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Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales dies, aged 93
BBC ^

Posted on 10/29/2025 12:50:54 PM PDT by dfwgator

Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died aged 93, her family have confirmed.

Scales was best known for playing hotel manager Sybil Fawlty, the long-suffering and domineering wife of Basil - played by John Cleese - in the classic British sitcom.

The actress died "peacefully at home in London yesterday", her sons Samuel and Joseph said.

They added that she was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. Cleese paid tribute, describing Scales as "a really wonderful comic actress". He said: "Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect."

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: books; fawltytowers; obituaries; sloughhouse; waldorfsalad
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Funny lady. RIP.
1 posted on 10/29/2025 12:50:54 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Prunella? Series?


2 posted on 10/29/2025 12:52:32 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: dfwgator

Don’t think Basil and Sybil slept in the same bed from 6 months into their marriage.


3 posted on 10/29/2025 12:54:57 PM PDT by libh8er
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To: dfwgator

Also played Charles Laughton’s youngest daughter in “Hobson’s Choice,” the complete opposite of harridan Sybil.


4 posted on 10/29/2025 12:56:45 PM PDT by decal (They won't stop, so they'll have to be stopped)
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To: dfwgator

YES DEAR IM DOING IT DEAR HOW CAN I DO IT IF YOU KEEP YELLING AT ME


5 posted on 10/29/2025 12:57:47 PM PDT by struggle
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To: libh8er

In one of the episodes, they were in the same hospital room.


6 posted on 10/29/2025 12:58:11 PM PDT by ComputerGuy
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To: tumblindice
Prunella? Series?

Sounds like a Dick Tracy villainess.


7 posted on 10/29/2025 12:59:32 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: dfwgator

I remember watching Fawlty Towers as a kid and laughing my butt off...


8 posted on 10/29/2025 12:59:56 PM PDT by God luvs America
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To: dfwgator

The brits make some good comedy shows.

Little Britain, The IT Crowd, and Miranda are all great examples, not to mention Mr Bean


9 posted on 10/29/2025 1:02:20 PM PDT by algore
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To: dfwgator
she was a great foil to Cleese’s Basil character.
10 posted on 10/29/2025 1:03:14 PM PDT by llevrok (Keep buggering on!)
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To: God luvs America
Yup. PBS, late at night.

RIP

11 posted on 10/29/2025 1:04:47 PM PDT by gundog (The ends justify the mean tweets. )
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To: dfwgator

Fawlty Towers a funny program English comedy is much better than ours less smut for a laugh.


12 posted on 10/29/2025 1:06:10 PM PDT by Vaduz
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To: dfwgator

Fawlty Towers is on Mt Rushmore of comedy sitcoms. I am always surprised to remember it only has 12 episodes, I remember watching it religiously as a kid for a time in the 70s (probably on repeat, lol).


13 posted on 10/29/2025 1:07:19 PM PDT by Mozzafiato
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To: God luvs America

14 posted on 10/29/2025 1:08:30 PM PDT by Leaning Right (It's morning in America. Again.)
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To: dfwgator
Her and her husband did a series on British TV traveling the different canals in Britain by canal boat. There were several seasons. In them, Timothy pointed out that Prunella was having some memory problems, even corrected her several times on the episodes. It kind of turned me off. I always figured she'd be the first one to go, especially with her memory issues. That's why I was surprised that he passed away first. He was still acting. Her last role was in 2015.

One of their sons Samuel West has been an actor in his own right for a long time now. He's regularly appeared on "All Creatures Great and Small", and has appeared periodically in Apple's "Slow Horses" with Gary Oldman. It's a great series about MI5 rejects who work in a derelict building called Slough House, based on a book series of the same name. Gary Oldman's character was farmed out to Slough House years before, and he is the boss of people that end up there. Oldman is one of those actors that can play any role, and be great in it. In this one, he's portrayed as a slob, long greasy hair, glasses, wearing the same old dirty trench coat through the past 5 seasons. Although he's looked down upon by the hoity-toity's over at MI5, Slough House always ends up solving their cases for them. It's in its 5th season, renewed for two more.

15 posted on 10/29/2025 1:10:12 PM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: llevrok

16 posted on 10/29/2025 1:10:37 PM PDT by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: Dr. Sivana

Maybe it’s a family name.


17 posted on 10/29/2025 1:11:12 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: llevrok

18 posted on 10/29/2025 1:14:25 PM PDT by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: dfwgator

Basil! Basil! Basil!

Her laugh was a tad annoying, but that fit the character perfectly. RIP


19 posted on 10/29/2025 1:20:51 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (First, I was a clinger, then deplorable, now I'm garbage. Feel the love? )
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To: algore

The brits make some good comedy shows.


Also, one of the best comedy movies of all time is “Hot Fuzz”, every scene had something to make me laugh.


20 posted on 10/29/2025 1:23:15 PM PDT by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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