Blending three other classic sitcom episodes

John Cleese is planning a second Fawlty Towers stage show following the success of the first.

The play based on three classic episodes ends its  West End run in a fortnight before heading off on a regional tour.

Now Cleese, 82, is planning a follow-up based on three other episodes: The Psychiatrist, in which Basil Fawlty accidentally grips a female guest while reaching for a light switch; The Kipper And The Corpse, in which the hotel staff try to hide a dead body; and Basil The Rat, about waiter Manuel’s pet rodent.

The sitcom’s co-creator said: ‘It has been so successful that I said, "Let’s put three other shows together". But we wouldn’t want to have it on at the same time, so maybe in a year and a half’s time?’

Cleese merged the  scripts for The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans and Communication Problems, for the current show, which has run since May last year, but with a four-month hiatus. 

The current West End cast includes Danny Bayne as Basil Fawlty, Mia Austen as Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as Manuel, Joanne Clifton as Polly, Paul Nicholas as The Major, and Helen Lederer as Mrs Richards.

Fawlty Towers: The Play will  also air on U&Gold on September 19, the 50th anniversary of the show's first ever episode airing on the BBC.

The UK tour will then run  until July next year. Fawlty Towers: The Play  tour dates

Published: 29 Aug 2025