How to watch Fawlty Towers: is John Cleese comedy online - and how many episodes are there in original series?

John Cleese’s iconic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers is being rebooted - this is how to watch the original show
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John Cleese has signed up to make another series of his classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers with an American production company, it was revealed this week. The original series saw Cleese star as Basil Fawlty, a misanthropic hotelier who frequently found himself in embarrassing situations.

Other original cast members - Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Prunella Scales, and Ballard Berkeley have since passed away or retired from acting - but Cleese will reprise his role in the series revival.

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He will be joined by his daughter, Camilla Cleese, who has previously worked alongside her father, writing material for his 2011 stand-up tour and featuring with him in the 2022 comedy film Daddy Day Trip.

News of the sitcom’s revival will be music to the ears of many fans of the show, as it has been more than 40 years since the series finale first aired. For those who want to rewatch Fawlty Towers, this is everything you need to know about the show’s original run, and where it is available online.

How many episodes are there in Fawlty Towers?

There are two seasons in the original run of Fawlty Towers - each season had six 30 minute episodes each. The first series aired in the UK on BBC Two from September to October 1975 in weekly instalments.

Fawlty Towers will return more than 40 years after the sitcom first endedFawlty Towers will return more than 40 years after the sitcom first ended
Fawlty Towers will return more than 40 years after the sitcom first ended

The second season began airing in February 1979 - due to strike action at the BBC there was a delay in production of the final episode and it did not air until late October of that year. Despite the show’s popularity, Cleese refused to make another season, claiming that it could not live up to expectations.

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Cleese’s decision, seemingly reversed more than 40 years later, saw the sitcom go down in history as one of the best British comedy shows of all time. Ricky Gervais followed suit decades later when he refused to make a third season to his shows The Office, and Extras, citing Fawlty Towers as inspiration behind his decision.

It has now been confirmed that a revival of the show is in development and will star John Cleese and his daughter Camilla. It is not known how many episodes will be in the new series.

Is Fawlty Towers available online?

Previously, the entire series has been available to watch on BBC iPlayer, UKTV Play, BritBox, Netflix and Amazon Prime - however it is currently unavailable to stream on all of these platforms.

UKTV sparked controversy in 2020 when the platform removed one episode of the series, The Germans, which first aired in 1975. The episode was removed from UKTV and other streaming services due to it featuring racial slurs offensive to Black and German people.

A still from Fawlty Towers episode ‘The Germans’ which was removed from several streaming platforms in 2020 A still from Fawlty Towers episode ‘The Germans’ which was removed from several streaming platforms in 2020
A still from Fawlty Towers episode ‘The Germans’ which was removed from several streaming platforms in 2020
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All episodes of Fawlty Towers season one and two, including The Germans, are currently available to watch on video sharing platform Dailymotion. It is likely that when the series revival which was announced this month airs, the original series will be made available on more streaming platforms in the UK.

The series is rarely repeated on terrestrial TV in the UK. A special series of short videos of comedians’ favourite episodes of the series, and interviews with the cast are available to watch now on Gold online. In the US, all episodes are currently available to buy on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video.

When is the Fawlty Towers reboot on TV?

The Fawlty Towers reboot was announced by Castle Rock Entertainment this month. The production company is owned by Warner Bros but it is not yet known what channel and/or streaming service the new series will be available on in the UK. The release date of the series is currently unknown.

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