Fawlty Towers: Is this a piece of your brain?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2017
- From the episode "Communications" - Basil decides to have just a little bit of fun with a hard-of-hearing guest and her hearing aid.
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“Send my regards to the Earth’s core.” Love Basil’s sarcasm! 😂
Am fairly sure that line was improvised, following Joan Sanderson's "downstairs" mis-speak. Genius.
Sybil: "Are you sure you can manage?"
Basil: "And if you give us any more trouble, I shall visit you in the small hours and put a bat up your nightdress." One of my favourite lines.
Herbert von Zinderneuf it’s written by a Brit
And if you give us any more trouble I’ll visit you in the small hours and put a bat up your nightdress
@@herbertvonzinderneuf8547 I had the same thought when watching it
I remember watching this as a kid with my dad and the line "is this a piece of your brain?" gave him one of the funniest laughing fits I've ever seen him get. To this day, he'll still say it and chuckle. I just sent him this clip. I can't wait for his response. Lol!
I watched the documentary and apparently the line "Is this a piece of your brain" wasn't scripted. Basil just added it on the spot.
J Groenveld That's funny because I was wondering how much of the show was improvised lines. My dad mentioned how much he loves Basil's under-the-breath comments. Haha, that would have been a great set to be on for filming!
Hmm, my recollection from a documentary is that, yes, it was scripted. And they were going to cut it because they didn't think it was funny. But Manuel implored them to keep it in, and he prevailed.
july7nyc Hahahaha same with me. One of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen
@@lane99 That's the story I heard too.
The actress playing Mrs. Richards is barely holding it in. The greatest moment from the greatest sitcom ever.
That would be Joan Sanderson.
@@Aurochhunter R.I.P Joan Sanderson
@@Aurochhunter And boy, did she do well.
You can tell that, after Basil says 'Is this a piece of your brain', Joan Sanderson is straining to keep from laughing.
I didn’t notice that until you said
"Is this a piece of your brain?" I've got to remember that one.
Friend said that to me when one of my lenses from my glasses fell out. He found the lense and he had to say “is this a piece of your brain?”
"Is this part of your *BRAIN?* "
I laughed so hard at that when I first saw it as a kid I could barely finish watching the episode
Basil: is this a peice of your *BRAIN* ?
Mrs Richards: 85 pounds
Apparently, one of the ideas they tried to do on Monty Python's Flying Circus was to have an entire episode where gradually and very subtly the sound of the episode would soften and get quieter and quieter, forcing the viewers to turn their TV set volumes up gradually as the episode went on. At the end of the episode whem all the volume dials were cranked up to maximum trying to hear the barely audible sound, they would then introduce THE LOUDEST NOISE EVER MADE.
They decided not to go ahead with it in case it caused thousands of TV sets to explode. 😜
I'm glad though that this germ of an idea survived into Fawlty Towers.
I've watched a lot of videos on YT that make use of this idea.
Really?
Imagine the lawsuits due to hearing loss.
I think the tactic is something that needs to be done to scam telephone callers.
I think they did a strip of it in the Beano some years ago now.
My firm’s managing partner has just got a hearing aid and I showed him this. He nearly collapsed laughing
"If you give us any more trouble I shall visit you in the small hours and put a bat up your nightdress!"
One of the rare occasions when Basil met an even less pleasant individual than himself.
Guests are mostly unpleasent if you mind providing them with service 😁😁😁
"Basil, it's Mrs Richards." "A fatal accident?"
Only John Cleese could have delivered this line with such bite and sarcasm, just pure comic genius at it's very best
I still lose my shit Every time I hear that line 'is this a piece of your Brain?'
At 1:20 when she kicks Basil, Prunella almost loses it and laughs. She gives a quick glance towards something or someone in front of her and then stifles a laugh....Priceless !!
LOL!! I have never noticed that before...and I was around when these were originally telecast and have watched the DVD umpteen zillion times since!!
Well spotted. ". :)
Because she probably actually did kick him! lol
It looks like they all nearly lose it and laugh. Sanderson is clearly stifling laughter and Cleese starts to smirk before grimacing in pain.
@@cyberozzy1989 Apparently she use to never hit him hard enough John cleese said in various interviews he had to tell her to make it more believable but she didn't like hitting him too hard unlike her character.
"Is this a piece of your brain"
" I shall visit you in the small hours and put a bat up your night dress"
I need to write them down 😂😂😂😂😂😂
If you diligently go through the whole twelve episodes, you’ll fill a whole library with Fawlty Towerisms© (my copyright on that!)
My best friend at school started using "is this a piece of your brain?" after we watched this. Do you ever get that thing where,for some reason,your mind works in such a way that you get a joke slightly after everyone else does? I had that with the bat up the nightdress line,as everyone was falling about laughing and I was thinking of a table tennis bat or something and thinking "that's jolly strange." Only a while later I realised what he meant and laughed when everyone else had gone on. One year my Dad sent me a funny Christmas card which I didn't "get" at first,then burst out laughing days later when the penny dropped.
