Communication Problems

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Fawlty Towers episode
“Communication Problems”
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 1
Guest star(s)	Joan Sanderson
Writer(s)	John Cleese & Connie Booth
Director	Bob Spiers
Production no.
Original airdate	19 February 1979
Episode chronology
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List of Fawlty Towers episodes

"Communication Problems" is the first episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.

1 Synopsis
2 Cast
3 Plot
4 Trivia

[edit] Synopsis

Selectively deaf Mrs. Alice Richards, a woman with the power to annoy everyone and anyone, has chosen to stay at Fawlty Towers, to the dismay of Basil who fails to cope with her repeated phrase "What?". When she loses some money she makes everyone's life hell until it turns up ... or is it hers?

[edit] Cast

Episode Credited cast:

John Cleese as Basil Fawlty
Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty
Joan Sanderson as Mrs. Alice Richards
Andrew Sachs as Manuel
Connie Booth as Polly Sherman
Ballard Berkeley as Major Gowen
Brian Hall as Terry the Chef
Gilly Flower as Miss Abitha Tibbs
Renee Roberts as Miss Ursula Gatsby

With:

Bill Bradley as Mr. Mackintosh
Robert Lankesheer as Mr. Thurston
George Lee as Mr. Kerr
Mervyn Pascoe as Mr. Yardley
Johnny Shannon as Mr. Firkins

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Mrs. Richards, an abrasive and deaf older lady, arrives at the hotel and starts arguing with Polly about who is being served first. Polly asks Manuel to assist Mrs. Richards, she is misled by Manuel's poor grasp of English and ends up believing that the hotel manager is a man named C.K. Watt, aged forty.

Major Gowen exclaims to Basil that it's St. George's Day, who comes up with a new insulting name for his wife suggesting she resembles a dragon. After a satisfied customer gives Basil a tip on a horse in the 3.00 at Exeter named Dragonfly, he tells Manuel to put money on for him when he goes into town. However Manuel is not to breathe a word to Sybil, who has banned Basil from gambling.

Mrs. Richards meanwhile complains to Basil that the room is cold, her radio doesn't work, her bath is too small and the view is invisible. The radio clearly works but she had not realised because of her deafness. She demands a reduction in her room rate but Basil tells her that his wife handles such issues.

Manuel returns with Basil's winnings of 75 pounds and gives them to Polly because he can't find Basil. She has another encounter with Mrs. Richards, who requests lavatory paper for her room. Polly is under the presumption that she meant writing paper, and Mrs. Richards becomes convinced Polly is being rude because she states that they keep the paper in the lounge. Basil arrives and sorts out the situation, and collects his winnings from Polly.

Mrs. Richards announces that she has had 85 pounds stolen from her room. Sybil, who saw Polly counting Basil's money in the office, presumes that she has found it. So as not to give away Basil's gambling, Polly says she herself won it on the horse. When Sybil asks the horse's name, she cannot remember and Basil desperately gestures behind Sybil's back to illustrate the name. After several false starts she remembers that it is Dragonfly. Sybil is still somewhat suspicious so Basil gives Major Gowen the money to look after for safe keeping.

Next morning, Basil asks the major for the money but he has forgotten that Basil gave it to him. Eventually he produces it, and Sybil believes the money is that which Mrs. Richards lost or had stolen. Seeing his winnings being given to the obnoxious guest, Basil becomes very agitated. Although it is ten pounds short Mrs. Richards is convinced it is hers. Basil tries to persuade her otherwise, but is hindered by the major and by Manuel, who states (as Basil previously asked him to) "I know nothing". Basil makes up the missing ten pounds from the till.

However it seems good luck is just around the corner for Basil. A man delivers a vase to the hotel for Mrs. Richards, and also produces 95 pounds in a glove which she left behind in the shop. Basil realises that he is ten pounds up on the deal. When Sybil sees Basil with the money, she quizzes him and Polly chimes in that it is hers. Basil adds that he is putting it in the safe for her.

Just as it seems that Basil has got away with his gambling exploits, regained his winnings and has an extra ten pounds, Major Gowen blurts out that he has remembered that Basil won the money on the horses. Sybil confiscates the money, Basil drops Mrs. Richards' vase in shock, and the episode closes with Sybil repaying Mrs. Richards the 75 pound cost of the vase with the money Basil had won.

[edit] Trivia

The episode "Communication Problems" has three of John Cleese's "wives". Connie Booth was his wife in real life, Prunella Scales played his wife in this show, and Joan Sanderson (Mrs. Richards) played his wife in The Great Muppet Caper.
This episode marks the first appearance of Terry the chef (played by Brian Hall), he is the only new regular character in the last series.
Last appearance of George Lee - the only non-regular actor to play the same character twice, he appears as the delivery man: Mr Kerr.
When Sybil throws coffee at Basil, some accidentally lands on the Major, however in the next shot, Ballard Berkeley has a dry suit, showing the continuity error that a break in filming was needed to clean him up.
This episode was issued on an audio LP under the title "Mrs. Richards".

Fawlty Towers

Characters: