Basil Fawlty
Encyclopedia
Basil Fawlty is the main character of the British
sitcom Fawlty Towers
, played by John Cleese
. The character is often thought of as an iconic British comedy character, and has been deemed unforgettable despite only a dozen half-hour episodes ever being made.
hotellier Basil is a snob
bish, miser
ly, xenophobic and sexually repressed paranoia
c misanthrope
who is desperate to belong to a higher social class. He sees the successful running of the hotel as a means of achieving this ("turn it into an establishment of class..."), yet his job requires him to be pleasant to people he despises or aspires to be above socially. His unstoppable wife Sybil
will often get in the way of Basil's treatment towards the guests, often trying to bridge the peace, or pick up the pieces, to quite limited success.
According to Manuel in "Communication Problems
" Basil is from Swanage
.
Basil has strong socially conservative
views regarding almost everything he comes across. This is especially apparent in "The Wedding Party
", when he shows open disgust towards a young unmarried couple with an active sex life.
He is terrified of his wife's sharp tongue, but wishes to stand up to her, and his plans often conflict with hers. She is often verbally abusive towards him (describing him as "an ageing, brilliantine
d stick insect
") and though he is much taller than Sybil, he often finds himself on the receiving end of her temper, expressed verbally or physically. Basil usually turns to Manuel
or Polly to help him with whatever scheme he has planned, while trying his best to prevent Sybil from finding out, and as such he gained a reputation as an unabashed prevaricator.
Basil takes many of his frustrations out on the hapless Manuel
, physically abusing him in a variety of ways. On occasions he also assaults others, such as strangling the guest Mr. Hutchinson in "The Hotel Inspectors
", kneeing Major Gowen
in "Basil the Rat
", and even—most famously—striking his "vicious bastard" of a car in "Gourmet Night
" with a tree branch when it refuses to move. "The Germans
" is the sixth episode. It is best remembered for its line "Don't mention the war" and Cleese's "funny walk" when he is impersonating Adolf Hitler
.
Another eccentricity affecting Basil is that of occasionally swapping words around in a sentence while propounding a falsehood, for instance in "The Anniversary
" when he announces to the party guests that it's "perfectly Sybil! Simple's not well. She's lost her throat and her voice hurts", and – less obviously – reassuring himself as much as his wife in "The Wedding Party
" that the sound of knocking on his bedroom door was "probably some key who forgot the guest for their door". He also has difficulty disconnecting his thought-process from unrelated events, as in "The Wedding Party
", when he is looking through Polly's sketchbook of life-drawing pictures and answers the telephone with, "Hello, Fawlty Titties?" or in "The Psychiatrist
", where, after inadvertently staining the chest area of a female guest with paint, he realises that Sybil has noticed, but then in confusion puts his hands all over the woman's breasts as a means of stopping her from seeing it.
Basil is known to have served in the British Army
during the Korean War
, possibly as part of his National Service
. He claims: "I fought in the Korean War, you know, I killed four men" to which his wife jokingly replies "he was in the Catering Corps
; he used to poison them". He is often seen wearing a military tie and a military-type moustache. Fawlty also claims to have sustained a shrapnel injury to his leg in the Korean War, which has a tendency to flare up at convenient moments - usually when Sybil asks him an awkward question.
John Cleese himself described Basil as thinking that he could run a first-rate hotel if he didn't have all the guests getting in the way. He has also made the point that on account of Basil's inner need to conflict with his wife's wishes, "Basil couldn't be Basil if he didn't have Sybil".
Basil seems to have an attachment to any upper-class guests visiting, such as Lord Melbury, Mrs Peignoir (a wealthy French antique dealer) and Major Gowen, a recurring war veteran, although Basil is sometimes scalding towards him, frequently alluding to his senility and his attachment to the bar ("drunken old sod"). He has particular respect for doctors, having aspired to be one himself (though Sybil says that he couldn't even have been a tree surgeon: couldn't stand the sight of sap), and shows a reverential attitude to Dr. & Dr. Abbott in "The Psychiatrist
" (until he learns that Dr. Abbott is a psychiatrist), and Dr. Price in "The Kipper and the Corpse
" (until Dr. Price begins to ask awkward questions about the death of Mr. Leeman, and inconveniently requests sausages for breakfast).
Basil is constantly maniacally depressed, intimidating towards guests, and liable to pick up a tail-end of a situation and turning it into a farcical misunderstanding. Basil is known for his tight-fisted mannerisms, employing incompetent builder O'Reilly in "The Builders
" because he was cheap.
