Want to see more Blind Wave Reactions to Fawlty Towers? Get up to 4 WEEKS Early Access at www.patreon.com/blindwave Raw Rider Patrons can watch the Full Length Reaction HERE: blindwavellc.com/fawlty-towers-1x03-full/ This video was published during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the episode covered here wouldn't exist. #SAGAFTRAstrike #SAGAFTRAstrong Support the Entertainment Community Fund for struggling strikers HERE: entertainmentcommunity.org/
@@imafunguy936 because British TV shows prioritise quality over quantity. Hence nearly all British comedies only having 2-3 seasons, and them all being objectively better than any US comedy. But even then, Peep Show has 9 incredible seasons GB GB GB
Stephen Fry once said that while American sitcom protags are the smartest guy in the room, full of wisecracks, but the British sitcom protags are the loser whose flaws and failures we sympathise with. If you guys like this, I hope you'll one day do Red Dwarf. It's not the same style of humour but it's something incredibly special all on its own, just like this.
You see that same cultural schism in soaps. American soaps are all about fabulously wealthy people living in skyscraper mansions, scheming to take over business empires as they fly about in private jets to manipulate stockholders and get rrrricher. British soaps are all about fact'ree workers trying to land a date with the car mechanic around the corner, and trying to save enough money to buy a second-hand car even though they haven't enough money for the rent and the leccy (electricity) bill this month... Two vastly different cultural appetites - the Yanks all want riches and excess, the British want relatable poverty and struggles.
In the same era as Fawlty Towers, there was another brilliant short-lived show called "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin". It absolutely falls into Fry's categorization of a sitcom where the protagonist is a loser whose flaws the audience sympathises with.
One thing I notice is American sitcoms try to be more wholesome and happy while British sitcoms are more about the misery and stuff going bad for the main character even in the end
When re-watching George & Mildred, it occurred to how George may have been an inspiration for Homer Simpson, his mannerisms and dialogue are very Homer like... A decade before the SIMPSONS. G&M would be a show to review.
The stairs on the "second floor" are a really clever bit of stagecraft. There's no second floor in the studio, so the weird elevated landing is there so the actors LOOK like they're going back down the stairs. They run up a few steps, and go back down the same number of steps and behind the wall. It tricks your mind into accepting "going downstairs" even though you never see them go any farther down than the studio floor.
Fun fact: Manuel is played by Andrew Sachs, a german born british actor who was known and loved for his pure and perfect pronunciation of the british language. He did the narration on many BBC documentaries and his voice is very well known in the UK.
Glad you guys are beginning to catch on with the opening sign gag, and trust me.... they're about to get so much funnier as the show goes on. I'm already in stitches thinking of your reactions. 😂
Also, just adding with my comment earlier Poor Andrew Sachs, the man who played Manuel. Who sadly passed away in 2016. He said on record this was probably the worst pain he'd been in on set in Fawlty Towers. That moan you hear when Basil bonks him on the head with the frying pan. That was real! John wasn't meant to hit him, or atleast not that hard, but sure enough pan made contact with cranium and wa-BAM! Poor Andrew. He'd had a rough time at the BBC over the years before his passing. But I'm glad his hilarious acting as Manuel is making you all laugh so much bless him! Also yeah, during the time period this is sort of set in, the idea of Anglicanism being one of the figureheads in Britain was still very much in power at the time so the idea of two unmarrieds staying in a bed together was probably still seen as a little sin-ish. Certainly nothing compared to the 50s, if you'd ever watched Father Brown where it's still VERY prominent.
I think it was more of prop error - for the actual hit, Cleese was supposed to have grabbed a soft frying pan, but in the heat of the moment he grabbed a real one.
I'm so glad the whole gang's here watching it! It's such a staple of classic British comedy :P Also just to correct something I've noticed y'all saying. Connie Booth is the actress who plays Polly, not Sybil. Her and John Cleese were in a relationship and working together on this show, though things kinda soured between them during the filming of the second series.
Not quite true, they were married during the first series and divorced after it was finished. They then wrote the 2nd series together after the divorce because they enjoyed working together and working on it helped iron our a lot of their problems. There’s a pretty interesting interview with Connie where she discusses writing the 2nd series after they’d divorced.
Here's a not so fun fact: Manuel really got hurt when Basil hit him with the frying pan, they had had a prop during rehehearsels and earlier performances, but when the episode was filmed there had been a switch and Cleese (unintentionally) hit Manuel with a real frying pan, and Manuel was knocked out for real, not just playacting.
Fawlty Towers legit might be the funniest show ever made. Shame it was so short lived. The candle that burn twice as bright lives half as long, i suppose lol
@doctahwahwee2237 I saw an interview with Michael Palin recently where he was asked about the new FT series. He pointed out quite pragmatically that it will be difficult to emulate the magic of the original series since Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth and Prunella Scales will not be in it and the person who played the manic, wound up like a spring Basil Fawlty is now much much older.