Is this a piece of your brain
"Ohh, my head!" ... "Has it come away?"
One of my favourite scenes- It never gets old
Fawtly towers was the absolute top of British humor.
This reminds me of my late grandmother, I wish I'd thought of a comment even one hundredth as witty as Basil does here.
One of the funniest things I've ever seen. Still makes me laugh uncontrollably after all these years.
After Mrs. Richards bumps her head in the hotel office, Basil picks up a bit of something from off the floor and asks, "Is this a piece of your brain?" John Cleese was going to cut this joke before the show aired, but Andrew Sachs convinced him to leave it in. (It gets one of the biggest laughs from the audience for this episode.)
Interesting, how do you know that?
0:37 Idc how old you are this part when he starts pretending to talk will always be hilarious no matter what
................ 0:57 I SAID!!!
I love how even Sybil plays along
A pure legendary classic
I worked in retail in the '70s and there were lot of elderly ladies who were just like Mrs Richards. As a 16-year-old I found them terrifying.
When my kid was little i taught him the piece of my brain thing, he would go around asking everyone is this a piece of your brain????
The way Basil speaks silently to fool
Mrs. Richards into turning her hearing aid on😂
And then we have this exchange afterwards:
Basil Fawlty : Well, that was fun, wasn't it dear, the odd moment like that? It's almost worth staying alive for, isn't it? It's nice to share a moment like that, isn't it, dear? It's what marriage is all about. I know - I read it on the back of a matchbox.
Sybil Fawlty : [annoyed] Basil, sometimes...
Basil Fawlty : [putting an arm around Sybil] Seriously, Sybil, do you remember, when we were first manacled together, we used to laugh quite a lot?
Sybil Fawlty : [she pushes him off and exits] Yes, but not at the same time, Basil.
Basil Fawlty : [to himself] Ah, that's true. That was a warning all right, I guess? Should have spotted that, shouldn't I?
*Zhoom!* What was that? That was your life, Mate! Oh, that was quick. Do I get another? Sorry, Mate. That's your lot.
Sybil Fawlty : [returning] Basil.
Basil Fawlty : [to himself] Back to the world of dreams.
Basil Fawlty : [to Sybil] Yes, dear?
Fawlty's Vault, would you mind uploading the clip if you're still posting clips of Fawlty Towers?
My favorite line: 'You'd better go and lie down before something else happens!', conjuring up visions of hideous catastrophes lying in wait round every corner for the hapless Mrs Richards! 😂
Hapless? That bitch was a fucking nightmare. She wasn't hapless, she was a coldhearted, uptight, overly demanding bitch. Basil is the hapless one in this episode.
Xylarxcode I stand corrected. ☺
I think it was more a case of: before he does something worse to her ...
On the contrary, Mrs. Richards was quite full of hap.
A room with a bath & a view she hopes 😂
First time I saw this episode I laughed so incredibly much. I was very young.
if you keep a sarcasm meter in front of Cleese it would probably explode.
"You better go and lie down before something else happens"
1:18 "Is this a piece of your brain?" 🤣🤣
And then Joan Sanderson totally breaks!
I mean who wouldn't though
This is my favorite episode and would love to do it as a short play.
The most diabolic thing Basil ever did! xD
The funniest scene I remember from that hilarious series. It was GREAT!!!!
The thing about Mrs Richards was that in 1979 she was an over-the-top grotesque from the minds of Cleese and Booth. Now she's the norm in society.
I love how she's smiling at some parts because she's trying her best to not laugh
Sarcasm's so much wittier than irony. Fawlty Towers 1 Only Fool's and Horse's 0 Capisce.
"Is this a piece of your brain?" I remember I watched a video of this sitcom where Andrew Sachs (Manuel) said that it was him who proposed to include this into the script. He said this was his only contribution to the script of Fawlty Towers.
i am using this for a oral in school! this is gonna give me an A+
Apparently, the "is this a piece of your brain?" line almost didn't make it into the episode but Andrew Sachs begged them to keep it in.
Yes, so I guess that means we’ve all got the late Mr. Sachs to thank for this gem, which may otherwise never have been known.
Joan Sanderson was brilliant in “please sir” too. For those who are old enough to remember that series
It's subtle but I love how Sybil says to Mrs Richards when she bangs her head, "Yes, yes, try not to speak" - she's clearly just as fed up as Basil and will take any opportunity to shut the woman up😂
2021 and I'm still watching clips from this show absolutely amazing imagine them trying to do this with today's audiences 😂😂
Me 2022!!
Pure gold!
I loved this episode. Joan Sanderson was a very good actress and played Alice Richards very well. It was so real and funny. She sadly died in 1992.
Epic comedy, delivered by experts...Funny as fuck, never gets old.
The fact that even Sybil actually joins in with the silent mouthing for a moment illustrates just how insufferable Mrs. Richards was.
It's actually an accident. She's chastising him, but she doesn't want her to hear.
@@jamesflames6987 Yes, that's what I thinking too.
