A bed and breakfast owner in Torquay who has been labelled the “real life Basil Fawlty” hopes the iconic show’s reboot will lead to an influx of fresh bookings. Peter Bland, 55, said it would be “wonderful” if the revival of the classic sitcom led to a rise in demand.
The hospitality boss manages The Somerville with his wife Helen, also 55, in the same Devon coastal town where Fawlty Towers, which first hit screens in 1975, is set. And he says his “anti-woke” views and gracious manner as a host make him a dead ringer for Basil. Peter says he’s also happy to act as “a private concierge” to his patrons, who equally seem to suit the roles of guests in the BBC series thanks to their quirky personalities.
He said: “I think I do see myself as a Basil Fawlty character, not to the extent where Basil was rude to guests. But I like to think of myself as a bit of a character, anti-woke and all that sort of stuff.
“And I absolutely think the reboot will bring a few more people down to Torquay. There’s been a demise of bed and breakfasts to Airbnbs, which to me are soulless holiday lets, and Torquay is swamped with holiday lets. But there is nothing nicer than being welcomed by the patron and his wife – although I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say that anymore.”
He added: “I hate a breakfast room that is silent. So I like to get people speaking to each other and having a chat – and we speak about the world. Whether that’s like Basil Fawlty, I don’t know. Maybe it's just being a very good host.”
Peter became the owner of The Somerville seven years ago after spending decades managing a pub with his wife Helen, who he met in culinary school. He said the reboot could only be a “positive” for Torquay, the seaside town where Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, had his iconic B&B in the show. And Peter said as an independent guest house owner, his life seemed to sometimes closely imitate sketches from the hilarious show, which also starred Connie Booth.
He said: “I have a room that sort of looks out onto a wall, so what I actually did is have this great big mural printed of Torquay and had it glued on the wall opposite. There’s that episode where an old and deaf lady walks into one of Fawlty’s rooms and says, 'I booked a room with a view'.
“Basil says, ‘This does have a view of Torquay! What would you like to see from the room? Would you like to see wildebeest running over the plains?' So when guests check in for that room, I always joke, ‘Of course, you do have a sea view’.
“The Brits get it, but some of my overseas guests from over Europe perhaps don’t. Maybe that’s just British humour."
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
Peter said he was also particularly careful to roll out the red carpet for solo travellers in case they're hotel inspectors, just like Basil in the hit series.
He went on: "When I first arrived, I had this absolute phobia that every single-person guest that came was the hotel inspector. I did exactly the same as Basil, and still do to this day, because it’s a secret visit. The next morning, they'll show you a card and say, 'Hello, I’m the AA hotel inspector.'"
Peter said his guests also sometimes imitated the characters in the sitcom, recalling one particular lady who demanded silver service, which he was happy to provide.
He said: “She was this lady from Surrey, and insisted on everybody knowing she was from Surrey to the extent that she asked another guest to move their car because it was ‘her spot’. But as the owner, I absolutely love that. Every afternoon she had tea up on the terrace and I had to make it.
“Nobody else was allowed to make it and it had to be with this special tea that I was serving her. But it wasn’t special tea at all. It was the tea that I served to all my guests. She was like a female 'colonel', but I thrive on that."
Peter said the service he offered stood out from holiday lets as he and Helen were able to offer expert insights into what to do in their resort town. And he said he was still proud that his five-star rated establishment, which has eight art-deco-inspired rooms, was branded as a bed and breakfast, not a hotel.
He said: “Essentially, I’m a five-star hotel here. My rooms are outstanding. My public area is outstanding.
“But there’s nowhere on any of my information that says this is a hotel – this is a bed and breakfast that looks after people. People come back from their day out and I say ‘How was your day? Do you fancy a glass of wine?’”
Reaction to the reboot of the classic was also welcomed by members of the public on the streets in Torquay. Ian Hitchcock, 76, and his wife Rose, 70, are both fans of the sitcom and think the reboot 'will be as good as the original'.
He said: "It's just got to be done. I'm definitely a fan of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python, as they are both classic sketches.
"As long as John Cleese is part of it and now he's got his daughter working with him, then I think it will be as good as the original. I think the show did Torquay a load of good and it will refresh their memory about Torquay."
Rose, of Exmouth, Devon, also said although she finds John's humour 'frustrating', she thought the show was 'so funny'.
She said: "I am a fan but I'm not as big of a fan as my husband, because he loves all of that humour. But it will be nice to see what they can turn it into and I hope the Spanish waiter Manuel will still be there.
"I think John's humour is frustrating, but it was so funny like when they opened the biscuit tin and the rat was sat there. Then there was the deaf lady who wanted a better view and he asked her if she expected the Hanging Towers of Babylon - that was so, so funny."