@@benlibertiI'm normally hopeful about revivals and think we should give them a chance first but I really don't know about Fawlty Towers. Cleese himself said this would be a bad idea in the past after the American remakes failed. Plus he's gone off the deep end in recent years and I don't think he'll be able to separate his own views from the show
That's kind of par for the course for most British shows, most shows here only run for a couple of seasons, and each season will typically only have a couple of episodes
Amazing reaction to a British classic guys! I live in England and have been lucky enough to attend 2 different Fawlty Towers dining experiences... you are served a three course meal by actors playing the parts (very well!) of the cast of the show and there's always tons of interaction! Its brilliant. The guy playing Basil at the first one i went to kept staring at me as he passed, then eventually came over and asked (in a perfect John Cleese deadpan style) "Do you own an iron?".... better still, he later came out to the dining room carrying an ironing board, which he set up next to me and then plugged in an iron!!! It was outstanding. Can't wait for your next Fawlty Towers reaction.... Communication Problems is my favourite episode!
@@ameliacraiig4193no it's nothing about what Shia did. It's just a film he did. It's called Holes and it came out in the early 2000s. Great movie. Really recommend it. It's about a camp for juveniles where their punishment is to dig holes everyday
Unfortunately there will always be a generation passing down the judgemental attitudes they grew up with to their kids and so it goes. It's only getting worse imo.
@@carolinehaf21 Unfortunately Boomer parents stopped parenting hense the fucking mess this world is turning into and a whole generation of entitled kids. You have it totally backwards. This is coming from someone born in the 90s.
Like Monty Python's "Funniest Joke in the World" that managed to help terminate plenty of the Germans ..! Rick may literally die of laughter, I was thinking that too..! He's right, you DO need to be fit to watch this show..!
This has quickly become the highlight of my week, and having the whole crew on board for these has made it even better. I love you guys losing it like this!
Damn. I didn't think I could love Fawlty Towers more. But watching you guys react to it - almost giving yourselves cramp because you're laughing so much - makes me adore it that little bit extra.❤🤣
I think the umbrella makes Manuel's arc so much funnier: It's such a shitty birthday gift, yet he's so happy with it that it follows him all the way to the basket he ends up in. Two feet and an umbrella. Priceless. Then the moan when Basil lifts the lid...
i am absolutely LOVING this series of reactions to Fawlty Towers. I've been watching and watched this show so much with my dad for YEARS. There's so many more great moments that i can't wait for you guys to see.
I have watched a lot of great reactions from you guys over the years. Never have I seen you like this, doubled over with honest laughter. It's the greatest thing, and it says a lot about the lasting power of Fawlty Towers.
It's lovely to see four guys who weren't alive when this series was broadcast falling about giggling. I remember watching these series when they were first on the TV and we also laughed like drains, but we didn't realise (as teenagers) quite what heights of comedy genius we were seeing.
man, your reactions cracked me up Truly one of the all time great British sitcoms. Can't wait to see your reactions to "The Germans" and "The Hotel Inspectors"
You guys have to react to "Allo! Allo!". It's the greatest British comedy show ever made. The setting is WWII, occupied France and there is a French Café where the owner just want to live is life as quiet as possible but, there is the French resistance, the German soldier going in, his wife that thinks she's a cabaret singer, some hidden British pilots... it's just brilliant.
Fawlty Towers is the greatest British for the run and quality of shows imo. Blackadder comes close except the first season sucked until they reinvented Rowan Atkinson's character to be sarcasm personified from S2 onwards. I would recommend "One Foot in the Grave" before "Allo Allo" for another one of the best character driven and most quotable Brit comedies with subversive plot writing as well.
If you're interested in the show's construction, they started with a white board with the core plot, then added and added to the scenario. The then refined the ideas. This is why the writing is so brilliant and crisp.
Thanks for a wonderful reaction. This show is such a timeless classic. Every time I watch it I still laugh just as much & seeing your reaction makes it so much better!
Guys please keep doing these as quickly as you can... i mean make the reactions long but upload them as quickly as possible 😂 I dearly need to relive my childhood rewatching these and you guys have the best reactions 👌🤘
Basil legit thought they was all swingers even Polly 😂 John clease is hilarious. I can’t wait to see you guys watch the Australian girl episode I cry laughing to that episode
4:19 Love the man asking for a chemist. No further explanation needed beyond Basil's reaction, _which is priceless!_ *_We_** know what he's thinking!* 🤭🤣
I have NEVER seen you guys laugh harder then this. Never. 😮 I hope you keep with the classic British sitcoms. That's a certain sci-fi comedy called Red Dwarf I'm sure you'd all enjoy.
Listening to this on my headphones, listening to you all chuckling away really made me laugh. Such a classic show, thank you for looking at a classic British comedy 🇬🇧
I’m glad PBS introduced me to this and other amazing britcoms. My top 3 which you might want to watch if only on your own time are Are You Being Served?, Waiting for God, and Keeping Up Appearances. I think you’d love Mrs Slocombe.