The silent mouthing is excellent.Basil going from shouting at Mrs Richards to mouthing at her.
😂 My dad would always say this to me when I was acting daft as a kid. Classic
Can't stop laughing with these sketches of such great comedy.
Pure quality
Id love to see the bloopers from this episode! The amazing Joan Sanderson. An acting powerhouse who could command stage and audience alike!
IMO the very best part of the whole two series.
Ingenious.
Basil's favourite hotel guest, Mrs. Richards should have been in all 12 episodes just to wind up Basil.
I laughed so hard when I saw this episode that I almost peed in my pants!!
0:54 "🤨I haven't got it turned up enough."
"😠Basil!"
" *😆I SAID-!!* 😲I said- Oh!"
"😣🤕Oh! Oh, my head! My head!"
"😅Has it come away?"
I love Basil Faulty..
Always kept that Brit "stiff upper lip" with bad troublesome folks like this old bird. :-)
I think this is one of the funniest scenes. One feels that Basil knows he’s going to get it from Sybil but the opportunity to do what he does is irresistible. The luring her into turning her hearing aid up by just miming the words is just brilliant as the audience and Sybil ( with her ‘Basil’ warning ) know what is going to happen.
bahahahahahahahahaha still funny as hell i love this show lol
I feel like Basil is the perfect hotel manager to deal with such a demanding customer 😂
I just laughed so much that it induced an asthma attack. Thought I was going to choke for a moment. Oh well, there are plenty of worse ways to go ...
It would be fun to see Mrs Richards hiring O'Reilly to do some maintenance on her house....Basil should have recommended him to her.
Pure classic
Is this a piece of your brain? Similarly hilarious as: I don't know - Third base!
Old Bird fantastic comparison!!! 👏🏾👍🏾
Mrs Richards was such a British Beeech!
English not fucking British
@@andrewjoyce9038 Both, actually.
Classic city,Arizona!
The greatest thing Basil has ever done.
Two skits to this day make me laugh, one is this one and the other when Basil tries to catch a guy who smuggled his girlfriend and Manuel tells Sybill that he's on ladder watching the girl she makes him mad. Sybill comes out and slaps him. The look on Basil's face who has no idea what happened. Every time I remember these two I start laughing. 😂
Purealternative FM Interlude
I never noticed before but Basil smiles right after he says "Is this a piece of your brain?"
Mrs Richards your glasses are on your head. The manager is Mr Watt aged 40, I know nothing he got off to a flying start and his name is Dragonfly. Best lines.
I'm so happy I have multiple degrees and would never work a service job where I encounter the public EVER again.
Give my regards to the earths core 😂
You’d better lie down before something else happens. Lol!
Basil's favourite hotel guest
The hearing aid routine is priceless! Last time I saw that was about 49 years ago!
"Is this a piece of your brain??!"
Brill, If Mrs Richards and Basil Fawlty got married,
The actors actually played husband and wife a couple of years later (1981) in the Great Muppet Caper.
@@TheAmateurEditor And Mrs Richards and Mrs Fawlty played mother and daughter in After Henry.
The way he says "oh?" After she says her hearing aid is on is so funny
0:18 sound of an evil lightbulb coming on in Basil’s head
Good old basil a true brit !!
Before i entered hotel business i thought this was just brilliant comedy.well well...
@Fawlty's Vault The Episode's Actually Called "Communication *Problems* "
We need to renew our revilement of the battleaxe.
John Cleese first wanted to scratch the joke:-is this a piece of your brain?
feeling that the ordiance wouldnt connect to the joke but Andrew Sachs(Manuel)convinced Cleese to keep it in.
No, that IS her brain.
All of it!
I heard from somewhere that this line was going to be dropped,
This screen was cut originally
Stay positive with Sherpa 😡😒😛💯🧡☺️🙃😃😡😱🧡😭🙄🌟😃👻
The perfect question to ask , it would seem, most American cops. The same question wouldn't go amiss on quite a 'large' few British cops either.
1:40...😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I’m glad she’s fictional, Richards and all.
I SAID!!!!!! Oh
😂
I seem to remember her with glasses and I can't remember what she was in?
Anyone tell us?
I gotta say, this is actually a rare example of when the dreaded laugh-track actually benefits a scene. Basically gives the television audience an immediate acknowledgement of Basil’s joke so you’re appropriately ahead of Mrs. Richards.
It has to be said, tho' the sound has to be adjusted in post-production, all of Fawlty Towers was filmed in front of a live audience. So the laughs 'benefit' a scene because the scene is genuinely funny and played by the actors with superb comic skill and timing.
@@bloodgrss wooow no way! I actually had no idea they filmed this with an audience! I always thought it was just the typical cheap laugh-tracks. That’s actually sooo cool to me
🤣🤣
The thing about Fawlty Towers is that for all the horrible things Basil does, he does have to put up with the worst people in the world, from Mrs Richards here to the Spoon Salesman and the Americans, they push him to a point.
Now what he does is wrong and he does deserve his punishment each time but we all have those moments where we WANT to be a Basil Fawlty.