Favourite episode of FAWLTY TOWERS??

[Good Intentions]

The Builders
Manuel: [On phone with an supremely irritated Basil]Si.. the one with the moustache, si. [Turns to muscular builder] You are grotesque orang-otang. [Gets knocked out by muscular builder]
Basil: [Over the phone] Yes, yes, very good Manuel.

The only time I have actually fallen out of my seat laughing.

 

[skunkboy69]

I long for the BBC to find the famous "lost" episode

 

[andy2002]

I long for the BBC to find the famous "lost" episode

First I'd ever heard of that. Googled it and apparently there's even a script for the episode (called "The Robbers") in this book...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/9197366188/downandoutint-21/026-2207986-0117223

Anyone read it?

 

[Hollis]

It's noteworthy that the point of The Germans is to display Basil as a xenophobe whereas many people actually like it because they like him taking the piss out of the Germans.

Taking the piss out the Krauts! Disgusting!

Anyway.. I like the joke where he's demonstrating to the Major how full-bodied the wine is... dunno which episode.

 

[MysteryGuest]

I can't help it, I find that line "no I didn't - you started it - you invaded Poland!" incredibly funny. It's one of my favouritest bits of any comedy ever, in fact. *looks up* aha, I see I'm not the only one!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

"what did you expect to see from a Torquay hotel window? the Hanging Gardens Of Babylon? herds of wilderbeast sweeping majestically across the plains"

no idea which episode that is though

 

[kyser_soze]

I can't help it, I find that line "no I didn't - you started it - you invaded Poland!" incredibly funny. It's one of my favouritest bits of any comedy ever, in fact. *looks up* aha, I see I'm not the only one!

It's funny cos it's true I reckon.

And no, it's not big or clever to mock Germany about WW2...doesn't stop it being funny tho...

 

[goldenecitrone]

The Hotel Inspectors. My little nest of vipers. And the ending is just arse-laughoffingly funny.

 

[goldenecitrone]

I can't help it, I find that line "no I didn't - you started it - you invaded Poland!" incredibly funny. It's one of my favouritest bits of any comedy ever, in fact. *looks up* aha, I see I'm not the only one!

I once watched it projected onto the wall of a house party in Germany with about 30 German friends all looking at me, bemused, as I pissed myself laughing.

 

[Hollis]

One of the episodes is pretty crap when you see it now.. I think it could be the Wedding Party.

Eta: still not sure!

 

[Agent Sparrow]

It's noteworthy that the point of The Germans is to display Basil as a xenophobe whereas many people actually like it because they like him taking the piss out of the Germans.

I always thought that episode was funny because you're laughing mainly at BF than with him, kind of like every episode really. The Poland line - if one of the other characters had said it it would be offensive, or at the very least not funny. And of course at the end of the episode it is BF who looks bad, not the Germans, and that is also amusing.

Edit: so where I agree that probably there are a few people who do like it because they take the piss out of the Germans I imagine the majority of people find it funny for the intended reasons.

 

[Hollis]

I think you're laughing at the situation.. which partly relies on them being Germans. I'm sure they could have made a joke about the French etc.. wouldn't have been the same 'cause of the national stereotype.

 

[kyser_soze]

Edit: so where I agree that probably there are a few people who do like it because they take the piss out of the Germans I imagine the majority of people find it funny for the intended reasons.

I like it for both TBH.

Also interesting that it's the knock to the head that makes Basil actually start being honest about how he feels...

 

[Hollis]

Yeah 'cause the Germans play the international role of the straight guy. innit...

 

[PacificOcean]

Now comes the tricky bit. This poll is a bastard, I'm now going to have to fix my VHS player or buy the whole series on DVD.

If you have UKTV Gold all 12 are endlessly repeated and will be to the end of time.

 

[stavros]

Basil Fawlty and David Brent are both monsters (I don't find the Office funny at all, mind).

The Office is nowhere near the class of Fawlty Towers. Also I think Fawlty has more in common with someone like Father Ted, as a man trapped in a situation of his own making to which he isn't suited at all, surrounded by bizarre happenings and with no escape route.

Re. best episode, I would need to watch all 6 hours of it back-to-back to make an informed decision (nudge nudge BBC). Quite possibly the best British sit-com ever (Father Ted not being British).

 

[magneze]

Communication Problems for me. "Is this a piece of your brain?"

 

[PacificOcean]

Re. best episode, I would need to watch all 6 hours of it back-to-back to make an informed decision (nudge nudge BBC). Quite possibly the best British sit-com ever (Father Ted not being British).

Father Ted was British. It was made by Hatrick (a British company) and made for and shown on a British channel. Just because the actors were Irish doesn't make the show Irish.

 

[Crispy]

Communication Problems for me. "Is this a piece of your brain?"

We watched this one last night. I want to change my vote. THe ending is tops

 

[Pieface]

I've got to get these down from home. I like the one with Basil beating the car with the tree....

 

[stavros]

Father Ted was British. It was made by Hatrick (a British company) and made for and shown on a British channel. Just because the actors were Irish doesn't make the show Irish.

I see it as Irish as not only were the characters and cast Irish, but the writers also were and Graham Linehan directed a lot of it too. Similarly The Sun isn't Australian/American because Murdoch owns it.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

I see it as Irish as not only were the characters and cast Irish, but the writers also were and Graham Linehan directed a lot of it too. Similarly The Sun isn't Australian/American because Murdoch owns it.

Christ, not this one again. Is the Lord of the Rings a British film?

 

[colbhoy]

"what did you expect to see from a Torquay hotel window? the Hanging Gardens Of Babylon? herds of wilderbeast sweeping majestically across the plains"

no idea which episode that is though

It's Communication Problem.

 

[marty21]

I once watched it projected onto the wall of a house party in Germany with about 30 German friends all looking at me, bemused, as I pissed myself laughing.

i hope they didn't start anything

 

[stavros]

Christ, not this one again. Is the Lord of the Rings a British film?

No, it's a multinational film; British author, Kiwi director, American money and various nationalities in the cast. Father Ted has Irish cast, Irish writers, an Irish director and British money, so the Irish win 3-1. You have to look at the majority of the input, so, for example, you couldn't really say Monty Python was more than minimally American.

 

[colacho]

Father Ted was British. It was made by Hatrick (a British company) and made for and shown on a British channel. Just because the actors were Irish doesn't make the show Irish.

Father Ted was shite - nowhere near as good as Fawlty Towers.

 

[stavros]

Father Ted was shite

Blasphemy! I call for all fellow followers of warped colloquial Catholocism on obscure Irish islands to boycott all prodcuts from colacho's home town.

 

[Belzub]

Blasphemy! I call for all fellow followers of warped colloquial Catholocism on obscure Irish islands to boycott all prodcuts from colacho's home town.

 

[stavros]

That was just inaccurate though. We know for a fact that St Tibulus wore more clothes than that.

 

[Belzub]

None of those round envelopes for me. No way hose.