Basil and Sybil Fawlty were based on Donald and Beatrice Sinclair, genuine hoteliers who ran the 41-bed Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay where
John Cleese stayed whilst filming on location in early May 1970 with the
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) team. Mr Sinclair's irascible antics included: berating
Terry Gilliam for eating his meals in "too American" a way (ie. with knife and fork in the 'wrong' hands); throwing
Eric Idle's briefcase over a wall because of a "bomb scare" (the scare was that Idle left the briefcase in the reception area); disbelief at
Michael Palin asking to pre-book the Gleneagles TV to catch a show; after
Graham Chapman requested an omelette made with three eggs, Sinclair brought him an omelet with three fried eggs perched on top (and refused to serve him a brandy); when asked by Cleese to call for a taxi, he argued with Cleese and took his time calling for the cab. Mrs Sinclair later complained that the sit-com had been unfair to her husband, and she described John Cleese as an "utter fool" who had "made millions out of our unhappiness". The Gleneagles Hotel, under new ownership, ran Fawlty Towers weekends once a month where guests were looked after by actors who play the part of Basil, Sybil and Manuel. Opened in 1963, it closed permanently in February 2015, and is to be demolished with retirement apartments built on the site. Cleese later used the name "Donald P. Sinclair" for his eccentric billionaire character in the movie
Rat Race (2001).
