A Touch of Class

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"A Touch of Class" is the pilot episode in the first series of the BBC television sitcom Fawlty Towers.

Plot

The episode begins with the nagging monologue from a woman whom the viewer will come to know and love as Sybil Fawlty, who is desperately trying to persuade her incompetent husband Basil to hang a picture up and write out the new menu; kind and eager but hapless and largely useless Spanish waiter Manuel with his limited grasp of English; Major Gowen (semi-senile and often whiskey-soaked permanent resident); and Polly (maid/waitress and mostly the only member of hotel staff with any common sense). All these are introduced, and the central plot begins.

Sybil confronts Basil about an expensive advertisement that he has placed in an up-market magazine, and he explains that he is trying to encourage a higher social class of customer. Soon after, a leather-jacketed Cockney guest, Danny Brown, turns up asking for a room, much to Basil's annoyance. However, Basil is soon put out when Mr. Brown shows that he can communicate better than he with Manuel, as he can speak fluent Spanish.

While Basil is on the phone to a Mr. O'Reilly (a "cowboy" builder featured in the following episode) complaining about some recent shoddy workmanship, Lord Melbury, a tatty looking aristocrat, turns up out of the blue. Basil immediately becomes infatuated by his alleged class and breeding. Embarrassing incidents follow, where Basil fawns over Lord Melbury and treats him better than the other guests. Basil even asks a family, in the middle of their meal, to move tables for Lord Melbury, but accidentally deposits Lord Melbury on the floor in the process which earns a passing Manuel an angry blow to his head. Basil grovels for forgiveness, which Melbury grants him.

After dinner, Melbury emerges from the dining room and Basil immediately begins fawning over him, apologizing incessantly. Lord Melbury dismisses his apologies and claims it was merely an accident. Basil insists that if there is anything he can do to make it up to Melbury he will. Lord Melbury immediately becomes interested and asks Basil to cash him a cheque for one hundred pounds. Despite being inwardly aghast at such a large sum, Basil obsequiously asks if that would be enough; he is even more aghast when Melbury takes him up on this and revises his request to two hundred. Too late to backtrack, Basil writes him this large cheque. Melbury is delighted and Basil hides this from Sybil. He then confides in Polly and asks her to go to the bank and collect the money for his lordship.

However, when Polly goes into town to take out the money, she comes across Danny Brown - who is now revealed as a policeman - and a fellow detective inspector. They explain that they are from the CID, and are watching Melbury, who is in turn revealed to be a confidence trickster pulling off a large scam in town.

Basil continues to ignore other guests while attending to Lord Melbury in the bar, neglecting their orders for drinks etc. Melbury offers to take Basil's collection of coins to have them valued whilst visiting the Duke of Buckleigh that evening. Basil is deeply honoured, and agrees.

Polly confronts Basil with the information that Melbury is an impostor, but he refuses to believe her, suggesting Brown is merely spinning tales of intrigue in order to impress her. She then tells Sybil who, despite Basil's fervent protestations, takes Melbury's previously surrendered suitcase of "a few valuables" from the safe, and reveals the contents to be simply a pair of house bricks.

Basil finally realises he has been duped, and manic anger begins to brew inside him. In a cruel twist, Sir Richard Morris (a real aristocrat) and his wife arrive to check in, and witness Basil's fury as he abuses and swears at Melbury, who is eventually arrested by Brown and his colleague but not before Basil takes the money he had given Melbury from Melbury's own pocket, and kicks him while he lies on the floor, winded. Horrified by all he has seen, Sir Richard leaves, vowing never to return to such a terrible hotel. Basil hypocritically curses Morris's upper class snobbish behaviour.

A dejected Basil re-enters the hotel and begins finally to hang the picture featured at the outset. Then, a very angry Mr. Wareing (whom Basil moved from his table earlier in the episode) shouts (after several prior requests) that he would like a gin and orange juice, a lemon squash, and a scotch and water, for which he has been waiting in the bar for some time and which Sybil has not bothered to serve. Basil finally snaps: he smashes Sybil's picture, and frog-marches his guest back to the bar to be served at last.

Cast

Episode credited cast:

• John Cleese as Basil Fawlty
• Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty
• Andrew Sachs as Manuel
• Connie Booth as Polly Sherman
• Michael Gwynn as Lord Melbury
• Ballard Berkeley as Major Gowen
• Gilly Flower as Miss Abitha Tibbs
• Renee Roberts as Miss Ursula Gatsby

Also starring:

• Terence Conoley as Mr. Wareing
• Robin Ellis as Danny Brown
• David Simeon as Mr. Mackenzie
• Lionel Wheeler as Mr. Watson
• Martin Wyldeck as Sir Richard Morris
• Pat Symons as Lady Morris (uncredited)
• Dennis Plenty and Ian Elliot as Policemen (uncredited)
• The Newspaper boy (uncredited) has one word: Newspapers
• An uncredited actor plays a C.I.D. officer who says "Sorry Mr Fawlty" at the end and restrains Basil from hitting Lord Melbury

Connections and errors

• After this episode modifications were made to the set. For example, in the next episode the wallpaper is a completely different colour, and the hotel layout slightly wider. The theme music was also re-recorded.
• Basil keeps getting distracted from hanging the picture on the wall. Throughout the episode the picture clearly has no glass covering it, yet at the end when Basil smashes the picture on the ground we hear the distinct sound of glass breaking.
• Another continuity error occurs when Basil goes outside to collect Lord Melbury's cases. The cases have switched hands when he returns to the lobby.
• In the BBC television series The Real Hustle, Alex uses the name "Lord Melbury" to confidence trick a hotel.
• Terence Conoley later appeared in the episode Waldorf Salad of the second series, playing an entirely different character but with an equally-irratible personality.