Somehow, almost fifty years after Fawlty Towers first aired on September 19th 1975, the name still carries an electric, instantly recognisable pull. I headed to Leeds Grand Theatre this week to review John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers: The Play. This is a brand-new stage play, adapted by comedy legend John Cleese and directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, which arrives in Leeds fresh from a sold-out West End season. This laugh-out-loud production was universally acclaimed by every London and national critic, selling out every performance during its record-breaking West End run.
This is the kind of comedy that’s indelibly lodged in the national bloodstream. I went with my husband, James, who is the type who can slip a Fawlty Towers quote into any situation at precisely the least appropriate moment (I’m fond of him anyway!), and you could feel the excitement around us as soon as we took our seats, with couples and friends already quoting famous lines in anticipation. There’s also something wonderfully fitting about watching farce unfold in a venue as elegant as Leeds Grand Theatre. You are surrounded by gorgeous Victorian polish and ceremony, only for Basil Fawlty to stride in and dismantle the atmosphere with a single misplaced decision.
The premise:
If you know the series, you’ll recognise the shape of the play. Cleese has adapted three classic episodes: ‘The Hotel Inspector’, ‘The Germans’ and ‘Communication Problems’ into a single theatrical engine, with a newly written ending to tie it together.
The set-up is vintage Fawlty, a rumour that hotel inspectors are in town sends Basil into performance-mode. He is desperate to impress the people he thinks matter, whilst dismissing the people he knows he should treat decently. Then the hotel fills with pressure points… a party of German guests, the gloriously infuriating Mrs Richards (whose complaints are both endless and oddly inventive), Sybil, Basil’s famously bossy wife with a laugh that can slice air, and of course Manuel, the trainee waiter from Barcelona. It’s miscommunication stacked on miscommunication, until the whole place feels one slammed door away from collapse.
Cleese’s farce theory is proven in Leeds:
In a syndicated interview written by Richard Barber, John Cleese says he was unusually confident about the stage adaptation, adding that “the English do love farce” and that “Farce is universal.” Watching it in Leeds, that feels exactly right, with laughter coming from both recognition and from appreciation of the craft.
Farce works best from a place of controlled chaos and this play is a masterclass! The tempo stays a fraction ahead of your ability to breathe and every performer commits with total sincerity. This production is tightly paced and choreographed, keeping the laughter rolling.
Danny Bayne plays Basil Fawlty and has been widely singled out by critics for capturing the character’s wiry physicality and sudden flare-ups. It’s definitely an accomplished and athletic performance and Bayne drives the evening with beautifully contained panic. Bayne’s theatre credits include Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and the stage version of Only Fools and Horses.
Mia Austen’s Sybil is another standout performance. She nails the voice, especially that instantly recognisable laugh, and on stage Austen makes Sybil a kind of elegant bulldozer; composed, efficient, and rarely surprised by Basil’s latest disaster!
Austen trained at Mountview and has a strong stage and TV background, including theatre work such as Pygmalion and London Wall, plus screen credits like Call the Midwife and Doctors.
A word for the wider company
And while Basil and Sybil are the twin engines of the evening, this is very much an ensemble production. Every character commits to the same heightened reality and on this opening press night, there was a real sense of a company enjoying the precision of the piece.
It’s also worth noting that casting can vary across the tour. At the performance I attended, The Major was played by Neil Stewart, bringing a dry, gently bewildered charm; and Raymond Rose took on Mr. Firkins / Mr. Sharp / Mr. Kerr, handling the quick character-switching with ease and a neat comic clarity.
Why it still feels timeless
Part of the pleasure of this show is simply hearing those famous phrases and seeing Basil’s familiar physical mannerisms in a live space. Fawlty Towers fits theatre perfectly, with entrances / exits (and a falling moose’s head) becoming punchlines. Cleese, in the Barber interview, talks about the way people still carry the lines around with them and sitting next to my husband, I can confirm it is indeed alive and well. This production doesn’t try to reinvent the thing people love but does invests it with fresh life and fun.
The important info:
John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers: The Play is listed at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 6th to Saturday 10th January 2026.
Ticket prices are from £36 – £71
You can book online via Leeds Heritage Theatres here: https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/fawlty-towers-2026/ or by calling the Box Office on 0113 243 0808.
Review and some images by Victoria Reddington @vic_reddington
Most images supplied
