The Hotel Inspectors

After learning that a trio of hotel inspectors are doing the rounds in Torquay, neurotic hotel owner Basil (John Cleese) comes to believe that one of them is a guest at Fawlty Towers. At first he suspects pernickety and obnoxious guest Mr. Hutchinson (Bernard Cribbens) of being an inspector, and does his utmost to keep him happy, but when Sybil informs Basil that the man is just a spoon salesman, his attention turns to grouchy Mr. Walt (James Cossins).

Watching Basil fawn and squirm is absolutely hilarious, as is his inevitable meltdown, when the desperate hotel owner offers Mr. Walt cold hard cash to keep quiet. Nothing, however, beats the very ending, which sees Basil welcoming three new guests (the real hotel inspectors) having just given Hutchinson a well-deserved send-off with a couple of cream pies and a jug of milk. Cleese's reaction is priceless.

Anyone that's worked in hospitality, or retail can definitely relate to this, the fear of an inspection or Mystery shop is great, so you can kind of understand Basil's frustrations, sadly it's poor Mr Hutchinson that suffers Basil's wrath. Fawlty truly is at his very worst behaviour, the scenes where he loses his cool with his demanding guest are achingly funny. Cribbins gives a memorable performance as Hutchinson, and who can ever forget the reply to that question 'I understand you're in the spoon trade.'

Arguably one of the most memorable episodes, it's chaos and misunderstanding all the way. It closes with that wonderful line 'What can I do for you three gentlemen?' so wonderfully frustrating, you cannot help but howl at Fawlty's frustrations.

This was the very first "Fawlty Towers" episode I saw - and I think it is a good 'first episode' to see. Unlike some others that move at an insanely fast pace (or a few others much slower), this one is timed just right and seems to let the 'comic rays' shine brightly. A lot of attention is given over to the main character, Mr. Hutchinson (portrayed wizardly by Bernard Cribbins) and it does pay off nicely, although there are many other small bits that deserve mentioning. The scenes with James Cossins (whom Basil mistakes as a hotel inspector) are terrific...Cossins plays Mr. Walt one-hundred percent deadpan and it is downright hilarious. Andrew Sachs probably does some of his best work in this one, too...in the later episodes, Manuel's English gets a bit better, but in this one, he's hopelessly dense (check out the scene where Basil starts crying, and Manuel comes in, clueless, wondering what the hell is going on, staring back and forth at Basil and Walt.) And, in usual Fawlty Towers spirit, the main character DOES get what they deserve after putting the hotel through agony, and Basil escapes unscathed...almost.

In this episode, we really get to see how awful Basil Fawlty is. He is extremely rude to a guest called Mr. Hutchison, then he learns that some hotel inspectors are in town. Thinking that Hutchison might be an inspector, Basil begins treating him like royalty. Sybil eavesdrops on one of Hutchison's phone calls and learns his true profession: He is a cutlery salesman! When Sybil informs Basil of this, he goes back to treating Hutchison poorly. Another guest, Mr. Walt, also gets the usual Basil Fawlty treatment when he first arrives. When Basil believes he is the inspector, his behavior takes another 180 degree turn. A memorable scene in this episode has Basil attempting to uncork a bottle of wine with hilarious results. Want to know what Basil Fawlty is all about? Watch this episode!

I like the bit where he hit the man in the face with a pie