Fawlty Towers: Meeting Lord Melbury
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2017
- From the episode "A Touch Of Class" - Disgruntled Basil suddenly turns his frown upside down when he encounters his favourite upper-class guest.
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The conflicted Basil both fawning to the upper crust and yet detesting them, mainly out of jealousy as he can never become one of them. Middle class angst
Fawning+Salty=Fawlty...
Blasted clever, that Clesse. Anyway.
Basil was a snob.
@@alexmorgan3435 .....out of jealousy
"I was rather hoping that instead of just dumping the bricks in a pile you might have found time to cement them together"
"In the traditional fashion"
@@plamenpetrov2014 "One on top of the other"
the most genius bit ever "I'm Lord Melbury so I simply sign Melbury" Pause as Basil takes it in "Go away"
Quite simply one of the greatest scene's in British comedy history.
And the original studio audience recognized its brilliance by applauding as well as laughing.
Today's drearily 'edgy' comedians would say "F--- off' or worse. BBC censorship or Cleese's sensibility produced a far funnier dismissal. Euphemism and understatement go down better. In fact the basic 'situation' in every episode was Basil bottling up his rage until it exploded, not in humdrum profanity but in an eloquent tirade or carpet-chewing helplessness.
Michael Gwynn, who played Lord Melbury in this episode, sadly passed away only four months after it aired on January 29, 1976. While this episode is his most memorable appearance today, he was best known for his role of Major Alan Bernard in the original Village of the Damned movie.
He was also in The Deadly Bees, a film Mystery Science Theatre 3000 lampooned.
Michael Gwynn is also in the famous movie "The Time Machine" from 1960 which nobody seems to know - not even Imdb.
You can see him here and there in all sorts of movies and series. Brilliant actor.
He was run over by a truck.
I did not realise he passed away so soon afterwards. Very sad, a fine actor. However I do recognise him.
In recognized him because he was also in the excellent, yet vastly underrated, TV series "Spy Trap".
This so real. I met a Lord Melbury character in the bar of the Gresham Hotel in Dublin. He ordered a bottle of wine and told them to put it on his room. Then he turned to me and offered me a glass. I accepted gratefully. We had a nice chat but I got suspicious when he said he had friends who lived on a lake I had recently visited in New Zealand - it seemed unlikely. They came back and asked him to confirm his room number and he corrected it (112 instead of 121 or something similar). They went away again but came back in force at which point he said whoops and scarpered out of a side door. They tried to get me to pay for the wine! How I laughed.
Class,in every sense of the word!Lord Melbury is one of the most convincing characters ever on tv.He could have even tricked me.
Michael Gywnn (Melbury) died of a heart attack less than 5 months after this epsiode aired. He was only 59.
I didn't know that, weird. He missed how successful this show came to be
@Gabriel Mercado He was born in Bath, Somerset.
Oh wow, sorry to hear that.
😢🥺
Was in the film 'Village Of The Damned' ( 1960 )
Ugh his obsequious grovelling once he hears the ‘Lord Melbury’ says so much about the disgusting English class system.
Spot-on depiction and send-up in Fawlty Towers.
Brilliant best ever ...go away was a masterclass in timing british comedy at it's best
Yes it's very English characterisation
I absolutely love that flegmatic vocalized-mumble flowing accent of Lord Melbury. I'm sure it is well recognized and categorized and has a specific name, but even without that knowledge it's simply pleasure and fun to hear it.
I like it too, never knew how to describe it
I say old boy, it is called 'Received Pronunciation,' eh what.
@@malcolmabram2957 that's it? I thought that was something a bit more eccentric and posh.
No u.
Micheal Gwyn lived in Our local village, used to see him walking his dogs. Very convincing as Lord Melbury .
The episode, first of six, was transmitted in September 1975. Michael Gwynne died suddenly four months later. The first run of 'Fawlty Towers' had been moderately well reviewed and drew average audiences for the BBC's second channel. Gwynne never knew that he had helped to launch a classic.
