Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales dies aged 93

[muriel_volestrangler]

Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died aged 93, her family have confirmed.

Scales was best known for playing hotel manager Sybil Fawlty, the long-suffering and domineering wife of Basil - played by John Cleese - in the classic British sitcom.

The actress died "peacefully at home in London yesterday", her sons Samuel and Joseph said.
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Scales also went on to receive a Bafta nomination for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett's 1991 televised play, A Question of Attribution.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjd0yn5gyndo

She also did a lot in the theatre - see The Guardian's appreciation: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/oct/28/prunella-scales-was-a-queen-of-comedy-with-a-passion-for-classical-theatre

But it's Fawlty Towers - often seen as the best sitcom ever in Britain - for which she's universally known. John Cleese paid tribute, saying "Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect" and "She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her."