All of Fawlty Towers is amazing, but that scene in this episode when Basil has a complete meltdown when he realised his mistake is one of the funniest scenes of all!
I used to watch faulty towers all the time on the television in AUSTRALIA watching it again after all this years with you guys is so much funnier and it feels so good, love that you get the humor and that you laughing just as much as I AM . HELLO FROM MELBOURNE.
Fawlty towers is often regarded as the best british comedy show of all time! And its easy to see why!! Other great british comedy shows from years back you should check out are: Red dwarf, bottom, peep show, garth marengi’s darkplace and so many more
The first 3 episodes are usually ranked in the bottom 4 or 5, so you know the rest are going to be good. My personal "least favourite" is The Anniversary, but apart from that, the other 8 still to come are brilliant. You'll recognise a familiar face in the next episode, which is a "televisual feast".
Fawlty Towers was a classic, I use to watch it here in the states on PBS back in the 80s, I have the set on DVD now., be sure to check out the episode titled "The Germans" interesting fact, the actress who plays Polly is American. so glad you guys are reacting. 😅
I love how put apon Basil is and how Poor Manuel is being treated with all the problems Cibil gives him it's no wonder that Basil acts so over the top I laugh every single time I watch this show so I know that it's extremely hilarious 😂😆 I love all the you guys reactions 😅😊
Been watching since I was a kid over and over and over. Started with Monty Python's Flying Circus on PBS. Never gets old. The sex thing is that Basil is the most uptight neurotic about sex and it's pointed out in an upcoming episode, psychologically, and it's hilarious!
I haven't seen this show since the 70's! I think quite a bit went over my head as a teen at that time. It's still sooo funny. This show, The Monty Python Sketch Show, Black Adder, Are You Being Served and Rumpole were my favorite shows back then. If ever you need a laugh, look up Ministry of Silly Walks - John Cleese is just a master of physical comedy.
I've watched this show 30 odd years ago, and I don't know if its intentional, but John Cleese is like, 6'7 or whatever, so the to see him frantically run those steps when he could easily gap 5 at a time, maneuvering around those corners with speed, adds to the physical comedy with his tall frame. I'm glad this is being reacted to🤣
So interesting thing about this episode, i believe in that last scene john cleese accidentally picked up a real pan instead of a prop one. So that wasnt acting at the end, he actually did knock andrew saches out cold with the pan
The best in FT is imo the small things. Like " Racket? That's Brahms... Brahms third racket! or "Drive carefully dear...🤨" and "Oh my god, what a terrible dream" to mention a few. The same I will say for The Office (the original British series of cause 😊). Both are so cleverly made. 👍👏
Or Basil, talking to himself: "Shoom! What was that? That was your life, mate. Oh, that was quick. Do I get another? Sorry, mate, that's-ya-lot" Nothing to do with anything else that episode, just a moment if reflection and of Basil sort of enjoying his own wry humour.
The episodes about communication problems, the Germans, the psychiatrists, the Americans & the health inspector will kill you laughing 😂 - I have watched all the FT episodes at least 10 times and know most of the lines by heart by now, and I am still laughing hysterically every time.
'Fawltey Towers ' is local (3 miles) from where I live! It was actually called 'Wooburn Grange ' and back in the 80s became a nightclub Went there a couple of times, but not my scene! And I never saw Basil !!....
@@ThanatoselNyxIt translates very well for Americans. There are several American channels - like King Boomer and Embrace The Suck - who have done it and have very much got it.
@@ThanatoselNyx It was written by two Irishmen living in the UK who didn't want to pitch it to a non-UK production company. The exteriors for each series were filmed over a few days in Ireland but everything else was filmed in London. It, obviously, is about Irish people but it's British show. Of course, the company that took them on board to pitch to Channel 4 has proved disastrous for Graham Linehan.
Fun fact: Fawlty Towers was inspired by the time the Monty Python team stayed in a hotel in Torquay, UK. The Gleneagles Hotel was run by Donald and Beatrice Sinclair and amongst other things, Donald berated Terry Gilliam for using his knife and fork wrong and threw Eric Idle's bag over a wall (thinking it was a bomb). Most of the crew left for another hotel nearby but John Cleese and Connie Booth stayed to take notes of Donald's eccentric behaviour and so Basil Fawlty was created! The hotel was redeveloped in 2015 into retirement homes but they were named 'Sachs Lodge' after Andrew Sachs who played Manuel.
I stayed in a hotel with stairs like that in Liverpool, with an eccentric night porter who had to get a stool to unlock the door to let you in after midnight. Fawlty Towers is based on a real hotel Cleese and the actress that plays Polly stayed in Torquay with an incredibly rude owner. And himself and the missus thought, what a great idea for a sitcom.
This episode destroyed you all, and it was SO fun to watch that! :D By the way, about those weird up-and-down stairs... I think it was like that to enable studio shoots, but in fact there are also quite a few guest houses in Britain with stairs that go up and down a little, and I think it's sometimes because the place is very old and has been converted into a hotel, so they've had to work around the historical architecture.