I remember seeing this in October 1975 when it was first shown - it set the characters up for future episodes so brilliantly.
Just this scene alone makes Fawlty Towers far better than Fools and Horses.
Hey, don't you disrespect Only Fools and Horses, you little plonker!
The ending of this episode is absolutely spot on! A guest asks for a drinks order (A gin & orange, a lemon squash and a scotch and water please!) for the fourth time and Basil losses it, smashing a picture to let out all the aggression! Must’ve felt fantastic!
Michael Gwynn, who played Lord Melbury in this episode, previously appeared in TV series Albert and Victoria, in which he played character with similar sounding name - Lord Maybury.
Absolute genius john and the whole script.....watchn from ireland
Sadly it's true even in 2019 about Irish builders. Lol
Me too
@@rtsharlotte Pay a decent rate and you'll be served well. If you're a cheapskate you'll get your comeuppance.
@@rtsharlotte no as an Irish man I completely reject that stereo type ,Irish builders do have issues but we don't build walls we build houses that are majestic but fall apart after purchase 😉
@@alanobrien4020 And with no access to heating? Why is this such an issue with Irish houses?
Probably one of the best comedies ever on tv, one thing the brits were very good at
Unfortunately, "were" is the salient word. British TV became so dire I've got rid of mine.
@@jonathanj.7344 Agreed, the best UK comedy was made pre 2000s
Woke now
@@artmallory970 that’s not true. The Office, Peep Show, The Thick of It, The Inbetweeners, People Just Do Nothing. All excellent comedies made post 2000’s. My top 2 will always be Only Fools and Fawlty Towers, but there have been plenty of great comedies made post 2000. Probably less so in the last five years or so.
@@acefire6422 and Toast of London
This is why Prince Andrew enjoys the life style he does
This comment hasn't aged well!😆
This was intended as the pilot (which is why it looks and feels different) and was recorded on Christmas Eve 1974. Aired in October 1975 with the other episodes.
"...go away."
One of the best scenes from Fawlty Towers, if its possible to pick a best one, there are so many! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If the moment Basil says "Go away" doesn't prove that John Cleese is the greatest British comedian of all time, I really don't know what does. His face when he is about to say it is simply priceless.
Agreed - perfect comic timing and expression. Burned in my brain forever.
Michael Gwynn, as Lord Melbury, portrayed the Monster in the Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
Love how the audience is one step ahead!!
The late great Michael Gwynn who starred in Jason and the Argonauts and various Hammer Horror films including Dracula and Frankenstein movies
That's Spot on, played the Greek God HERMES! BRINGER OF DREAMS AND A PROWLER OF THE NIGHT!😀 regards.
"Be a waiter in there!"
John's expression says it all lol.
one of the all-time best bits from one of the all-time best shows
Simply brilliant comedy at its best .
Doesn't get any better than this.
One of my favourite scenes of Fawlty Towers.
The way he steps in with the 6ft5 frame is genius
6ft3
@@DieFlabbergastNope 6 ft 5
Lord....that changes everything.
This is so true that certain people are so taken in with the so-called upper classes, and easily conned by them.
This is Basils finest moment.
Oh I love the wheat
'waving.... MANUEL!'
Naturelment
Naturellement.
@@zakmartin Naturalmente
Basil looks completely aghast that there's someone as tall as him in the lobby. 😂
The perfect encapsulation of the Lower Middle Class, meeting a Knob of the Realm ;)
Surely it middle-middle classes not lower-middle
Someone who owns a hotel would have to be upper middle-class. The middle class are property owners WITHOUT special privileges that come from something like extreme wealth, celebrity, political power or something like that.
@@Treblaine Sorry, but I must disagree, I have known a few people I would describe as upper-middle class, and they tend to have substantial wealth, none of them would ever run a hotel (especially a place like Fawlty Towers which wouldn't get more than, say, 2 stars, I've stayed at B&B's that were better). They may however own a 5 star hotel and have it professionally managed.
