Communication Problems

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"Communication Problems" is the first episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers and the seventh episode overall. It is also known as '"Mrs Richards".

On 2 December 2016, the episode was repeated on BBC One in memory of cast member Andrew Sachs.^[1]

Plot[]

During a busy afternoon at the hotel, Polly (Connie Booth) is rudely interrupted by the elderly Mrs. Richards (Joan Sanderson) while dealing with another guest. Mrs. Richards is hard-of-hearing, yet she refuses to turn on her hearing aid, stating that it runs the battery down. She is very unsatisfied with many aspects of her room, claiming that the bath is too small, the view that she had requested is not good enough, and the radio does not work (it does, she just cannot hear it). Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) is immediately annoyed with Mrs. Richard's constant complaints and often speaks quietly so she won't hear his sarcastic jabs. After Mrs. Richards demands a reduction, he tells her that his wife, Sybil Fawlty, (Prunella Scales) handles all such matters.

Meanwhile, Basil takes a tip on a racing horse from another guest and has Manuel (Andrew Sachs) place a bet for him. Later, the horse, "Dragonfly," wins and Manuel returns with the winnings: £75. He gives the money to Polly for her to give to Mr. Fawlty later without Sybil's knowledge because she does not approve of Basil's betting. Mrs. Richards claims to have had £85 stolen from her room. Having seen Polly counting Basil's horse winnings in the office earlier, Sybil questions Polly, asking her where she got the money from. Polly covers for Basil, saying that she placed the bet on the horse. To confirm the story, Sybil asks what the name of the horse was. Basil mimes behind Sybil until Polly correctly identifies "Dragonfly." Then, in order to hide the money from Sybil, Basil asks the Major to hold on to the money for him for the night.

The next day, Basil goes to the Major to get his money back but the elderly Major cannot remember the events from the previous night. Eventually, he finds the money in his jacket pocket, and in front of Sybil and Mrs. Richards, announces that he had found the money. They mistakenly believe it to be Mrs. Richards' missing £85, but it is £10 short because it is Basil's £75. While Sybil checks the rooms for the remaining money, Basil attempts to convince Mrs. Richards that it was his money that the Major found, but he is unsuccessful because the Major cannot remember and Manuel had been sworn to secrecy by Basil earlier (an agreement that Manuel takes too literally). Basil sobs as Sybil forces him to give Mrs. Richards the remaining £10 from the till. Then, while Mrs. Richards is in the dining room, a delivery man enters with a vase that Mrs. Richards had bought the day before. He also has £95 with him in a glove, stating that Mrs. Richards had left it behind when she bought the vase. Overjoyed, Basil takes the money and happily hands Mrs. Richards the £10 and her vase, but he is caught by Sybil with the extra money. Polly again covers for Basil saying that she asked Basil to place "her" horse winnings in the safe for her. At which point, the Major returns and exclaims that he remembers the money from the night before, giving away to Sybil that Basil had bet it on the horse. Sybil snatches the money from Basil, startling him and causing him to drop and break Mrs. Richards' vase. Mrs. Richards angrily mentions that the vase cost £75, and Sybil begins counting notes to pay her back.

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
• Bill Bradley as Mr Mackintosh
• Robert Lankesheer as Mr Thurston
• George Lee as the delivery man
• Mervyn Pascoe as Mr Yardley
• Johnny Shannon as Mr Firkin

Production[]

Interior scenes of this episode were recorded on 21 January 1979, in Studio TC1 of the BBC Television Centre, before a live audience.^[2]

References[]

Further reading[]

• Fawlty Towers: A Worshipper's Companion, Leo Publishing, ISBN 91-973661-8-8
• The Complete Fawlty Towers by John Cleese & Connie Booth (1988, Methuen, London) ISBN 0-413-18390-4 (the complete text)

External links[]

• "Communication Problems" at BBC Online
• "Communication Problems" at IMDb