OMG ! how much do I hope that the Fawlty Towers actors, writers “ et al” watch your reactions to their work !! Love the way you go all-in 😁 Thanks for sharing You Guys 👍✨
One little bit of trivia for this one is that April Walker, who plays the blonde newlywed in this episode, was the first choice to play Sarah Jane in Doctor Who. She'd actually been signed and they had to pay out her contract for the first season after Jon Pertwee effectively vetoed her (sometimes told that he thought she was too tall, and sometimes that he thought she was too sexy looking but possibly actually both).
I love seeing the guys absolutely losing it with laughter, Fawlty Towers is one of the greatest series of comedy and highlights just the brilliance of John Cleese as an comedy actor, you see it in Monty Python sketches with just committing his entire body to a performance, but here he doesn't have the other Pythons to play off, so it stands out even more.
Cleese's physical performance is always great, he's 6'5" and somehow seeing this huge guy (relative to everyone else at least) have wild-eyed manic episodes is all the more entertaining (though I imagine he'd have been a terrifying presence if you weren't accustomed to him)
Want to see more Blind Wave Reactions to Fawlty Towers? Get up to 4 WEEKS Early Access at www.patreon.com/blindwave
Raw Rider Patrons can watch the Full Length Reaction HERE: blindwavellc.com/fawlty-towers-1x03-full/
This video was published during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the episode covered here wouldn't exist. #SAGAFTRAstrike #SAGAFTRAstrong
Support the Entertainment Community Fund for struggling strikers HERE: entertainmentcommunity.org/
You guys would love Porridge. Look up Ronnie Barker, he was a genius.
Does this mean that you guys are going to complete the circle, following this up with the Flying Circus and the movies?! 😋
Never seen the crew laugh like this before, this is amazing.
This is one of the best sitcoms ever created
Love that you guys really get British comedy 😂😂😂
There's a lot more where that came from.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil they laugh probably harder but this is probably their funniest tv shows
It's got like 2 seasons lmaooo pfft
@@imafunguy936 because British TV shows prioritise quality over quantity. Hence nearly all British comedies only having 2-3 seasons, and them all being objectively better than any US comedy. But even then, Peep Show has 9 incredible seasons GB GB GB
Stephen Fry once said that while American sitcom protags are the smartest guy in the room, full of wisecracks, but the British sitcom protags are the loser whose flaws and failures we sympathise with. If you guys like this, I hope you'll one day do Red Dwarf. It's not the same style of humour but it's something incredibly special all on its own, just like this.
Definitely red dwarf all the way 👍👍👍👍
You see that same cultural schism in soaps.
American soaps are all about fabulously wealthy people living in skyscraper mansions, scheming to take over business empires as they fly about in private jets to manipulate stockholders and get rrrricher.
British soaps are all about fact'ree workers trying to land a date with the car mechanic around the corner, and trying to save enough money to buy a second-hand car even though they haven't enough money for the rent and the leccy (electricity) bill this month...
Two vastly different cultural appetites - the Yanks all want riches and excess, the British want relatable poverty and struggles.
In the same era as Fawlty Towers, there was another brilliant short-lived show called "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin".
It absolutely falls into Fry's categorization of a sitcom where the protagonist is a loser whose flaws the audience sympathises with.
One thing I notice is American sitcoms try to be more wholesome and happy while British sitcoms are more about the misery and stuff going bad for the main character even in the end
When re-watching George & Mildred, it occurred to how George may have been an inspiration for Homer Simpson, his mannerisms and dialogue are very Homer like... A decade before the SIMPSONS. G&M would be a show to review.
Ya'll can't keep watching this! At this rate, Eric's going to die of laughter! His face just remains red throughout the entire viewing. 😂😂😂😂😂
The stairs on the "second floor" are a really clever bit of stagecraft. There's no second floor in the studio, so the weird elevated landing is there so the actors LOOK like they're going back down the stairs. They run up a few steps, and go back down the same number of steps and behind the wall. It tricks your mind into accepting "going downstairs" even though you never see them go any farther down than the studio floor.
That's interesting; very clever of the set designers. Thanks! 👍
That's "first floor" in the UK 😄
@@ThanatoselNyxtrue Brit here
The sign of a great comedy is when you spend the entire show in fits of laughter, and then spend even longer laughing about what you have just seen.
It only gets better, gents. Enjoy!
Fun fact: Manuel is played by Andrew Sachs, a german born british actor who was known and loved for his pure and perfect pronunciation of the british language. He did the narration on many BBC documentaries and his voice is very well known in the UK.
Glad you guys are beginning to catch on with the opening sign gag, and trust me.... they're about to get so much funnier as the show goes on. I'm already in stitches thinking of your reactions. 😂
From the reaction, still the greatest sitcom ever made.
"its against the law"
"What law?"
"The law of England. Nothing to do with me"
😂😂😂😂
Also, just adding with my comment earlier
Poor Andrew Sachs, the man who played Manuel. Who sadly passed away in 2016. He said on record this was probably the worst pain he'd been in on set in Fawlty Towers. That moan you hear when Basil bonks him on the head with the frying pan. That was real! John wasn't meant to hit him, or atleast not that hard, but sure enough pan made contact with cranium and wa-BAM!
