The Builders

My main criticism of this particular episode is that is has been placed way too early in the life of the series. We haven't had nearly enough time to get sufficiently accustomed to the hotel's interior structure, and one of the primary scenes wants us - alongside Basil - to be deeply shocked by how there is now a door at the stairway, and a door still being present next to the reception area. Also saddens me to bits but i have to say this is a weaker Manuel presence compared to anything else in any other episodes. It is just chuck full of those if you love the series, lovable but not very well landing scenes and bits to it. The drawing is of Mr. Fawlty huh, well would have been great to actually see it. The overall acting is not yet very defined, the two permanent old lady guests give the kiddiest acts, Basil is a bit raw at certain places. But the main Irish builder guy is a stand-out performance, and while Sybil is obviously afraid to hit hard enough is great at the end. Overall thee least great episode, definitely not the one to initiate someone to Fawlty Towers, you will ruin the show for someone if you do that.

Basil & Sybil will be away for the weekend, deciding to leave the normally reliable Polly in charge. But SHE decides to take a nap, and a typically fumbling, English language-challenged Manuel has to try to step up. All of this while a team of builders - whom Basil likes to use for no other reason than that they come cheap - manages to screw up a job involving putting in / removing doors.

'The Builders' is downright hilarious at times, with Manuel rating as my absolute favorite character; Andrew Sachs just nails the role. Overall, this farce and slapstick-heavy episode does a memorable job of skewering the whole construction business. Guest star David Kelly ("Waking Ned") is a treat to watch as the boss of the cut-rate O'Reilly company; naturally, Stubbs (James Appleby, a veteran of British television), the man whom Sybil would prefer to utilize, has to point out some truly shoddy workmanship.

Some of the most riotous moments involve Basil just completely blowing his top and venting at his employees. "Don't panic!" "What else is there to do?????" And Basil, of course, ends up making a fool of himself trying to pull the wool over his wifes' eyes.

Great fun; a solid follow-up to the pilot episode.

Eight out of 10.

I like the bit where the builders did a really bad job

Having established the characters in the opening episode, The Builders sees John Cleese and company in riotous full swing, their impeccable situation comedy resulting in a barrage of non-stop laughs.

This time around, Basil is tasked with arranging some building work on the hotel while he and his wife Sybil are away for a couple of days. Rather than hire a reliable builder, as Sybil suggests, Basil goes for the cheaper option, cowboy outfit O'Reilly's. The results are, unsurprisingly, far from perfect, and when Basil comes home to check on the work, he slips into panic mode, afraid of what his wife will say.

Priceless moments abound, with a hilarious pair of dotty old women who inexplicably adore Basil, and hapless Manuel left in charge of the hotel while the far more capable Polly takes a nap. But the best moments are, of course, all Basil's, John Cleese performing some wonderful histrionics guaranteed to entertain.

Best line: 'Cloth-eared bint'.

Basil hires some cheap builders who do a botch job.

What impresses me the most about this episode is that 99% of it takes place in the hotel reception area and it still manages to keep me 100% entertained for the duration.

It depicts Basil's relationship with Cybil brilliantly. He gives the usual witty one-liners at her expense but then reveals how utterly terrified he is of incurring her wrath at the same time. Prunella Scales is on top form in the scenes where Cybil has to take a firm hand with Basil and the builders.

Andrew Sachs carries the show for quite a bit of time whilst Basil is out of the hotel and Manuel takes charge of a number of situations that end in disaster. Sachs shows how funny he can be without sharing the stage with John Cleese.

There is some racial stereotyping here that would not see the light of day in modern comedy writing, but allowing for the time period it was written and how the biggest buffoon depicted as always is Basil, I think it is relatively harmless.