Thank You PBS For Giving Us The BBC

By Noreen Sobczyk

As a child I often tuned into PBS, where shows like Sesame Street, Electric Company, and Zoom taught me my letters and numbers. However, during the evening hours PBS brought me the wonderful world of the BBC where I learned about the decadence and treachery of history through vehicles like I, Claudius and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. There was also the mind-expanding science fiction of Doctor Who. But the most enduring impact was made by British comedies.

I’m not sure if I should blame or thank England for shaping my sense of humor. I laughed along to The Two Ronnies, Benny Hill, No Honestly, and The Goodies as a child. In my teens I was thrilled to discover The Young Ones, which featured not only raucous comedy, but music to boot. And in my twenties I fell in love with Edina and Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous. But the two shows that have been ever present through every phase of my life are Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers.

What misfit didn’t find solace in the world created by Monty Python? And who among us hasn’t spent ridiculous amounts of time quoting favorite lines? In my innocent years I was titillated by the “nudge nudge” sketch, and that phrase has no doubt become a part of every viewer’s vernacular.

The show probably forged some relationships. My brother and I, who otherwise had little interaction, bonded over sketches like “Dennis Moore” (who stole from the poor and gave to the rich, dum dum dum), laughed at twits, visited a cheese shop that sold no cheese, and even giggled over a complaint about an ex-parrot pining for the fjords. The fact that my father didn’t find the show funny and seemed irritated when we watched it, only further made me relish its charms.

The troupe’s forays into feature films have delighted to no end, particularly the exploits of King Arthur and his knights on their quest for the Grail. What fan hasn’t hurt themselves and said “it’s only a flesh wound,” or quoted the French taunter? The religious comedy of The Life Of Brian was amazing for a kid who suffered through eight years of Catholic school. I often find myself singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” Speaking of Life, even The Meaning of Life gave us all the ever quotable line, “it’s only wafer thin.” But all good things must come to an end, and when Python ended, John Cleese and his wife Connie Booth went on to create one of my top ten favorite shows of all time: Fawlty Towers.

The comedy of errors that is Fawlty Towers took place at a hotel and featured its married owners and their staff. The show made more use of comic misunderstandings than Three’s Company! Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, was the most unique character I had ever seen on television. Mr Fawlty is probably the most ridiculously rude, pretentious, sardonic fellow to ever work customer service. He was a curmudgeonly forerunner to Dr. Greg House, and could give him a run for his money. Often, when I worked record retail, I would find myself wistfully imagining how Basil would have handled a situation.

The cast of Fawlty Towers

Even my mother, whose comedic taste lends itself to the standard American sitcom, loves the show and often says, “Don’t mind him, he’s from Barcelona,” in reference to the often-repeated line about the hotel’s put-upon waiter Manuel. Who among the show’s fans can forget Basil giving his car a good thrashing during “Gourmet Night?” Or the discovery of Basil the rat in the biscuit tin delivered to the health inspector?

But my favorite episode, despite the unfortunate use of “the n word,” is “The Germans.” From the false fire alarm that ends in a legitimate fire, to the “talking moose” who learned English from a book, to the return of the silly walk as Cleese’s character tries not to mention the war, it’s the most perfect example of physical comedy and farce in a half hour show.

Fawlty Towers consistently spun its yarn, and self assuredly took viewers on a delightful and hilarious journey to the edge and back again. And I can say the humor brought by Fawlty Towers and Monty Python’s Flying Circus, as well as the comedy shows previously cited, has enriched my life, and made it exponentially sillier. So, thank you PBS, for giving me the BBC.