23 Facts About Basil Fawlty

1. Basil Fawlty Towers—The Complete Series was released on DVD on 16 October 2001, available in regions 1, 2 and 4.

2. Basil Fawlty Towers originally was released by BBC Video in 1984, with three episodes on each of four tapes.

3. The first album, simply titled Basil Fawlty Towers, was released in 1979 and contained the audio from "Communication Problems" and "Hotel Inspectors".

4. Basil Fawlty Towers became a huge success in almost all countries in which it aired.

5. Basil Fawlty came top of the Britain's Funniest Comedy Character poll, held by Five on 14 May 2006.

6. Basil Fawlty invites some friends over for a surprise party to mark his and Sybil's wedding anniversary.

7. Basil Fawlty was finally invited to Spain to meet Manuel's family.

8. The only person Basil Fawlty consistently exhibits tolerance and good manners towards is the old and senile Major Gowen, a veteran of one of the world wars who permanently resides at the hotel.

9. Basil Fawlty usually turns to Manuel or Polly to help him with his schemes, while trying his best to keep Sybil from discovering them.

10. Basil Fawlty Towers is a British television sitcom broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979.

11. In 2000, the British Film Institute voted Basil Fawlty Towers the best British television series of all time—but it was very nearly not made at all.

12. Basil Fawlty Towers, one of the best-loved sitcoms ever made, was first broadcast 40 years ago this month.

13. Basil Fawlty Towers didn't make much of a splash when its first episode aired.

14. Basil Fawlty Towers turned the Gleneagles Hotel into something of a landmark in Torquay.

15. Basil Fawlty criticised the American-born Terry Gilliam's table manners for being too American.

16. Basil Fawlty Towers was inspired by the Monty Python team's stay in the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay.

17. Basil Fawlty is known for his tight-fisted attitude to the hotel's expenses, employing completely incompetent builder O'Reilly in "The Builders" simply because he was cheap.

18. Basil Fawlty has made the point that on account of Basil's inner need to conflict with his wife's wishes, "Basil couldn't be Basil if he didn't have Sybil".

19. Basil Fawlty is seen wearing a Winchester College tie, and a Balliol College, Oxford tie (in "The Germans").

20. Basil Fawlty often wears military ties, and sports a military-type moustache.

21. Basil Fawlty is known to have served in the British Army during the Korean War, possibly as part of his National Service.

22. Basil Fawlty takes many of his frustrations out on the hapless waiter Manuel, physically abusing and bullying him in a variety of ways.

23. Basil Fawlty often refers to her as "my little nest of vipers".