Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All

The Sunday Times bestselling 50th anniversary celebration of the nation's beloved sitcom

By: John Cleese

Narrated by: Adam Jackson-Smith

At last, here is the ultimate celebration of the nation's beloved sitcom from its legendary creator, John Cleese. Enjoy the behind-the-scenes magic, with stunning on-set photographs from the archives ... and a laugh a page!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A joy and an education to read. So many memories flooding back. Great stuff.' Goodreads review
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Amazing detail ... a superb book on my favourite comedy series' Goodreads review
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'So special and had me laughing ... a fantastic book' Goodreads review
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Wonderful book with lots of insight' Goodreads review

Duck surprise. The car that wouldn't start. The psychiatrists. Those builders... Readers say Fawlts and All is 'guaranteed to make you smile' and 'a must for all fans'!

Fifty years ago Fawlty Towers hit British TV screens for the first time, becoming an instant classic. Now for the first time John Cleese tells his stories from behind the scenes of his favourite moments. From writing scripts that were so carefully planned they were double the length of similar shows', to casting, lighting, how the show was almost cancelled before it started, and other production shenanigans, these are your favourite moments from Fawlty Towers as you've never seen them before. Exploring the how and why of creating classic comedy, there is a laugh on every page, and a dose of nostalgia for vintage TV fans. With gorgeous commissioned illustration and archival imagery, the book revisits such iconic scenes as Basil thrashing his car, a rat appearing in a box of cheese biscuits, and Basil goose-stepping across the dining room to an audience of horrified guests.

Written by and starring Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth, the first series of Fawlty Towers aired in 1975, with a second series broadcast in 1979. It featured Cleese as the irascible hotel manager Basil Fawlty, Prunella Scales as his sybaritic wife Sybil, Andrew Sachs as the hapless waiter Manuel, and Booth as Polly, an efficient waitress and art student. It won three BAFTAS and, despite having only 12 episodes in total, continues to be regularly voted the best sit-com in British history.

Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All was a top 10 Sunday Times bestseller in Hardback Non-Fiction, weeks ending 8th and 15th November 2025.©2025 John Cleese

A must-have for fans

Fans of Fawlty Towers will love it, though I wish John Cleese had narrated it. Still, Adam is quite good with different accents. While I wish more information was revealed about the show, we do get plenty of excellent behind the scenes bits.

For Fawlty Towers fans

I enjoyed this book but wish it went a little more in depth on the creation and production of Fawlty Towers. What information Cleese provides is interesting and informative.

Nothing against Adam Jackson-Smith, who does an excellent job, but it would have added another dimension to have John Cleese narrate the audiobook.

I suspect the print edition with the photos and illustrations maybe the better option. Either way, it’s worth a listen if you’re a fan of the series.

A fan will love this

I really enjoyed the book. I would love to have heard Cleese read it himself, but alas, a very good reader in Mr. Jackson-Smith. There were a lot of little interesting tidbits, but it did get a bit tedious reading every actor's credited and not for every episode. I am now rewatching the episodes and enjoying more knowing a bit of the behind the scenes. At points the book gets a little dry and felt like info was put in to stretch the length. Mr. Cleese is definitely opinionated, but he's a comedy legend, he has a right. So, in many ways I learned a lot and ultimately enjoyed the book. Glad to have read it.