Poor Andrew. He'd had a rough time at the BBC over the years before his passing. But I'm glad his hilarious acting as Manuel is making you all laugh so much bless him!
Also yeah, during the time period this is sort of set in, the idea of Anglicanism being one of the figureheads in Britain was still very much in power at the time so the idea of two unmarrieds staying in a bed together was probably still seen as a little sin-ish. Certainly nothing compared to the 50s, if you'd ever watched Father Brown where it's still VERY prominent.
I think it was more of prop error - for the actual hit, Cleese was supposed to have grabbed a soft frying pan, but in the heat of the moment he grabbed a real one.
Even aside from _actual_ prudishness, there was still the "we need to be seen as a respectable establishment" thing.
I'm so glad the whole gang's here watching it! It's such a staple of classic British comedy :P
Also just to correct something I've noticed y'all saying. Connie Booth is the actress who plays Polly, not Sybil. Her and John Cleese were in a relationship and working together on this show, though things kinda soured between them during the filming of the second series.
Not quite true, they were married during the first series and divorced after it was finished. They then wrote the 2nd series together after the divorce because they enjoyed working together and working on it helped iron our a lot of their problems. There’s a pretty interesting interview with Connie where she discusses writing the 2nd series after they’d divorced.
John Cleese has joked he loves being married, loves it so much he did it 6 times...
Here's a not so fun fact: Manuel really got hurt when Basil hit him with the frying pan, they had had a prop during rehehearsels and earlier performances, but when the episode was filmed there had been a switch and Cleese (unintentionally) hit Manuel with a real frying pan, and Manuel was knocked out for real, not just playacting.
Ouch. Poor guy.
It's OK. He's from Barcelona.
Interesting
@@Sub2GigaChad😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣@@Sub2GigaChad
Fawlty Towers legit might be the funniest show ever made. Shame it was so short lived. The candle that burn twice as bright lives half as long, i suppose lol
@doctahwahwee2237 I saw an interview with Michael Palin recently where he was asked about the new FT series.
He pointed out quite pragmatically that it will be difficult to emulate the magic of the original series since Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth and Prunella Scales will not be in it and the person who played the manic, wound up like a spring Basil Fawlty is now much much older.
@@benlibertiI'm normally hopeful about revivals and think we should give them a chance first but I really don't know about Fawlty Towers. Cleese himself said this would be a bad idea in the past after the American remakes failed. Plus he's gone off the deep end in recent years and I don't think he'll be able to separate his own views from the show
Cleese pulled the plug because he didn't want it to fall into the 'repeating stories'...
He left Python early for the same reason
That's kind of par for the course for most British shows, most shows here only run for a couple of seasons, and each season will typically only have a couple of episodes
@doctahwahwee2237I mean the guy can 100% do comedy.
Whether 'more Basil Fawlty' can also be funny and also (still) be the same show is less clear.
Amazing reaction to a British classic guys! I live in England and have been lucky enough to attend 2 different Fawlty Towers dining experiences... you are served a three course meal by actors playing the parts (very well!) of the cast of the show and there's always tons of interaction! Its brilliant.
The guy playing Basil at the first one i went to kept staring at me as he passed, then eventually came over and asked (in a perfect John Cleese deadpan style) "Do you own an iron?".... better still, he later came out to the dining room carrying an ironing board, which he set up next to me and then plugged in an iron!!! It was outstanding.
Can't wait for your next Fawlty Towers reaction.... Communication Problems is my favourite episode!
“I love seeing this man digging himself into more holes than Shia Labeouf!” Best line I’ve heard all week! 😂👍
Lol. I'm so out of the loop. I honestly don't get the reference. What did he do?
@@ameliacraiig4193no it's nothing about what Shia did. It's just a film he did. It's called Holes and it came out in the early 2000s. Great movie. Really recommend it. It's about a camp for juveniles where their punishment is to dig holes everyday
Given its a 70s show partly making fun of people with attitudes from the 50s, its surprising how well it holds up tbh.
Because there are people that still want to go back to the 50s
Unfortunately there will always be a generation passing down the judgemental attitudes they grew up with to their kids and so it goes. It's only getting worse imo.
@@carolinehaf21 Unfortunately Boomer parents stopped parenting hense the fucking mess this world is turning into and a whole generation of entitled kids. You have it totally backwards. This is coming from someone born in the 90s.
I'm genuinely worried if Rick will survive watching the rest of this show. 😅
Like Monty Python's "Funniest Joke in the World" that managed to help terminate plenty of the Germans ..!
Rick may literally die of laughter, I was thinking that too..!
He's right, you DO need to be fit to watch this show..!
@@MrEAus'Don't mention the joke!'
