I'm kind of picky when it comes to comedy, but I'm a real sucker for classic British comedies.
One of my favorites is "Fawlty Towers" starring John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs and Connie Booth.
Basil Fawlty is the wacky owner of a modest seaside hotel in Torquay, England. Also in residence are his wife Sybil, his crazy Spanish bellman Manuel and Polly, the hotel's maid.
In honor of the show's 30th anniversary, BBC Video has put together a 3-disc remastered set of the series, complete with commentary by John Cleese and interviews with John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs.
I was kind of suspicious of how the show would hold up since I haven't seen it in years, but I was happy to see that the show generates just as many laughs over Basil's nuttiness and the goings on in Torquay, as they did when I saw them originally as a kid.
The show's a farce that has Basil and the gang dealing with wacky guests, surprise inspections and Basil's own ability to get himself into trouble. It can be bawdy and politically incorrect, but that's all part of the fun.
If you're a fan of the show and seen the episodes over and over, you'll especially enjoy the commentary by John Cleese and the interviews with the cast.
With the holidays around the corner, if you're looking for the perfect gift for someone who's a Britcom fan, or someone who's a John Cleese fan, you can't go wrong with this DVD set.
The folks at BBC Video were nice enough to send along a DVD for me to review and I'm now going to pass that DVD along to you. Leave a comment about your favorite TV comedies--they don't have to be British--in the comments below and you'll be entered into a drawing to win my review copy of the 3-disc DVD.
You have until December 8th, 5 PM EST to comment.
On December 9th, I'll do a random drawing and then announce the winner.
By the way, John Cleese will be on Conan O'Brien tonight at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.
