Fawlty Towers: The Germans

Air Date

Friday October 24, 1975

Production Code

Unknown

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  9.5 Superb

  so funny its unreal hide show

  Sybil goes into the hospital for toe surgery, leaving Basil to cope with a fire drill single-handed. Thinking he cant cope she constanly phones up to check on him. So when the real drill happens he sustains a blow to the head and to ends up in hospital but worried abut his hotel he escapes and half consiously runs it not with a fall set of marbles so when some Germans come to stay he trys his best not to mention the war but thats all he talks about:D and then he accidently tells them where they went wrong oh dear!!

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  xkelly123x Added Jan 12, 2007 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  Easily the best ever episode of John Cleese's classically funny and quintessentially British 1975-1979 comedy. hide show

  At the time of the episode's writing, filming and screening, there was still bad feeling between many World War Two veterans and any Germans they happened to meet, so this episode was particularly funny to British audiences, although that's not to say people from other countries wouldn\'t find it hilarious. Except perhaps the Germans themselves. The iconic "funny walk" that John Cleese, as crazed hotelier Basil Fawlty, executes has gone down in pop culture history, along with his food order mix-up of "prawn Goebbels" and his defiant reply to an angry German customer who wants him to stop referring to WWII -
  GERMAN: Will you just stop talking about the war?!
  BASIL: Well you started it!
  GERMAN: We did not start it!
  BASIL: Yes you did, you invaded Poland! Such an excellent episode as it is, it makes me proud to be British.

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  mrsstevenhyde Added Dec 6, 2006 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  Germans Invade Fawlty Towers. hide show

  Of all the "Fawlty towers" episodes that I love, the one episode "The Germans" is the episode I most fondly remember of the series. the series was well-written and well-acted. In between the fire drills and the visiting Germans, there's not a moment of quite in the show. I couldn't stop laughting. It was a riot. I can't believe the things they done in this episode. The best moment is the arguement between John Cleese and the visiting Germans on who really started World War Two. And the fire drill is whacked. See Cheese inpersonated a German is very funny indeed.

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  GeorgeJobson Added Oct 24, 2006 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  Easily the best Fawlty Towers ever! hide show

  If you want a great example as to why Fawlty Towers is a hilarious comedy, you simply cannot pass The Germans...
  
  This is classic, quite easily the greatest one ever made...It had some many "moments" and great lines I quote from and still find hilarious to this day...
  
  The fire drill was hilarious, with all the miss communication going on when everyone thought that the burglar alarm that went off was really the fire alarm warning them of the fire drill there were supposed to be happening...
  
  It was hilarious to watch Basil struggle to explain to them what was really going on and in the end eventually give up and yell "I don't know why we bother we should let you all burn!" Haha, hilarious stuff...
  
  And the argument he was having with the Germans about the war. How after being told by one of the Germans to stop mentioning the war he says "You started it" and the German replies "We did not" and Basil comes back with that classic line "Yes you did you invaded Poland" that gets me every time...
  
  Any fan of comedy, would love this show and would definetly love this episode...And I would strongly recommend that you watch it whether you're a fan of the show or not...You'll love it!
  
  
  

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  spyder_m Added Jun 1, 2006 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  "Will you stop talking about the war!"
  "You started it!"
  "No we didn't!"
  "Yes you did, you invaded poland!" hide show

  This episode whilst being controvertial is in my opinion the best episode of the series. A pure british comedy gem. While it was a bit of a cheap shot at our european neighbours it touched on a prominant feature of post war resentment. However making jokes out of such things took away from their seriousness and importance. John Cleese is at his prime goose stepping about the place with his freakishly long limbs. The scene with Manuel behind the stuffed moose talking to the major is hilarious as well. The best bit of this episode is when he is taking 'orders' from the germans in the dining room. "Orders please, which must be obeyed at all times!!" Fawlty yells.
  
  Comedy Gold.

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  _Britishbulldog Added May 22, 2006 All my reviews

• Guest Cast

  • Brenda Cowling Sister
  • Louis Mahoney Doctor
  • John Lawrence (IX) Mr Sharp
  • Iris Fry Mrs Sharp
  • Claire Davenport Mrs Wilson
  • Nick Kane German Guest
  • Lisa Bergmayr German Guest
  • Willy Bowman German Guest
  • Dan Gillan German Guest

• Stars

  • John Cleese Basil Fawlty
  • Prunella Scales Sybil Fawlty
  • Brian Hall Terry [ series 2 ]
  • Connie Booth Polly Sherman
  • Andrew Sachs Manuel
  • Gilly Flower Miss Tibbs
More Episode Cast and Crew »

• Louis Mahoney who plays the doctor is the only black person who appears on the show. [edit]
• This is the only episode where Sybil doesn't appear in the hotel. [edit]
• As Basil Fawlty flees the doctor who wants to sedate him, a floor monitor can be seen in the background, complete with the same image that is on the screen. [edit]

• There is no sign for this episode, as the titles are placed on the backdrop of a hospital, this is the only episode that doesn't show the sign at the start. [edit]
• Andrew Sachs (Manuel) actually sustained chemical burns from the scene where Manuel's sleeves caught fire. [edit]

• Basil: I thought there was a dog in here.
  Sister: Oh no, no dogs in here.
  Basil: (Looking at her) I wouldn't bet on it. [edit]
• Manuel: (speaking from beneath the desk so it appears that the moose head is talking)How are you, sir? I can speak English. (rising) Ah, hello Major, how are you today? (disappears beneath desk)
  Major: (shocked)W-w-w-w-w-w, I-I-I-I I'm fine, thank you.
  Manuel: It's a beautiful day today!
  Major: Is it? Oh, yes yes, I suppose it is.
  Manuel: Yes. I can speak English. I learned it from a book.
  Major: Did you? Did you really? [edit]
• (after explaining to everyone about the fire drill moments away)
  
  Basil: Splendid, we will have the fire drill which will commence in exactly 30 seconds from now. Thank you.
  
  (Everyone stands still)
  
  Basil: What are you doing? Are you just going to stand there?
  
  Mr. Sharp: Well, what do you suggest?
  
  Basil: Well, couldn't a few of you go into the bar or dining room... I mean, use your imagination?
  
  Mr. Sharp: Why?
  
  Basil: This is supposed to be a fire drill.
  
  Mr. Sharp: There's only a few seconds.
  
  Basil: ...Right. Well, obviously if there was a fire you would all be standing down here like this, right here in the lobby. Wouldn't you? I don't know why we bother. We should let you all burn. [edit]

• Basil: "we're all part of the continent now"
  Basil is referring to the EC (precursor to the EU). Throughout the 60s the UK was kept out of the EEC/EC by the French president but political circumstances allowed it to join in 1973. In June, 1975, just a few months
  before this episode, a UK referendum was held approving the membership 2-1. Basil references this by saying he was against it, but it's all done now. [edit]