Fawlty Towers

I have just finished watching Fawlty Towers with the family. I hadn't seen it since I was a teenager. I don't know why. There are only 12 episodes. Perhaps I thought it had dated, or wouldn't be as good the second time around. Maybe I was fearful of ruining something I had enjoyed so much the first time. Second times aren't always as good.

But, I was listening to Ricky Gervais on one of his Live Twitter feed chats, and he mentioned it was one of his all-time favourites, up there with Curb Your Enthusiasm (which is my favourite show of all time). So, I thought I would suggest we watch it at home – the family together.

Boy, it is so funny – my personal favourite episode is the 'dead man' ep - will say no more. We were laughing out loud through every episode. It is rare with some comedy shows these days. There is a lot of ‘clever’ comedy that isn’t farce, but more of a first-person insight into ‘a truth that matters and I'm going to make you feel you don't belong to the world', where you are asked to follow real-ish people in their everyday lives and get a deeper insight into it. Of course, there is a place for all comedy. I’m not knocking it. Comedy is so subjective too. Although, I’m not mad on being ‘educated’, which I feel like I am with this kind of comedy. I’m old enough to know that comedy comes in waves or trends. I am old enough to remember Steptoe and Son. Ahem. 

For me, there is nothing like a bit of pure escapism and unreality when you’re living through a pandemic. Stuff like Friends, Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Black Books, Alan Partridge, The Fast Show, Harry and Paul, French and Saunders, AbFab, where farce or silliness prevails. Or, Butterflies, The Good Life, shows that are gentle when you really need something with no sharp edges. Fawlty Towers is definitely back on my list.