Especially when soemone wants a salad....😂😂😂😂😂
@@Tao_Tology I did mention it once, but I think I got away with it
(Just don't order a Prawn Goebbels or a Hermann Goering)
This has quickly become the highlight of my week, and having the whole crew on board for these has made it even better. I love you guys losing it like this!
Damn. I didn't think I could love Fawlty Towers more. But watching you guys react to it - almost giving yourselves cramp because you're laughing so much - makes me adore it that little bit extra.❤🤣
Fawlty Tower. Prolonging life through multiple good laughs for decades!
He's still trying to prolong his OWN life, of course - his latest stage appearances being called "An Evening with the Late John Cleese" 😊
I started watching the show after the crew announced they would be reacting to it.
Best decision I ever made. John Cleese is a master of comedy.
@@Tao_Tology Thanks!
@@OctoStar20 What do you mean, your comment was fine. 😏
he pretty much does everything perfectly even his small role in the great muppet caper was excellent
I think the umbrella makes Manuel's arc so much funnier: It's such a shitty birthday gift, yet he's so happy with it that it follows him all the way to the basket he ends up in. Two feet and an umbrella. Priceless. Then the moan when Basil lifts the lid...
i am absolutely LOVING this series of reactions to Fawlty Towers. I've been watching and watched this show so much with my dad for YEARS. There's so many more great moments that i can't wait for you guys to see.
Yes so happy to have the whole gang now for this series. Just legendary British comedy.
I have watched a lot of great reactions from you guys over the years. Never have I seen you like this, doubled over with honest laughter. It's the greatest thing, and it says a lot about the lasting power of Fawlty Towers.
I think this is my fave reaction series you guys have done. You all just seem to be having so much fun.
I hope you have a defib unit under the desk for the later episodes as you will definitely need one :D
The might need to watch the episode in 5 minute chunks with fresh air breaks inbetween.
I feel like you need to add classic british sitcoms into your regular rotation 😂
Yes! What a great idea. What would your next recommendation be?
@ameliacraiig4193 depends on the era. If they're looking for something like Fawlty Towers, maybe 'Dad's Army'. For something more modern 'IT Crowd'
@@ameliacraiig4193Black Books
@@ameliacraiig4193You weren’t asking me 😂 but Are You Being Served? instantly comes to mind.
It's lovely to see four guys who weren't alive when this series was broadcast falling about giggling. I remember watching these series when they were first on the TV and we also laughed like drains, but we didn't realise (as teenagers) quite what heights of comedy genius we were seeing.
man, your reactions cracked me up
Truly one of the all time great British sitcoms. Can't wait to see your reactions to "The Germans" and "The Hotel Inspectors"
The episodes get better and better; I look forward to you reacting to Communication Problems, Basil the Rat and The Psychiatrists.
Love this show! Great reaction video guys. Love to see Rick laugh so much! "Oh what a terrible dream!" is the funniest line ever.
Im so happy you all are enjoying this. Im also so happy Aaron and Calvin have joined the reaction
You guys have to react to "Allo! Allo!". It's the greatest British comedy show ever made.
The setting is WWII, occupied France and there is a French Café where the owner just want to live is life as quiet as possible but, there is the French resistance, the German soldier going in, his wife that thinks she's a cabaret singer, some hidden British pilots... it's just brilliant.
allo allo is truly outstanding!
Allo Allo is a parody of the BBC TV drama series Secret Army. Ironically, Allo Allo's run was much longer than the series it spoofed!
It isn't in the same league as Fawlty Towers.
Fawlty Towers is the greatest British for the run and quality of shows imo. Blackadder comes close except the first season sucked until they reinvented Rowan Atkinson's character to be sarcasm personified from S2 onwards. I would recommend "One Foot in the Grave" before "Allo Allo" for another one of the best character driven and most quotable Brit comedies with subversive plot writing as well.
oh yes allo allo is another great one.
Can’t wait for the communication problems episode
Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically....
@@lockstocknl is this a piece of your brain
No it's Basil being sarcastic again!@@jonnyl4273
@@lockstocknl Sydney Opera House, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon!
If you're interested in the show's construction, they started with a white board with the core plot, then added and added to the scenario. The then refined the ideas. This is why the writing is so brilliant and crisp.
*”Oh I know”* 😂😂😂
Thanks for a wonderful reaction. This show is such a timeless classic. Every time I watch it I still laugh just as much & seeing your reaction makes it so much better!
So glad you lads enjoy the Towers as much as you do. Greetings from England 🇬🇧.
Guys please keep doing these as quickly as you can... i mean make the reactions long but upload them as quickly as possible 😂 I dearly need to relive my childhood rewatching these and you guys have the best reactions 👌🤘
Yes!!!!!! These reactions were good already but with the others, it's going to be even better!
Basil legit thought they was all swingers even Polly 😂 John clease is hilarious. I can’t wait to see you guys watch the Australian girl episode I cry laughing to that episode
"Mr. Fawlty, he go hcrazy for gurl" 😂
4:19 Love the man asking for a chemist. No further explanation needed beyond Basil's reaction, _which is priceless!_ *_We_** know what he's thinking!* 🤭🤣
I have NEVER seen you guys laugh harder then this. Never. 😮 I hope you keep with the classic British sitcoms. That's a certain sci-fi comedy called Red Dwarf I'm sure you'd all enjoy.
