The Sunday Times humour book of the year!

Fawlty Towers was only on our screens for 12 half-hour episodes, but it has stayed in our lives ever since. The Major; 'Don't mention the war!'; 'He's from Barcelona'; Basil the Rat - everyone has a favourite line, moment or character.

In this, the first biography of the show, Graham McCann holds up to the light each of the unpredictable elements - the demented brilliance of John Cleese, his creative partnership with Connie Booth -  that added up to an immortal sitcom, beloved all over the world, even in Barcelona.

"Will be enjoyable for all devotees of Britain's favourite sitcom . . . The pleasure to be had in McCann's episode summaries is testament to the sitcom's enduring brilliance." - TLS

"'A tragi-comedy of creative tension, personality conflict, endearing characters and enduring catch phrases'" - The Times on Spike & Co

"'You will laugh, you will learn, and you will, undoubtedly, start speaking in a silly voice.'" - Word on Spike & Co

"'A hugely entertaining read'" - Daily Telegraph on Dad's Army

"'Excellent. All but essential'" - Time Out on Dad's Army

"A remarkable researcher [whose] results are pure gold. . . [Fawlty Towers] is a work of scholarship. . . its lightness of touch and its arcane information make it quite unputdownable." - Sydney Morning Herald