The Germans

For the nationality, see Germans

"The Germans"
Fawlty Towers episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 6
Directed by	John Howard Davies
Written by	John Cleese & Connie Booth
Original air date	24 October 1975
Episode chronology
← Previous "Gourmet Night" Next → "Communication Problems"
List of Fawlty Towers episodes

"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 "funny walk" when he is impersonating Adolf Hitler.

Plot

Sybil is in the hospital for three days for minor surgery to remove an ingrown toenail. When Basil visits her, she reminds him of all his tasks over the next few days: Running a fire drill, hanging a moose head, etc. Basil fights with the Sister caring for Sybil. When the Doctor tells him Sybil will be in a lot of pain after the operation, Basil is thrilled.

Back at Fawlty Towers, Basil has a confusing conversation with Major Gowen about women, a cricket game and the proper racial slurs for Indians. When the Major learns a group of German guests are coming to the hotel, he launches into an angry tirade against Germans. After the Major wanders off, Basil tries to hang the moose head, but he is interrupted by a phone call from Sybil reminding him to hang the moose head. Basil tries to ask Manuel for a hammer, but he gives up after Manuel thinks that Basil wants a ham sandwich or wants to see his hamster, Basil leaves to get it himself. While he is gone, Manuel steps behind the front desk to tidy up and practice his English. The Major returns to hear a voice coming from behind the counter and thinks it is coming from the moose head. Basil returns and hangs the moose head, but it immediately falls on his head, and he trips over Manuel trying to get to the phone to talk to Sybil again.

The next morning, Basil hangs the moose head again, but one of the antlers keeps drooping. There are just a few minutes remaining until the fire drill, and Sybil calls to remind Basil of the drill and say the key for the fire alarm is in the safe. Basil retrieves the key, but he trips the burglar alarm, which the guests mistake for the fire alarm. As Basil tries to explain, the guests ask to hear both bells so they can tell the difference. Hearing the fire bell from the demonstration, Manuel and Polly think the fire bell means the drill has started, so Basil has to explain the situation to them, too. After the demonstration, Basil says the real drill will start in 30 seconds, so the guests stand about in the lobby, to Basil's annoyance.

In the kitchen, moments before the drill is to start, Manuel starts a real fire. The drill then commences. The panicked Manuel tries to explain the situation to Basil, but he does not understand and locks the poor waiter in the burning kitchen. Basil lets the guests back in, but Manuel's frantic banging makes him open the kitchen door. Basil sees the fire and tells the guests to exit the building again. He tries to start the alarm again, but he cannot find the key. He hurts his hand trying to smash the glass and hurls the typewriter at it with no success, so he uses the phone instead. He tries to use the fire extinguisher, but he blasts himself in the face, which temporarily blinds him. Trying to help, Manuel accidentally smacks Basil in the head with a frying pan he had been using to try to smother the flames and knocks Basil out.

Basil comes to in the hospital, where he is being treated for a concussion. The confused, disoriented Basil insults the Sister and insists on going home. The Doctor puts him to bed, but after he is gone, Basil sneaks out.

Back at Fawlty Towers, the German guests have arrived. Basil tries to speak German. However he does not understand it, since two German guests want to hire a car, but Basil thinks that they are volunteering to get some meat. Polly encourages Basil to lie down, but he insists on trying to serve lunch to the Germans. Despite warning Polly "don't mention the War", he makes multiple references to World War II accidentally at first, but eventually becoming worse as he goes on. When his references drive one German guest to tears, Basil tries to cheer her up with a joke about a bomber over Berlin. When that fails, he tries an impression – of Adolf Hitler, which involves goosestepping around the lobby. The Doctor arrives to give Basil a sedative and take him back to the hospital. Basil makes a run for it hitting Manuel to distract the doctor, but the moose head falls on his head which knocks him out again while the moose ends up on Manuel's. Manuel complains that Mr Fawlty hit him on the head but the Major walks by and says "No, you hit him on the head, you naughty moose!" The episode ends with the German guests wondering "How ever did they win?" (referring to the War).

Cultural impact

• In 2008, John Cleese confirmed that he has been learning German for a while and described himself as "speaking simple German fluently now". Referring to the Fawlty Towers episode "The Germans", he explained "Everybody thinks that was a joke about the Germans but they missed it. It was a joke about English attitudes to the war and the fact that some people were still hanging on to that rubbish".^[1]
• This episode popularised the phrase "Don't mention the war". The Hitler impression has become infamous, and has been compared with the silly walk, also performed by John Cleese. Cleese turned the phrase into a song for the FIFA World Cup 2006, the first time Cleese had played Basil Fawlty in 27 years.^[2] The phrase was used as a title for a humorous travel book written by Stewart Ferris and Paul Bassett, detailing travels through Germany and other European countries. It is also the title of a book by John Ramsden, published in 2006, which examines Anglo-German relations since 1890 and a 2004 Radio 4 documentary looking at the British perception of Germans.^[3]
• This was the only episode from the series to be omitted when it was first aired in Germany, for reasons of cultural sensitivity. It has subsequently been shown there.^{[citation needed]}
• This episode was voted as number 11 in Channel 4's One Hundred Greatest TV Moments in 1999.^[4]
• G.O.L.D., a channel that regularly shows Fawlty Towers, agrees that while "The Germans" is the most famous episode, the best episode is "Communication Problems".^[5]
• Empire magazine listed this as the best episode of the show in its list of the 50 greatest TV episodes of all time.^[6]
• Film director Martin Scorsese, who is a huge fan of Fawlty Towers, describes "The Germans" as "so tasteless, it's hilarious".

Cast

Episode credited cast:

• John Cleese as Basil Fawlty
• Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty
• Andrew Sachs as Manuel
• Connie Booth as Polly Sherman
• Ballard Berkeley as Major Gowen
• Gilly Flower as Miss Abitha Tibbs
• Renee Roberts as Miss Ursula Gatsby

With:

• Lisa Bergmayr as German Guest
• Willy Bowman as German Guest
• Brenda Cowling as Sister
• Claire Davenport as Miss Wilson
• Iris Fry as Mrs. Sharp
• Dan Gillian as German Guest
• Nick Kane as German Guest
• John Lawrence as Mr. Sharp
• Louis Mahoney as Doctor Finn

References

• Fawlty Towers: A Worshipper's Companion, Leo Publishing, ISBN 91-973661-8-8
• The Complete Fawlty Towers by John Cleese & Connie Booth (1988, Methuen, London) ISBN 0-413-18390-4 (the complete text)

1. ^ Graham, Caroline (20 July 2008). "John Cleese's fling with a blonde HALF his age". London: Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1036560/John-Cleeses-fling-blonde-HALF-age.html. Retrieved 2008-08-03. 
2. ^ Sherwin, Adam; Hoyle, Ben (15 May 2006). "Dont mention the War says Cleese in World Cup peace bid". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2180817,00.html. Retrieved 25 May 2010. 
3. ^ Archer, Graeme. The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/16/ngerm16.xml. Retrieved 25 May 2010. 
4. ^ Awards and audiences for Fawlty Towers
5. ^ UKTV Gold: Sitcoms: Our favourite Fawlty episode
6. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/50greatesttv/default.asp?tv=28

External links

• "The Germans" at Fawltysite.net
• "The Germans" at BBC Programmes