@@ralbha8135 Yeah, maybe "upper middle" isn't right. But lower middle isn't right either.
@@Treblaine True, that's why I corrected Daniel and said middle-middle.
The dictionary definition of obsequiousness contains a link to this clip
Up to you.
LOLbury the legend. All episodes are great as each other, but what a 1st one eh.👏
Class xxxxx
Never forget, Fawlty Towers is more tragedy than comedy. “Enough material for a conference” as one character sagely said, which John Cleese knew, meant, and wrote.
This episode, "Touch of Class" was recorded 23 December 1974. Michael Gwynn, who played "Lord Melbury" died on 29 January 1976 in London from a heart attack aged 59 only four months after it broadcast on 19th September 1975
This is my second least favourite of the twelve Fawlty Towers episodes (The Wedding Party is my choice for the worst) but I love this scene. "Go away" is the one truly huge laugh in the whole half hour.
“Go away” LOL
" 'course we're not full"
Genius
Fawlty towers is the show ever 🥳🥳🥳
I studied this in school XD
“How’s me old mucka!?”
🤣I love the bewildered horror when the properly posh guests - Sir Richard and Lady Morris - see Basil treating 'Lord' Melbury like shit and attacking him.
@@ysgol3 "don't go!, you'll like it here!"..... "SNOBS!!!" 😂😂😂
decided to watch this clip for inspiration, at drama group we are doing this scene from Fawlty Towers where I am playing Basil, i'm playing Fawlty a bit more annoyed than in the episode but it is fun
Manuel stuffs everything up
(pause)go away haaaaa
Basil is very English in his contempt/fawning attitude.
This is a Masterclass in British (mostly English & Lowland Scots) class distinction: Basil, furiously polishing his Fish Knives and dreaming of a solid place in the middle class !
@@danielw5850 I'm curious about Scotland. Glasgow folk seem quite down to earth but I did see random snooty Scots in various lowland parts too. How did that happen? I thought they were supposed to be unlike English snobs.
@@ColtraneTaylor A generalisation that has embedded itself, over time, the Scottish middle class are just as awful as their English neighbours (there, another generalisation!).
@@danielw5850 I see what you mean. But my theory as a non-Brit is that the snobbery might have been learnt from the Romans and the French. First by the English and from there to the Scots. Yes, I know, massive generalizations. Can't ignore the class and race factors either.
Still, it’s good for the wheat
"Go away."
art
goodbye go away 1:13 😂😂
I'm a Jewish New Yorker from Queens. If I was serving him and he said he's Lord Melbury, my legs would turn to jello...
Go away 😂😂
Oh think nothing of it. The smallest of accidents. Could have occurred anywhere.
Love them all but I particularly like the American. "What a bunch of crap!" he retorts at Basil's inane bullshit.
Fawlty is totally bonkers hahahahaha!
Stay positive with Sherpa 😛😛💯👍🌟🌟🙏😂😃😃😆😃🙏👍💯
Emma Linda Emmason ♥️
Speaking to an Irish character and invoking the potato famine for comic effect. They don’t make them like that anymore.
sadly Michael Gwynn passed away not long after this.
All those years of trying to live as Lord Melbury worked on his conscience probably.
go away !..
Lol...
“Full?”
i didn't get the joke
Go away 😅
Emma Jane Clay
His suitcases looked quite cheap and one of them was tied with belt like its lock was not holding it together properly. Is it customary that English lords dont have decent luggage when they check in ?
These confidence tricksters, they always miss some detail if they pretend to be someone else.
Rotter!
don't make it like this anymore do they
Absolute brilliant
I suppose they'll allow people saying it's not as funny because of the way it just dies well and it's racist
But we were in a different world then pleasant world to what we've got to live under now
...
Go away
go away
Go away
He's as moral as a Tory 🤣
Emma Linda Emmason