Basil has been married to Sybil for fifteen years, as stated in the episode "The Anniversary
". He very rarely shows any signs of real love for his long-suffering wife ("my little piranha
-fish" is one of the kindest epithets he bestows on her), and vice-versa. Sybil's friend Audrey — who is, with exception to "The Anniversary", an unseen character
— will often be the only support she gets. Ironically, "The Anniversary" was one of the few episodes in which Basil was the one trying to be nice, and Sybil was the one who had misread the situation (i.e., thinking he had forgotten what day it was).
John Cleese reprised the role of Basil in the song "Don't Mention the War", based on the situation in the episode "The Germans
", for the 2006 Germany FIFA World Cup. This same phrase, "Don't Mention the War", was used as the title of the first episode of a 5-part BBC documentary series When Rover Met BMW
.
team's stay in the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay
. Cleese and Booth stayed on at the hotel after filming for the Python show had finished. The owner, Mr. Donald Sinclair
, was very rude, throwing a bus timetable at a guest who asked when the next bus to town would arrive and placing Eric Idle
's suitcase behind a wall in the garden in case it contained a bomb (actually it contained a ticking alarm clock). He also criticised the American-born Terry Gilliam
's table manners for being too American (he had the fork in the "wrong" hand while eating), and it is reasonable to assume that his treatment of Gilliam partially inspired Basil's treatment of an American visitor in the episode "Waldorf Salad
". Cleese used the name "Donald Sinclair" for his character in the 2001 film Rat Race. In the episode "The Builders
", Fawlty refers to a local hotel or restaurant called "Gleneagles" while talking to Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibbs. The name 'Basil' comes from Basil Street, where Cleese lived for some time.
fantasy
series Redwall
, an extremely sarcastic and imprudent anthropomorphic hare
, "Basil Stag Hare", makes an appearance. He is somewhat aristocratic
, and an
ex-serviceman, who sometimes makes reference to his "honourable war wound". A running gag is his 'Officer and a Gentleman' way and his "tally ho!" slang. Author Brian Jacques
claims to have based his name and character on Basil Fawlty.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
, played by John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
. The character is often thought of as an iconic British comedy character, and has been deemed unforgettable despite only a dozen half-hour episodes ever being made.
Personality
TorquayTorquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
hotellier Basil is a snob
Snob
A snob is someone who believes that some people are inherently inferior to him or her for any one of a variety of reasons, including real or supposed intellect, wealth, education, ancestry, taste, beauty, nationality, et cetera. Often, the form of snobbery reflects the snob's personal attributes...
bish, miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
ly, xenophobic and sexually repressed paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
c misanthrope
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
who is desperate to belong to a higher social class. He sees the successful running of the hotel as a means of achieving this ("turn it into an establishment of class..."), yet his job requires him to be pleasant to people he despises or aspires to be above socially. His unstoppable wife Sybil
Sybil Fawlty
Sybil Fawlty is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. She is played by Prunella Scales. Her age is listed as 34 years old as seen on her medical chart in the 1975 episode "The Germans", thus presumably indicating that she was born in 1941...
will often get in the way of Basil's treatment towards the guests, often trying to bridge the peace, or pick up the pieces, to quite limited success.
According to Manuel in "Communication Problems
Communication Problems
"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".-Cast:Episode Credited cast:*John Cleese as Basil Fawlty...
" Basil is from Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
.
Basil has strong socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
views regarding almost everything he comes across. This is especially apparent in "The Wedding Party
The Wedding Party
"The Wedding Party" is the third episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Basil is disgusted when two young lovers, Alan and Jean, begin 'hanky-pankying' under his very nose while checking in. He becomes convinced that they and two other guests are engaged in group sexual misbehaviour,...
", when he shows open disgust towards a young unmarried couple with an active sex life.
He is terrified of his wife's sharp tongue, but wishes to stand up to her, and his plans often conflict with hers. She is often verbally abusive towards him (describing him as "an ageing, brilliantine
Brilliantine
Brilliantine is a hair-grooming product intended to soften men's hair, including beards and moustaches, and give it a glossy, well-groomed appearance. It was created at the turn of the 20th century by French perfumer Edouard Pinaud...
d stick insect
Phasmatodea
The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects , walking sticks or stick-bugs , phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects...
") and though he is much taller than Sybil, he often finds himself on the receiving end of her temper, expressed verbally or physically. Basil usually turns to Manuel
Manuel (Fawlty Towers)
Manuel is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. Played by Andrew Sachs, he is an iconic character in British comedy history...
or Polly to help him with whatever scheme he has planned, while trying his best to prevent Sybil from finding out, and as such he gained a reputation as an unabashed prevaricator.
Basil takes many of his frustrations out on the hapless Manuel
Manuel (Fawlty Towers)
Manuel is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. Played by Andrew Sachs, he is an iconic character in British comedy history...
