I just rewatched both Fawlty Towers series last year in an anti-binge watching fashion, i.e. Weekly, over twelve weeks. Unlike most comedy, it definitely still stands up, even if I detected a bit more wear and tear compared to the last time I watched them all. But, even if some episodes are better than others, every single one of them has one genius moment at least and some, such as The Psychiatrist, are comedy perfection from start to finish. So, it was pretty good timing when I spotted this celebration documentary. But was it any good?
Well, the filmmakers seemed to be at pains to point out that this was unauthorised, so to that end, not one of the main players took part in it and there was only really participation from a couple of actresses who played fairly minor roles in individual episodes. So, with that in mind, you're not that likely to get too far below the surface and this is how it turns out. It's a talking heads affair, with various celebrity fans giving their opinions on various aspects and set pieces of the show. Much more interesting is when you get some info on the origins of the concept or little bits of priceless trivia, such as when Andrew Sachs really gets pummelled on the head with an actual frying pan, John Cleese impersonating Connie Booth in Basil character and some amusing behind the scenes moments. On the whole, it's definitely a fun watch for fans of the series, even if it's a bit limited in some ways.
