Fawlty Towers: The Play is set to air on TV for the first time as part of the classic sitcom’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

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U&Gold will be marking the occasion with a live "pro-shot" recording of the West End show’s original cast.

The two-hour long broadcast will air in September, with full support of show co-creator and star John Cleese, who said: "I've been overwhelmed by the wonderful response to Fawlty Towers: The Play since its debut in the West End and it's a pleasure to hear U&Gold will be bringing it straight to everyone's living rooms just in time for the 50th anniversary."

In the story for both the series and play, the Fawlty Towers hotel in Torquay, Devon, is run by Basil and Sybil Fawlty (Cleese and Prunella Scales on the series) as they face bumbling guests and staff members alike.

Basil Fawlty (played by Adam Jackson Smith) is standing behind a hotel reception desk in a white shirt and a green cardigan with a yellow trim. He has a moustache and long short wavy hair brushed back from his face, and is seen angrily holding a book out directly in the face of an elder female guest, who has permed hair and is in a brown suit with white trim. She is clutching a yellow handbag
Fawlty Towers: The Play. Hugo Glendinning

The play is a combination of three of the sitcom’s most notable episodes: The Hotel Inspector, The Germans and Communication Problems.

Fawlty Towers: The Play premiered in May 2024, and is set to tour the UK and Ireland later this year.

The production set to air on U&Gold stars Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil, Anna-Jane Casey as Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as the hotel’s bumbling but well-meaning waiter Manuel, and Victoria Fox as the straight-talking and clear-thinking maid, Polly.

John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs in Fawlty Towers. The trio are standing behind a reception desk of the hotel looking seriously at the camera. Cleese as Basil is in a dark grey suit, white shirt and tie and has a moustache; Connie as Polly is in a grey shirt and floral patterns vest, and Sachs as Manuel is in a white dinner jacket and black bow-tie, and also has a moustache.
John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs as Basil, Polly and Manuel in Fawlty Towers. Photo by Shutterstock (71652a)

Gerald Casey, director of programming, comedy and entertainment and director of commissioning at UKTV, said of the upcoming screening: "Fawlty Towers is a cornerstone of British comedy, and we’re honoured to be the first place TV audiences can watch this new stage version to mark the show’s 50th anniversary.

"With the legendary John Cleese at the helm, U&Gold viewers are really in for something special."

Fawlty Towers: The Play will air on U&Gold in September.

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Authors

Tilly PearceFreelance Writer

Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.

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