John Cleese shares touching tribute to late Fawlty Towers co-star Prunella Scales
“Pru was a really wonderful comic actress.”
John Cleese has paid tribute to his Fawlty Towers co-star Prunella Scales following her death at the age of 93, describing her as “absolutely perfect”.
Scales starred in the BBC comedy series as Sybil Fawlty, the acid-tongued wife of Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese.
Cleese said in a statement following the tragic news of her passing: “How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I’ve recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect.”
He added: “She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her.”
The actress died “peacefully at home in London yesterday [Monday],” having watched Fawlty Towers the day before, her sons Samuel and Joseph confirmed in a statement to the PA news agency on Tuesday (28th October).
The statement continued: “She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.
“Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024.
“She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren."
The statement concluded: "We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love."
This year marked 50 years since Fawlty Towers first launched onto our screens.
Downing Street also shared its condolences to Scales’s family following her passing, with Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson saying: "Clearly Prunella Scales was part of a golden era for British comedy, someone whose talent was beamed into people’s homes over many years and gave many people a huge amount of enjoyment.
“The prime minister, of course, passes all his condolences to her family.”
Scales had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013.
Over the course of her career, she also appeared as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution, for which she received a BAFTA nomination.
The actress also starred alongside her late husband Timothy West in their own Channel 4 show Great Canal Journeys, which followed the pair as they journeyed across Europe, Egypt and India on narrowboats.
The series was also notable for examining how the couple navigated Scales’s struggles with dementia.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