, physically abusing him in a variety of ways. On occasions he also assaults others, such as strangling the guest Mr. Hutchinson in "The Hotel Inspectors
The Hotel Inspectors
"The Hotel Inspectors" is the fourth episode of the BBC sitcom, Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:When Basil hears of hotel inspectors roaming Torquay incognito, he realises with horror that the guest he has been verbally abusing could easily be one of them....
", kneeing Major Gowen
Major Gowen
Major Gowen is a fictional character played by Ballard Berkeley in the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.Major Gowen is an old, befuddled, somewhat senile ex-soldier permanently residing in the hotel. He enjoys talking about the world and is always on the lookout for the newspaper. He has trouble forgiving...
in "Basil the Rat
Basil the Rat
"Basil the Rat" is the sixth and final episode of the second season of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers and the final episode of the programme as a whole.-Synopsis:Fawlty Towers is in threat of closure by a Health and Safety inspector...
", and even—most famously—striking his "vicious bastard" of a car in "Gourmet Night
Gourmet Night
"Gourmet Night" is the fifth episode in the first series of the BBC TV sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Cast:Episode credited cast:*John Cleese as Basil Fawlty*Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty*Andrew Sachs as Manuel*Connie Booth as Polly Sherman...
" with a tree branch when it refuses to move. "The Germans
The Germans
"The Germans" is the sixth episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. It is remembered for its line "Don't mention the war" and Cleese's silly walk when he is impersonating Adolf Hitler.-Plot:...
" is the sixth episode. It is best remembered for its line "Don't mention the war" and Cleese's "funny walk" when he is impersonating Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
Another eccentricity affecting Basil is that of occasionally swapping words around in a sentence while propounding a falsehood, for instance in "The Anniversary
The Anniversary (Fawlty Towers)
"The Anniversary" is the fifth episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.- Synopsis :Basil pretends to have forgotten about Sybil's and his wedding anniversary, having secretly arranged a cocktail party with their friends due to arrive any minute. However, Sybil becomes enraged with...
" when he announces to the party guests that it's "perfectly Sybil! Simple's not well. She's lost her throat and her voice hurts", and – less obviously – reassuring himself as much as his wife in "The Wedding Party
The Wedding Party
"The Wedding Party" is the third episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Basil is disgusted when two young lovers, Alan and Jean, begin 'hanky-pankying' under his very nose while checking in. He becomes convinced that they and two other guests are engaged in group sexual misbehaviour,...
" that the sound of knocking on his bedroom door was "probably some key who forgot the guest for their door". He also has difficulty disconnecting his thought-process from unrelated events, as in "The Wedding Party
The Wedding Party
"The Wedding Party" is the third episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Basil is disgusted when two young lovers, Alan and Jean, begin 'hanky-pankying' under his very nose while checking in. He becomes convinced that they and two other guests are engaged in group sexual misbehaviour,...
", when he is looking through Polly's sketchbook of life-drawing pictures and answers the telephone with, "Hello, Fawlty Titties?" or in "The Psychiatrist
The Psychiatrist
"The Psychiatrist" is the second episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Sybil flirts with a young male guest named Mr. Johnson . Meanwhile, two doctors arrive at the hotel, and Basil becomes concerned when he realises one is a psychiatrist...
", where, after inadvertently staining the chest area of a female guest with paint, he realises that Sybil has noticed, but then in confusion puts his hands all over the woman's breasts as a means of stopping her from seeing it.
Basil is known to have served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, possibly as part of his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. He claims: "I fought in the Korean War, you know, I killed four men" to which his wife jokingly replies "he was in the Catering Corps
Army Catering Corps
The Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
; he used to poison them". He is often seen wearing a military tie and a military-type moustache. Fawlty also claims to have sustained a shrapnel injury to his leg in the Korean War, which has a tendency to flare up at convenient moments - usually when Sybil asks him an awkward question.
John Cleese himself described Basil as thinking that he could run a first-rate hotel if he didn't have all the guests getting in the way. He has also made the point that on account of Basil's inner need to conflict with his wife's wishes, "Basil couldn't be Basil if he didn't have Sybil".
Basil seems to have an attachment to any upper-class guests visiting, such as Lord Melbury, Mrs Peignoir (a wealthy French antique dealer) and Major Gowen, a recurring war veteran, although Basil is sometimes scalding towards him, frequently alluding to his senility and his attachment to the bar ("drunken old sod"). He has particular respect for doctors, having aspired to be one himself (though Sybil says that he couldn't even have been a tree surgeon: couldn't stand the sight of sap), and shows a reverential attitude to Dr. & Dr. Abbott in "The Psychiatrist
The Psychiatrist
"The Psychiatrist" is the second episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Sybil flirts with a young male guest named Mr. Johnson . Meanwhile, two doctors arrive at the hotel, and Basil becomes concerned when he realises one is a psychiatrist...