Not to mention amother historical sitcom called Blackadder.
@@maycontainviolence5587 1000%
I hate having to wait a week for these reactions, this is too good. The greatest sitcom ever made.
Listening to this on my headphones, listening to you all chuckling away really made me laugh. Such a classic show, thank you for looking at a classic British comedy 🇬🇧
Eiiiii!!! Whole Crew Reacting! Hoorah! Non-stop Laughter! 😂😂😂
I have never been more excited for a TH-cam-video than I am for the reaction to episode 6. :)
2:35 damn Eric, that laugh.
I’m glad PBS introduced me to this and other amazing britcoms. My top 3 which you might want to watch if only on your own time are Are You Being Served?, Waiting for God, and Keeping Up Appearances. I think you’d love Mrs Slocombe.
All of Fawlty Towers is amazing, but that scene in this episode when Basil has a complete meltdown when he realised his mistake is one of the funniest scenes of all!
I'm just laughing watching you guys enjoy this show so much.
I used to watch faulty towers all the time on the television in AUSTRALIA watching it again after all this years with you guys is so much funnier and it feels so good, love that you get the humor and that you laughing just as much as I AM . HELLO FROM MELBOURNE.
Fawlty towers is often regarded as the best british comedy show of all time! And its easy to see why!! Other great british comedy shows from years back you should check out are:
Red dwarf, bottom, peep show, garth marengi’s darkplace and so many more
As a Brit sand a lifelong Fawlty fan, it's glorious seeing you guys loving what i think is the greatest comedy ever made!
Truly one of the funniest shows that has ever been made 🤣
I love you guys reacting to this. I grew up watching it and it's a nice surprise to see how well it has travelled, despite time and distance!
man it is so much fun watching this reaction.
Absolutely love your reaction nothing contrived just pure enjoyment it makes the episodes fresh again😂........1970s not 80's
The first 3 episodes are usually ranked in the bottom 4 or 5, so you know the rest are going to be good. My personal "least favourite" is The Anniversary, but apart from that, the other 8 still to come are brilliant. You'll recognise a familiar face in the next episode, which is a "televisual feast".
He’s not a violent man 😂
@@braingers Oh yes he is
Although 'the episodes of Fawlty Towers that are not as good' is still a very high bar.
It's not like I've asked for an elephants ear on a bun is it 😂
@@Stevesixty7 "It's niiice"
"It isn't, I've sent it back once!"
I loved how much you all were in such absolute hysterics throughout this! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you all laugh so much.🤣
Youre in for a treat. Kipper and corpse and communication problems are probably my favs. Great 70s comedy.
YES, ALL 4 OF THEM!!!!!
Fawlty Towers was a classic, I use to watch it here in the states on PBS back in the 80s, I have the set on DVD now., be sure to check out the episode titled "The Germans" interesting fact, the actress who plays Polly is American. so glad you guys are reacting. 😅
Fawlty Towers is timeless. Would love to see reactions to other old shows, especially Father Ted
I love how put apon Basil is and how Poor Manuel is being treated with all the problems Cibil gives him it's no wonder that Basil acts so over the top I laugh every single time I watch this show so I know that it's extremely hilarious 😂😆 I love all the you guys reactions 😅😊
Can’t wait until you watch the German episode!
Don't mention the joke!😂
Been watching since I was a kid over and over and over. Started with Monty Python's Flying Circus on PBS. Never gets old. The sex thing is that Basil is the most uptight neurotic about sex and it's pointed out in an upcoming episode, psychologically, and it's hilarious!
I haven't seen this show since the 70's! I think quite a bit went over my head as a teen at that time. It's still sooo funny. This show, The Monty Python Sketch Show, Black Adder, Are You Being Served and Rumpole were my favorite shows back then. If ever you need a laugh, look up Ministry of Silly Walks - John Cleese is just a master of physical comedy.
Waiting for the episode with the elderly lady and the deaf aid. Going by your reactions so far, you may need some oxygen at hand for that one.
And it has that, brief, moment of Basil and Cybil doing the 'shared mime'.
@Tao_Tology " is this a piece of your Brain?"
And I'm wondering if they'll see the Major cut line.
Ohh I’m looking forward to next week’s episode. It had me crying with laughter😂
I've watched this show 30 odd years ago, and I don't know if its intentional, but John Cleese is like, 6'7 or whatever, so the to see him frantically run those steps when he could easily gap 5 at a time, maneuvering around those corners with speed, adds to the physical comedy with his tall frame. I'm glad this is being reacted to🤣
this is THE episode i remember, it’s just a non stop ab workout 😂😂
Masterpiece. Best comedy ever written
Fawlty Towers, one of our best comedies. Laughing again through your eyes 😂
So interesting thing about this episode, i believe in that last scene john cleese accidentally picked up a real pan instead of a prop one. So that wasnt acting at the end, he actually did knock andrew saches out cold with the pan
The best in FT is imo the small things. Like " Racket? That's Brahms... Brahms third racket! or "Drive carefully dear...🤨" and "Oh my god, what a terrible dream" to mention a few.
