There is no such thing as a bad episode of 'Fawlty Towers', but I rate 'The Anniversary' as my least favourite. I do not quite know why. Possibly because there's not much of Prunella Scales in it, or that Manuel spends half the episode rowing with Terry the chef ( Brian Hall ). Maybe it is just that the others are better.
It is Basil and Sybil's fifteenth wedding anniversary. He pretends to have forgotten it, which makes her mad. In fact he is planning a surprise party. But, before the guests can arrive, Sybil storms out and heads for town. First to arrive is Roger ( the late Ken Campbell ) and his wife Alice ( winsome Una Stubbs ). Basil pretends Sybil is ill ( "Syb ill?" ) and in bed. As the others arrive, his lies escalate. Eventually, it reaches the point where he has to ask Polly to dress as Sybil and lie in a dark bedroom. She does not want to do this, but blackmails Basil into promising to help her secure a loan with which to buy a car. The deception works ( just ). Then Sybil returns...
Quite a few sitcoms have down the years done plots about people forgetting birthdays or anniversaries or whatever, and it is a little disappointing to find one here. Why oh why does not Basil simply tell his guests that Sybil has gone to town and will be back later, instead of going into the whole ridiculous charade seen here? Worse, Manuel's argument with Terry over who is to cook Paella that evening is like something out of 'Robin's Nest'. If Manuel is going to fight with anyone, it should be Basil.
Brilliant performance by Ken Campbell as the wonderfully sarcastic Roger. He even manages to upstage Cleese at times. Campbell was later the garrulous neighbour 'Fred Johnson' in 'In Sickness & In Health'. Una Stubbs' character 'Alice' is a contrast to her sparky 'Rita' from 'Till Death Us Do Part'.
Funniest moment - the guests gathered on the landing, Basil tries to buy Polly time to get ready by passing round dishes of nuts and crisps. He drops the nuts, dashes off to fetch what Roger calls a 'Basil Brush', and, on returning, steps in the crisps, and falls over. Cue for a wonderful comment from Roger: "What time is the main feature?".
13 out of 17 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink