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Basil the Rat
Season 2, Episode 6
Manuel's pet rat escapes just as a health inspector is about to pay a fact-finding visit, sending Basil on a mad dash to track it down before disaster ensues. Madcap comedy, starring John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs
subtitles
16x9
audio-description
Movie/Drama
Sitcom
Cast & Crew
John Cleese
(Actor)
.. Basil Fawlty
Prunella Scales
(Actor)
.. Sybil Fawlty
Andrew Sachs
(Actor)
.. Manuel
Connie Booth
(Actor)
.. Polly
John Quarmby
(Actor)
.. Mr Carnegie
Ballard Berkeley
(Actor)
.. The Major
Brian Hall
(Actor)
.. Terry
David Neville
(Actor)
.. Ronald
Sabina Franklyn
(Actor)
.. Quentina
James Taylor
(Actor)
.. Mr Taylor
Melody Lang
(Actor)
.. Mrs Taylor
Bob Spiers
(Director)
More Information
Did You Know..
John Cleese
(Actor)
.. Basil Fawlty
Born:
October 27, 1939
in
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Best Known For:
Monty Python and Fawlty Towers.
Early-life:
Born John Marwood Cleese on October 27, 1939, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, the son of an insurance salesman who had changed the family name from Cheese. At school, Cleese was captain of the cricket team, but by the age of 13, his interest in comedy had developed and he kept a notebook of jokes. In 1960, he began studying law at Cambridge and joined the famous Footlights entertainment troupe, where he met Graham Chapman.
Career:
Cleese's showbiz break came with The Frost Report. By 1969, he and Chapman were working alongside Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam on Monty Python's Flying Circus, which made them household names. He left the group in 1972, although they reunited for several films. In 1975, Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth wrote and starred in Fawlty Towers, which was a worldwide hit. Projects since include A Fish Called Wanda, which he co-wrote, two Bond movies, and two Harry Potter films. He has also appeared in 3rd Rock from the Sun and Will & Grace. His stand-up show, The Alimony Tour, proved hugely popular in 2010; his most recent film, God Loves Caviar, was released in 2012.
Quote:
"My mum died at the age of 101, and just towards the end, as she began to run out of energy, she did actually stop trying to tell me what to do most of the time."
Trivia:
He published his autobiography, So, Anyway, in 2014.
Prunella Scales
(Actor)
.. Sybil Fawlty
Born:
June 22, 1932
in
Sutton Abinger, Surrey
Quote:
"I remember an American producer coming up to me and saying: 'You're a wonderful actress. Now what are we going to do about your face?'"
Best Known For:
Playing Sybil in Fawlty Towers.
Early-life:
Born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth on June 22, 1932, in Sutton Arbinger, Surrey. Her mother, Catherine Scales, was an actress, and her father John was a cotton salesman. When the Second World War broke out, her parents rented a farmhouse with no gas or electricity in Suffolk to escape the bombing. As a child, Prunella was shy, but discovered her passion for acting in her teens. She began training at the Old Vic Theatre School at 17, before going on to study at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York.
Career:
Following stints in repertory theatre, Scales joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and also appeared in the films Laxdale Hall and Hobson's Choice. In 1963, she starred with Richard Briers in the sitcom Marriage Lines, but didn't become a household name until 1975, when she was cast as the fearsome Sybil in Fawlty Towers. Since then, she has worked regularly in theatre, film and TV. In 1992, she was nominated for a Bafta for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the Alan Bennett drama A Question of Attribution, and was awarded the OBE in the same year. Other projects include Howards End (alongside son Samuel), The Shell Seekers, An Ideal Husband and Horrid Henry: The Movie.
Trivia:
Scales married actor Timothy West in 1963. They have two sons - Samuel and Joseph. She and West embarked on a narrowboating holiday to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary - their jaunt was filmed and turned into a documentary series for More4. During the making of the programme, it was revealed she has a mild form of Alzheimer's.
Andrew Sachs
(Actor)
.. Manuel
Connie Booth
(Actor)
.. Polly
John Quarmby
(Actor)
.. Mr Carnegie
Ballard Berkeley
(Actor)
.. The Major
Brian Hall
(Actor)
.. Terry
David Neville
(Actor)
.. Ronald
Sabina Franklyn
(Actor)
.. Quentina
James Taylor
(Actor)
.. Mr Taylor
Melody Lang
(Actor)
.. Mrs Taylor
Bob Spiers
(Director)