The same I will say for The Office (the original British series of cause 😊). Both are so cleverly made. 👍👏
Or Basil, talking to himself:
"Shoom!
What was that?
That was your life, mate.
Oh, that was quick. Do I get another?
Sorry, mate, that's-ya-lot"
Nothing to do with anything else that episode, just a moment if reflection and of Basil sort of enjoying his own wry humour.
The episodes about communication problems, the Germans, the psychiatrists, the Americans & the health inspector will kill you laughing 😂 - I have watched all the FT episodes at least 10 times and know most of the lines by heart by now, and I am still laughing hysterically every time.
Today was rough and this reaction vid has really helped! Can't wait for the Germans episode.
'Fawltey Towers ' is local (3 miles) from where I live!
It was actually called 'Wooburn Grange ' and back in the 80s became a nightclub
Went there a couple of times, but not my scene!
And I never saw Basil !!....
I love the story of the real manager of the hotel where the cast of Monty Python stayed, it is just brilliant!!
Nice to see overseas people enjoy this show. Saw the lot 30 years ago growing up 😎👍
After this please watch Father Ted, another short lived British TV show which was incredible!
Even though it was British financed it was very much an Irish show. Though I don't think the humour translates for Americans.
@@ThanatoselNyxIt translates very well for Americans. There are several American channels - like King Boomer and Embrace The Suck - who have done it and have very much got it.
@@ThanatoselNyx It was written by two Irishmen living in the UK who didn't want to pitch it to a non-UK production company. The exteriors for each series were filmed over a few days in Ireland but everything else was filmed in London. It, obviously, is about Irish people but it's British show. Of course, the company that took them on board to pitch to Channel 4 has proved disastrous for Graham Linehan.
Fun fact: Fawlty Towers was inspired by the time the Monty Python team stayed in a hotel in Torquay, UK.
The Gleneagles Hotel was run by Donald and Beatrice Sinclair and amongst other things, Donald berated Terry Gilliam for using his knife and fork wrong and threw Eric Idle's bag over a wall (thinking it was a bomb).
Most of the crew left for another hotel nearby but John Cleese and Connie Booth stayed to take notes of Donald's eccentric behaviour and so Basil Fawlty was created!
The hotel was redeveloped in 2015 into retirement homes but they were named 'Sachs Lodge' after Andrew Sachs who played Manuel.
And guess what guys ... the best are yet to come ... including some great supporting actors.
I stayed in a hotel with stairs like that in Liverpool, with an eccentric night porter who had to get a stool to unlock the door to let you in after midnight.
Fawlty Towers is based on a real hotel Cleese and the actress that plays Polly stayed in Torquay with an incredibly rude owner. And himself and the missus thought, what a great idea for a sitcom.
This episode destroyed you all, and it was SO fun to watch that! :D By the way, about those weird up-and-down stairs... I think it was like that to enable studio shoots, but in fact there are also quite a few guest houses in Britain with stairs that go up and down a little, and I think it's sometimes because the place is very old and has been converted into a hotel, so they've had to work around the historical architecture.
Please do father ted, its amazing.
OMG ! how much do I hope that the Fawlty Towers actors, writers “ et al” watch your reactions to their work !! Love the way you go all-in 😁
Thanks for sharing You Guys 👍✨
Yes! Guys... guys... lol these are some of the BBC classics. You have opened Pandora's box ;) also Blackadder etc.
Each episode is a work of comedy art.
"...my five mothers and four anties..." Makes me crack up every time!! LOL!!
About Sybil's laugh. That laugh was modeled after Connie Booth's laugh.
It sounds a bit like Betty Marsden's.
I've honestly enjoyed these Fawlty Towers reactions the most since the end of The Mandalorian season 2. Keep up the good work! 😆
Watch your blood pressure guys! 😅 Great to see you appreciate the genius of Fawlty Towers!
One little bit of trivia for this one is that April Walker, who plays the blonde newlywed in this episode, was the first choice to play Sarah Jane in Doctor Who. She'd actually been signed and they had to pay out her contract for the first season after Jon Pertwee effectively vetoed her (sometimes told that he thought she was too tall, and sometimes that he thought she was too sexy looking but possibly actually both).
I love seeing the guys absolutely losing it with laughter, Fawlty Towers is one of the greatest series of comedy and highlights just the brilliance of John Cleese as an comedy actor, you see it in Monty Python sketches with just committing his entire body to a performance, but here he doesn't have the other Pythons to play off, so it stands out even more.
Cleese's physical performance is always great, he's 6'5" and somehow seeing this huge guy (relative to everyone else at least) have wild-eyed manic episodes is all the more entertaining (though I imagine he'd have been a terrifying presence if you weren't accustomed to him)