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Ballard Berkeley in Fawlty Towers (1975)

Connie Booth: Polly Sherman

Basil the Rat

Fawlty Towers

Connie Booth credited as playing...

Polly Sherman

Photos3

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Quotes8

  • [Terry is examining a piece of possibly-poisoned veal the cat had been chewing on]
  • Terry: Right! Now, how's the cat?
  • Basil Fawlty: [Incredulously] How's the c...? How's the cat? We're about to take the life of a public health inspector and you want to know "how's the cat"? IT'S GONE TO LONDON TO SEE THE QUEEN! What're we going to do?
  • Polly: [bringing in the cat] He's fine!
  • Terry: Great!
  • Basil Fawlty: [leaping about hysterically] HOORAY! HOORAY! THE CAT LIVES! THE CAT LIVES! LONG LIVE THE CAT! What are we going to DO?
  • Terry: Mr. Fawlty - if the cat is all right, that means that slice is all right.
  • [Polly struggles to keep Mr. Carnegie, the health inspector, from learning of Manuel's pet rat Basil, named after Basil Fawlty, running loose in the hotel]
  • Manuel: The Major try to kill Basil!
  • Sybil Fawlty: Kill BASIL?
  • Manuel: No, not Mr. Fawlty. I mean Basil, my little...
  • Polly: [suddenly, before Manuel can say 'Rat' in front of the health inspector] RATATOUILLE!
  • Mr. Carnegie: Basil the little...
  • Polly: Ratatouille. The chef calls the ratatouille 'Basil' because he puts quite a lot of basil in it.
  • Manuel: He put Basil in the ratatouille?
  • Polly: Yes!
  • Manuel: ARGGGHHHHHHHH!
  • [Manuel runs off to the kitchen screaming, Polly following]
  • Sybil Fawlty: [charmingly to Mr. Carnegie] He's from Barcelona.
  • [Polly, with a piece of cheese, is looking for Basil the Rat under a table]
  • Polly: Basil. Basil? Cheesies! Basil...
  • Basil Fawlty: [coming up behind her] Yes?
  • [Polly bangs her head beneath the table]
  • Basil Fawlty: Here I am.
  • Polly: [coming out from under the table] Oh, Mr. Fawlty I...
  • Basil Fawlty: [taking the cheese] Oh, that's for me, is it? Thank you.
  • Polly: [as he eats it] Shall I get you some more? There's plenty...
  • Basil Fawlty: He's called "Basil," is he? Don't play dumb with me. I trusted you. You're responsible for this!
  • Mrs. Taylor: Veal substitute?
  • Polly: Well, it's Japanese, actually. Soya beans and essence of cow.
  • Polly: He must have escaped, Mr Fawlty, and come back.
  • Basil Fawlty: Come back?
  • Polly: They home.
  • Basil Fawlty: Oh, I see. He's a homing rat, is he?
  • Terry: Oh, yeah. Rats are amazing creatures, Mr. Fawlty. I read about one once. His owner had gone down to Penzance...
  • Basil Fawlty: Yes, yes. I read about that. When the chef got filleted with his own carving knife?
  • Manuel: Mr. Fawlty take my hamster! He crazy, he think is rat!
  • Polly: Manuel.
  • Manuel: Hmm?
  • Polly: Prepare yourself for a shock.
  • Polly: I do remember a place where I had some really good veal once. Umm, only I... I just can't think of the name of it... It was, umm... Ooh! La-di-da. Did you see Annie Hall? La-di-da.
  • Ronald: Annie who?
  • Sybil Fawlty: Here's your veal, Mr. Carnegie. Sorry for the delay.
  • Ronald: He's just been given veal!
  • Basil Fawlty: Uh, no, no. That's, uh, veal substitute.
  • Ronald: Veal substitute?
  • Basil Fawlty: Yes, it's not very good. It got rather held up on the boat. On the way over from, uh...
  • Polly: Japan.
  • Basil Fawlty: Norway. It's a... it's sort of a... Japo-Scandinavian imitation veal substitute, and I'm afraid that's the last slice, anyway.

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