Scales to relauch Fawlty hotel

Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales is to relaunch the hotel whose appalling service and surly manager inspired the hit sitcom.

She will be joined by mannequinsof John Cleese as Basil Fawlty and hard-drinking cook Kurt, plus a replica of the red Austin 1100 car Basil famously thrashed with a tree branch.

The Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, has undergone a multi-million pound facelift under its news owners Brian Shone and Barry Taylor, who invited Scales to unveil the new facilities on August 18.

Mr Shone  said: ‘We want to make Ms Scales’ arrival as memorable as possible and what better way than to have her arrive in the back of a red Austin 1100?’

It will be the first time Scales, who played domineering Sybil Fawlty, has ever visited the hotel, which Cleese stayed in during location filming for Monty Python. He was so astounded by the rudeness of hotelier Donald Sinclair that he vowed to immortalise him in comedy.

 

Published: 9 Aug 2006