty Towers". One of the funniest shows I have ever seen. "The kipper and the corpse" episode never gets old. Most all of them do. For the record, Prunella Scales was a nice looking woman! Being named in real life prunella probably added to her character.
Senor

I saw that episode two days ago on PBS.

I still can't get enough of that fabulous britcom.

The bedroom scene was brillant.

[bev195]

Originally Posted by senor boogie woogi

Hola!

I am an American living in China. As a teen in 1980s America, my pot smoking somewhat nerd friends said that Monty Python ruled. I tried watching Monty Python, the Flying Circus, "The Life of Brian", "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and "A Fish called Wanda". Although mildly humerous, not my style.

Here in China, my best friend here introduced me to "Fawlty Towers". One of the funniest shows I have ever seen. "The kipper and the corpse" episode never gets old. Most all of them do. For the record, Prunella Scales was a nice looking woman! Being named in real life prunella probably added to her character.

Why only 12 episodes? The first episodes took place in 1975, the newer ones in 1979. I understand that John Cleese and Connie Booth (who played Polly) were married and were divorced in 1978, and so that went the show. It seems to me that Cleese and company were a comedy troope like rock musicians were a band. They play with each other and then break up.

I cannot believe that a program like this only lasted in gloomy England where there was only two or three stations on the air. What happened? this series should of lasted 10 damn years (except the major and the Sisters would of been dead, a.l.a 'A special Fawlty Towers in the USA)

Senor

John Cleese made no more of these series has they ran out of material for the show it had nothing to do with getting divorced from his ex wife.
I too wish they would have made more but as the place where they filmed the outside takes of the building used for the hotel was also being pulled down the film they were going to make to make the final top could not be made with out the take out of outside.

[Edison]

Those 12 are right up there with "The Honeymooners" 39.
"FLOWERY TWATS" - favorite sign.

[Steve's Roadhouse]

John Cleese should have stayed in television. If not Fawlty Towers, then something else. I mean, what has he done since that even comes close.

[GoldenGirlsFan92]

Originally Posted by rangers689

I think they only made 12 episodes because they were writen by John Cleese and Connie Booth (polly the maid) they were married and i believe they then got divorced so i think this was why no more were ever written

That is right, they only made 12 episodes. I think it was a great show.

[Famous Mortimer]

Originally Posted by bev195

John Cleese made no more of these series has they ran out of material for the show it had nothing to do with getting divorced from his ex wife.

Show me some evidence of this being the case. They divorced in 1978 and made another 6 episodes in 1979, due to contractual obligation. I can't find any evidence of the lack of future shows being a lack of material.

I too wish they would have made more but as the place where they filmed the outside takes of the building used for the hotel was also being pulled down the film they were going to make to make the final top could not be made with out the take out of outside.

Not true (the bits written in English, anyway). From wikipedia:

For the exterior filming, instead of an actual hotel, the Wooburn Grange Country Club in Buckinghamshire was used. It later served as a nightclub named "Basil's" for a short time after the series ended until it was destroyed by fire in March 1991

So it wasn't pulled down, it was destroyed by fire, and it didn't happen in 1979, but in 1991. Close though.

[Kiwidean]

I don't know what you would consider "evidence" but Cleese has been asked this question about a zillion times and his standard answer is that he felt they had got as much out of Basil Fawlty as they could. His stock answer is "Shakespeare only got two and a half hours out of Hamlet, so Polly and I did well getting six hours out of Basil Fawlty."

He was probably offered big sums to do more - he didn't want to. He has described attempting to write another episode where Basil travelled to Spain - but the script wasn't completed.

That's the reason there are only 12 shows. John Cleese felt he had used up the material.

[rc.uk]

Originally Posted by Kiwidean

I don't know what you would consider "evidence" but Cleese has been asked this question about a zillion times and his standard answer is that he felt they had got as much out of Basil Fawlty as they could. His stock answer is "Shakespeare only got two and a half hours out of Hamlet, so Polly and I did well getting six hours out of Basil Fawlty."

He was probably offered big sums to do more - he didn't want to. He has described attempting to write another episode where Basil travelled to Spain - but the script wasn't completed.

That's the reason there are only 12 shows. John Cleese felt he had used up the material.

I don't think Cleese would have been offered "big sums" to do more episodes. This is British TV we're talking about which has a much tighter budget than the US. Fawlty Towers was made by the BBC in the 1970s. The BBC is funded by a form of tax so they are very accountable for what they spend. They can't go round blowing huge sums of money in one go like the US networks can, especially in the 1970s.

I'm glad they only made 12 episodes of FT. Every one was top notch. That's something that can sometimes get me down about American sitcoms. When they're good, they're good (e.g. Seinfeld) but there can be some very weak episodes. That's not really common with Britcoms. Either the whole series is good or bad.

[harryfielder]

I was lucky to work on one episode The Kipper and The Corpse.
(I helped carry the body in the basket out)

Aitch,

[Kiwidean]

Originally Posted by rc.uk

I don't think Cleese would have been offered "big sums" to do more episodes. This is British TV we're talking about which has a much tighter budget than the US. Fawlty Towers was made by the BBC in the 1970s. The BBC is funded by a form of tax so they are very accountable for what they spend. They can't go round blowing huge sums of money in one go like the US networks can, especially in the 1970s.

Who says the Beeb is the only TV company in the world that could possibly make an offer? Anyway a new Fawlty Towers season would be worth huge money - worth the investment.

[coffield3]

I think they kept it short but sweet rather than drag it out, like ricky gervais with the office and the extras, i think it puts it more on demand and popular. You get a cult following for years and has made john cleese a world wide star same as what ricky gervais has done today.

[iloveniles]

In my humble opinion I'm glad JC stopped when he did The 12 episodes we have are almost sitcom perfction, If JC was pressured to make more the magic would be diluted. Better a record of great comedy than a decade of groans