Nostalgic laughs and cackles – The Faulty Towers dining experience

When DVDs were still a thing, every German in the UK would end up with the twelve episodes of the 1970s TV comedy Fawlty Towers at some point on their birthday table, under the Christmas tree or as their Secret Santa gift – mainly because of that one admittedly very funny line the choleric hotel owner Basil Fawlty (played by Monty Pythoneer John Cleese) insults his German guests after having pledged to his staff and his wife Sybil not to mention the war. Natives of this island borrowed my DVD set mostly. In the era of streaming that very episode has been removed because other lines have  not aged so well, but there is no doubt that the absolute majority of the two seasons is timelessly funny situation comedy about a hotel owner who hates his guests, his spouse and staff, convinced that his life would be better without them all. The dining experience inspired by this cult classic series was recommended to me plenty of times over the last years, with friends having been more than once to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, often cross-generational -and already on arrival, this visit feels like a big tick off the London bucket list in a very satisfactory sense.

The restaurant staff is carefully double-checking allergies and other dietary requirements which is highly appreciated. Coats can be checked-in but its wise to keep your credit card close-by – the bar is cashless and all drinks have to be purchased in advance and taken to your table once you are told where you sit. A glass of prosecco and a pint of pilsener works well for us but others on our table (laid out for ten) opt for a full bottle of bubbly in a cooler. Others for two. Ahh, the seating plan: With the entrance of Basil and Sybil Fawlty (tonight played by Lawrence Watling and Nerine Skinner) the coordination of seating arrangements the show starts, helped by their Spanish waiter Manuel (played by Leigh Kelly) – a very funny warm-up at the costs of some guests’ surnames, outfits, birthday badges and companion constellations.

We sit with the back to the windows leading to Guildford Street which is a safe choice for a good view of all the chaos evolving, as well as the reduction of risk to be picked on. Basil Fawlty and Manuel serve Kaiser rolls (you better practice your catching skills) and distribute portions of butter and chopped parsley with both enthusiasm and reluctance while Sybil checks the general satisfaction of her guests: The trio is a cracking good laugh from start to finish, combining improvised situational comedy and classic lines which also work for guests not having seen a single episode of Fawlty Towers. The ones who have (most of us) agree that if you love the series, you will enjoy this show – and it makes as well a fabulous present for those involved with fire drills, healthy inspectors and hamster breeding.

Having expected (or rather feared) more jokes about vegetarians, the show is surrounding zeitgeisty culinary highlights of the late 1970s cuisine – sometimes in goosesteps, sometimes under table cloths and amongst visitors’ legs. But its all delicious, be assured.

Beating the queues at the main entrance, Russell Square is my Tube Station for any visit to the British Museum. Apparently, in 1963, the President Hotel hosting tonight’s chaos became the first London residence of The Beatles and is honouring this with many photos and artworks. Around the corner lived Suffragette founder Emmeline Pankhurst. Just opposite my cousin’s class of 16 year olds stayed during their London class trip in the Celtic Hotel and were led by me for two hours through the area. Next to it stands the much more glamourous Russell Hotel (mentioned in Cats), where I once had afternoon tea back in the days when locals were still embarrassed about tourists taking pictures of hotel lobbies (sorry, Mama, you were ahead of your time) but it goes by another name nowadays. Tonight’s trip has been a fabulous reminder of many, many memories in London and beyond, and even more laughs of the past. The Germans on our table recognised each other by their cackles following the insult of “continental cretin” – yes, we are allowed to laugh about that when no one else dared. We all need to get out more and laugh much, much more.

***** out of 5 stars

Devised by Alison Pollard-Mansergh, Andrew Foreman and others, Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is a tribute to the TV series Fawlty Towers: Faulty Towers The Dining Experience uses scripts and a dining experience format devised by Imagination Workshop Pty Limited and is not endorsed in any way by the show’s creators.  

Currently booking until the end of 2025, tickets from £68.50 per person