Fawlty Towers stars today - Tragic losses and surprising new roles 49 years later

As Fawlty Towers celebrates almost 50 years since it first aired, we're taking a look at what became of the cast, including John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs and more

Fawlty Towers is toasting to 49 years as one of Britain's most beloved sitcoms.

The iconic series, which first graced the screens on BBC Two from 1975 to 1979, was the brainchild of comedy legends John Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth. Spanning two series, it chronicled the chaotic goings-on at a shambolic hotel in Torquay, Devon.

At the heart of the show were the uproarious escapades of hotel proprietor Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese, his long-suffering wife Sybil, savvy chambermaid Polly, and the hapless Spanish waiter Manuel. The inspiration for the show struck Cleese following a stay at a Devon hotel with an unforgettable owner.

Fawlty Towers has bagged a slew of awards, including a BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy, and was even crowned the greatest British TV programme ever by the British Film Institute in 2000.

Fast forward to February 2023, and buzz is building around a sequel series featuring John Cleese and his daughter Camilla. Nearly half a century since its debut, the original cast members have journeyed far and wide.

Here's the latest scoop on what the Fawlty Towers stars are up to these days.

John Cleese - Basil Fawlty

At 84, John Cleese isn't slowing down. His recent gigs include a role in Roman Polanski's drama 'The Palace' in 2023.

He also made waves in October when he launched 'The Dinosaur Hour' on GB News.

While chatting on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he teased that GB News viewers "may not be used to hearing the sort of things I'll be saying" and expressed his desire to spark "proper argument".

The star has been smitten with a new love in his life, the adorable pooch Harry who belongs to his daughter. Taking to Instagram, he's shared delightful videos with the furry friend, gushing: "I adore him."

Meanwhile, his marriage to Jennifer Wade remains strong.

Prunella Scales - Sybil Fawlty

Prunella Scales, despite being 92 and facing a decade-long battle with dementia, has stunned everyone with her return to the stage. The seasoned actress astonishingly reprised her role as Queen Victoria at the Edinburgh Festival in a fresh production titled 'Queen'.

Here, she lent her voice as an elderly Victoria, while other actresses portrayed her younger self. Julian Machin from the original production praised her remarkable effort, telling The Telegraph: "Although Prunella has vascular dementia, which greatly affects her in many ways, she absolutely retains longer-term memory of herself and her working experience."

Prunella continues to share her life with actor husband Timothy West.

Connie Booth - Polly Sherman

Connie Booth, famously known as Polly Sherman, withdrew from acting back in 1995 and embraced the field of psychotherapy after earning her stripes with five years of study at the University of London. At 83 years old, Connie resides in North London with John Lahr, her second spouse.

In a nostalgic visit in May 2024, she met the cast of the Fawlty Towers stage play, where she stood alongside Victoria Fox, the current Polly in the West End adaptation.

Andrew Sachs - Manuel

Andrew encountered his own share of drama on set. During the filming of the infamous episode "The Germans", a fire stunt gone wrong left him with second-degree acid burns.

He also fell victim to an incident involving a faulty prop wielded by actor John, suffering from a terrible headache as a result.

Tragically, Andrew passed away in November 2016 at the age of 86 after a battle with vascular dementia, which he had been diagnosed with in 2012 and resulted in him losing his ability to speak and needing a wheelchair.

Brian Hall - Terry Hughes

Brian Hall known for portraying Terry Hughes, the hotel chef built a warm friendship with his counterpart John during the series.

In a humorous exchange long after the series had wrapped up, Brian received a personally signed autograph from John as a jest; Brian jocularly retorted that he'd prefer a "signed Rolls-Royce car", prompting John to send him a child's toy car instead.

Sadly, Brian lost his fight against cancer at a hospice in 1997, at the age of 59. A year before passing, he had a defiant message for the Mirror about his illness: "Cancer is a bully and I hate bullies. This old boy cancer will get about as much change out of me as all the other bullies I've met nothing."

Renee Roberts - Miss Ursula Gatsby

Renee Roberts, who played Miss Ursula Gatsby, was wedded to Ronald Frankau initially and later to Eric P Pattison, her daughter Rosemary Frankau also pursuing acting.

Renee died in February 1996 when she was 87 years old.

Gilly Flower - Miss Abitha Tibbs

Gilly Flower, who portrayed Miss Abitha Tibbs and had been a model in her earlier years, retired from acting in 1991.

She lived until the age of 92, dying in February 2001.

Ballard Berkeley - Major Gowen

Ballard Berkeley took on the role of Major Gowen.

The late Ballard Berkeley, who became an accidental Hampshire Cricket Club icon in the early 2020s, is remembered for his shout "Hampshire won! " from a 'Fawlty Towers' scene a clip the club used to mark their wins on the social platform X, known before as Twitter.

His final role was voicing the Head of the Army in the animated adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic 'The BFG', released posthumously.

Berkeley died in London at the age of 83 in January 1988, with the film coming out the following year.