" (until he learns that Dr. Abbott is a psychiatrist), and Dr. Price in "The Kipper and the Corpse
The Kipper and the Corpse
"The Kipper and the Corpse" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers. It first aired on BBC2 on 12 March 1979. Distinguishing it from other episodes is its heavy use of Black comedy.-Background:...
" (until Dr. Price begins to ask awkward questions about the death of Mr. Leeman, and inconveniently requests sausages for breakfast).
Basil is constantly maniacally depressed, intimidating towards guests, and liable to pick up a tail-end of a situation and turning it into a farcical misunderstanding. Basil is known for his tight-fisted mannerisms, employing incompetent builder O'Reilly in "The Builders
The Builders
"The Builders" is the second episode in the first series of the BBC TV sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Basil hires Irish builder O'Reilly to do some vital work on the hotel...
" because he was cheap.
Basil has been married to Sybil for fifteen years, as stated in the episode "The Anniversary
The Anniversary (Fawlty Towers)
"The Anniversary" is the fifth episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.- Synopsis :Basil pretends to have forgotten about Sybil's and his wedding anniversary, having secretly arranged a cocktail party with their friends due to arrive any minute. However, Sybil becomes enraged with...
". He very rarely shows any signs of real love for his long-suffering wife ("my little piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
-fish" is one of the kindest epithets he bestows on her), and vice-versa. Sybil's friend Audrey — who is, with exception to "The Anniversary", an unseen character
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
— will often be the only support she gets. Ironically, "The Anniversary" was one of the few episodes in which Basil was the one trying to be nice, and Sybil was the one who had misread the situation (i.e., thinking he had forgotten what day it was).
John Cleese reprised the role of Basil in the song "Don't Mention the War", based on the situation in the episode "The Germans
The Germans
"The Germans" is the sixth episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. It is remembered for its line "Don't mention the war" and Cleese's silly walk when he is impersonating Adolf Hitler.-Plot:...
", for the 2006 Germany FIFA World Cup. This same phrase, "Don't Mention the War", was used as the title of the first episode of a 5-part BBC documentary series When Rover Met BMW
When Rover Met BMW
When Rover Met BMW is a 5-part documentary series produced by the BBC in 1996. German motor company BMW had bought Rover in 1994 and the series follows the sometimes fraught relationship between the two...
.
Origins
Fawlty Towers was inspired by the Monty PythonMonty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
team's stay in the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
. Cleese and Booth stayed on at the hotel after filming for the Python show had finished. The owner, Mr. Donald Sinclair
Donald Sinclair (hotel owner)
Donald Sinclair was the owner of the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, which he had acquired after an extensive career in the Royal Navy...
, was very rude, throwing a bus timetable at a guest who asked when the next bus to town would arrive and placing Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
's suitcase behind a wall in the garden in case it contained a bomb (actually it contained a ticking alarm clock). He also criticised the American-born Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
's table manners for being too American (he had the fork in the "wrong" hand while eating), and it is reasonable to assume that his treatment of Gilliam partially inspired Basil's treatment of an American visitor in the episode "Waldorf Salad
Waldorf Salad (Fawlty Towers)
"Waldorf Salad" is the third episode of the second series of BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:American tourist Mr. Hamilton checks in with his wife late one evening. They want a hot meal, but Terry, the cook, has finished his shift. Hamilton bribes Basil to keep the kitchen open, but Terry leaves...
". Cleese used the name "Donald Sinclair" for his character in the 2001 film Rat Race. In the episode "The Builders
The Builders
"The Builders" is the second episode in the first series of the BBC TV sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Basil hires Irish builder O'Reilly to do some vital work on the hotel...
", Fawlty refers to a local hotel or restaurant called "Gleneagles" while talking to Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibbs. The name 'Basil' comes from Basil Street, where Cleese lived for some time.
Libel case
In 1989, Cleese successfully sued the Daily Mirror for libel when it described him becoming like his character Basil Fawlty.Cultural references
In the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
series Redwall
Redwall
Redwall, by Brian Jacques, is a series of fantasy novels. It is the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, the name of the Abbey featured in the book, and the name of an animated TV series based on three of the novels , which first aired in 1999...
, an extremely sarcastic and imprudent anthropomorphic hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, "Basil Stag Hare", makes an appearance. He is somewhat aristocratic
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, and an
ex-serviceman, who sometimes makes reference to his "honourable war wound". A running gag is his 'Officer and a Gentleman' way and his "tally ho!" slang. Author Brian Jacques
Brian Jacques
James Brian Jacques was an English author best known for his Redwall series of novels and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He also completed two collections of short stories entitled The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.-Biography:Brian Jacques was born...
claims to have based his name and character on Basil Fawlty.