They Wrote The Greatest Sitcom In Television History. Then They Stopped.

They Wrote The Greatest Sitcom In Television History. Then They Stopped. Fawlty Towers ran for just twelve episodes across two series, four years apart, and then it stopped for good. Why? The BFI's 2000 industry poll put it at number one on its list of the greatest British television programmes. John Cleese and Connie Booth wrote every line of both series. In between, their marriage ended. This video follows the record: a rude hotelier in Torquay, a writing process that reportedly took around six weeks per script, a three-year gap, and what Cleese has said about why there was never a thirteenth episode. Which Fawlty Towers episode is the best ever made? Settle it in the comments. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The question nobody asks 1:18 Torquay, 1970: the hotel that inspired Basil 3:30 Connie Booth: the second chair 5:42 Six weeks for half an hour of television 8:34 The BBC and the producer behind series one 11:14 A marriage ends between the series 13:12 Series two, and the hotel goes quiet 15:24 So why only twelve? 18:12 The revival announced in 2023 19:52 Why twelve episodes beat a hundred 22:00 Was Cleese right to stop? Some details, including interview quotes and anecdotes, vary between tellings. Where the record is thin, the video says so. If you enjoy stories about how great work ends, subscribe to After The Applause. #FawltyTowers #JohnCleese #BritishComedy