WATCH: Andrew Sachs’s 5 Best ‘Fawlty Towers’ Moments
Image by Getty
By Jeffrey Boxer December 2, 2016
“Fawlty Towers” star Andrew Sachs, a German-born British actor who fled the Nazis in 1938, died last week.
The 86-year-old was best known for his role as Manuel, a bumbling Spanish waiter who drove star John Cleese (of Monty Python fame) crazy.
The show ran for just 12 episodes, but it was still ranked No. 1 by the British Film Institute on a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes.
In honor of Sachs, here are five of our favorite Manuel moments from “Fawlty Towers.”
1. “I know nothing.”
After “¿Que?” This declaration became Manuel’s most famous catchphrase. It occurred in the first episode of Series 2, which was aptly named “Communication Problems.”
.
2. “There is too much butter on those trays.”
“No, sir, not ‘on, those, trays.’ Uno, dos, tres.”
.
3. A Biscuit With Your Rat?
This scene from the series finale is perhaps the most famous “Fawlty Towers” clip. Manuel is conned into purchasing a pet rat, believing it to be a Siberian hamster. When the rat escapes, chaos ensues.
.
Image by Getty
4. Manuel Practices His English
In which a talking moose head gets the better of hotel resident Major Gowen (Ballard Berkeley).
.
5. Building Blunders
When a door is plastered over, Basil uses Manuel to break it down.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
