The Kipper and the Corpse

If I had to pinpoint a piece of comedy television that I would place at the top of the pile, then The Kipper and The Corpse would have to rank at number one. It's the episode I know every word of, but cannot watch it without howling with laughter. Each episode is genius and magical in its own right, but there's something about the way this one plays out that I can't resist. The dialogue is perfection itself, the level of Basil's irritations and frustrations is a delight to watch, the way he sarcastically offers poor Mr Leeman a choice of Breakfast tray is a joy, but the way in which the Doctor is taken to the body in the bed is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Zany, madcap, sarcastic, wildly funny, the list of superlatives you could add to this thirty odd minutes of unadulterated joy is endless. It can be difficult to review something you know so well, but the relentless watches have provided me with constant laughs and for that this episode gets a well deserved 10/10

This is by far the best episode of the series. In fact I'd go as far as to say it's the funniest episode of any TV series ever. The farce, the lines, the acting are all pure comedy gold. John Cleese is at his finest as is Andrew Sachs.

Basil struggles to deal with guest who dies and the demands of the live ones.

This is another great episode blending a very funny situation with Basil's outrageous behaviour.

The humour couldn't be much darker in its theme with death at the heart of the story, but it is treated as farcically as any other situation in which I have seen Basil Fawlty involved.

Basil has some excellent lines and John Cleese delivers them as brilliantly as always, my favourite being his reaction to one guest who is rendered unconscious following her encounter with the dead body. Also funny is his rant regarding the breakfast tray.

I like the bit where he had a kipper sticking out of his jacket

A Fawlty Towers guest dies in his sleep and hotelier Basil and his staff try to hide the body until the coroner comes to collect it.

Why they decide to move the corpse, as opposed to leaving it where it is until the authorities arrive, is a mystery to me, but without it there wouldn't be so much frantic farcical chaos. Consequently, the whole episode feels extremely forced, the laughs not flowing as naturally as they should.

Yes, there are plenty of wonderfully barbed quips from Basil, but when the basic plot is so flawed, I simply cannot hold this episode in such high regard as the genuine classics (most of which are from series 1).