Inspiration for Fawlty Towers now a newly re-vamped hotel

The opening of the Hotel Gleneagles  – which I mentioned last month   – happened yesterday. Don’t be misled by the name, though… this hotel is not in Scotland, but Torquay, south-west England.   In fact, it’s the hotel that inspired the often awkwardly funny Fawlty Towers series from the BBC, starring John Cleese (Basil Fawlty)  and Prunella Scales (his wife, Sybil).  Prunella attended the hotel’s launch, complete with a model of Basil and a replica of the show’s famous red Austin 1100 which was once given a real hiding!