Almost half a century after it was created, fans still arrive in Torquay searching for traces of Fawlty Towers. They visit the site of the hotel that inspired the sitcom, hoping that their B&B hosts might have a bit of Basil and Sybil about them, and savour that melancholy feeling of fading British seaside grandeur that pervades the show and can still be felt in the Devon resort.
The announcement this week that John Cleese is to reboot the 1970s sitcom was greeted with a mixture of excitement and concern on the English Riviera. Excitement that it may give a boost to tourism, concern that the legacy of one of Britain’s most revered shows could be tarnished if Cleese doesn’t get it right.
