Fawlty Towers S1 Ep6 "The Germans" REACTION!
Added 2023-07-27 18:00:05 +0000 UTCDid this infamous episode meet King Boomer's expectations?
Comments
Greenland is considered European so no this whole idea that Britian is European is utterly shite.
Arthur Goonie
2025-01-23 01:35:14 +0000 UTCThere was supposed to have been a newspaper headline which summed up the British attitude to the rest of Europe. "Fog in the Channel - Continent Cut Off"
Lee Hallam
2024-11-09 18:48:13 +0000 UTCThe fire drill scene is the best tv scene in British history.
Lee Stephen
2024-08-14 18:29:01 +0000 UTCThe series was filmed 1975, just a couple of years after the UK had joined the EU (then called the EEC), which is what Basil refers to in the clip. The UKs membership now (famously) rescinded by Brexit, of course. (Rather confusingly), being "in Europe" is sometimes used synonymously to mean "being a member state of the EU". Separately, sometimes Brits will use the term "Europeans" to refer to "citizens of mainland European countries" - thereby excluding themselves. Although the UK remains on the continent of Europe. Although it is important to remember that the UK remains part of the geographical continent of Europe, and thereby Brits would be not be mistaken if they referred to themselves as Europeans.
Ben
2024-03-11 00:29:44 +0000 UTCScotland are still part of Great Britain, they haven't voted yes to independence... yet! So it is still correct to say The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
BurmaCuWin
2024-02-14 15:55:51 +0000 UTC🤣👍
Jason Scade
2024-01-17 22:32:26 +0000 UTCSorry, but this just got me thinking. What's Scotland now? Because, likewise, their still on our island so are they still apart of the UK but not GB? Like, do we now have to say Great Britain, Scotland and Northern Ireland or is Scotland completely independent? They don't want any part of the British Empire (or what's left of it) UK, GB, non of it?
Joe Thornhill
2024-01-01 14:20:43 +0000 UTCA lad i know who went to OXFORD UNIVERSITY for three years asked me that if we are no longer Europe does it mean we are now American or African. The University education is going well then, it seems.
Simon Ball
2023-12-27 22:27:33 +0000 UTCWe left the European Union, not Europe, we are still European. Europe is the continent, It would be rather difficult to move a whole country to another continent.
BurmaCuWin
2023-12-03 19:32:00 +0000 UTCBritain left Europe so we are no longer European
Cameron Allan
2023-11-14 22:04:41 +0000 UTCHe said war-ning
Cameron Allan
2023-11-14 22:03:47 +0000 UTCComo means ( as ) or ( like )
Cameron Allan
2023-11-14 20:56:09 +0000 UTCThats not true, we are all europeans; europe is a continent. We just arent EU citizens.
Matt Rumsey
2023-08-03 15:08:27 +0000 UTCYou could say the same about Scottish people not wanting to be British but they live on the British Isles.
Adam
2023-07-31 11:49:51 +0000 UTCWe are European (as in part of the European Continent), we're just not park of the EU Political Body any more...
Michael Lloyd
2023-07-30 19:17:02 +0000 UTC100%.
Dean Carter
2023-07-29 20:54:38 +0000 UTCOdd that some British people don't consider themselves European. Britain is part of that continent whether they like it or not.
Dean Carter
2023-07-29 20:54:05 +0000 UTCFact: The hospital at the beginning is Northwick Park in northwest London near Harrow, where I used to live, and nowhere near Torquay where it's supposed to be. They didnt even try to hide it either. haha
Dean Carter
2023-07-29 20:14:14 +0000 UTCExactly! The whole build up, then for about literally one second you have a feeling "oh, actually he's not that bad.......ooooh, no". I do rate this as one of the best sitcom scenes ever.
AdamMcAdamface
2023-07-29 19:03:58 +0000 UTCThis is the classic episode
Tris Outlaw
2023-07-29 11:15:12 +0000 UTCWe are European - you can't argue with fact. Whether we are members of a political club called the EU is a different matter entirely. GB is part of the continent of Europe factually whether some people deludedly argue differently or not.
Kiwi Tau
2023-07-28 15:28:13 +0000 UTCNot only were they married but she co created/wrote this with him
Joe Honey
2023-07-28 14:20:38 +0000 UTCIt's primary concern is power, like all globalist entities. The way I view it is - Politicians can't stop stealing, lying and destroying on a national level, why should they be trusted to operate on a global level. It's like asking the builder who f*cked up your flat to build you a 10 story mansion
Tmini
2023-07-28 10:30:38 +0000 UTCYea that would be boring 😂
Erica
2023-07-28 09:19:02 +0000 UTCI agree, my school friend’s Dad had the box set so I watched it with her and it never really got me like the young ones and blackadder did (those were my Dad’s box sets 😆). I do appreciate FT a little more watching it now but it’ll never touch Peeps and Bladders 🤓
Erica
2023-07-28 09:18:32 +0000 UTCI love them all but get your point about Fawlty Towers, some of it is just slapstick and there's no underlying almost real life storyline to it like OFAH
Jehan Ariyaratnam
2023-07-28 08:57:11 +0000 UTCI think it's funny because when he says "no no no I said, n^%gers are the West Indians, these people are wogs" they make you think hes going to correct her to say that language is inappropriate and not accepted, but then he just gets into semantics about which racist term is the most appropriate. Basils reaction is hilarious the way he just looks at him almost blankly
Jehan Ariyaratnam
2023-07-28 08:54:53 +0000 UTCHammer sandwich
Jehan Ariyaratnam
2023-07-28 08:51:41 +0000 UTCThe Psychiatrist is probably my favourite from S2.
Alex
2023-07-28 00:16:02 +0000 UTCLet's not give any spoilers! But yes, the next episode is fab!
AdamMcAdamface
2023-07-27 23:13:17 +0000 UTCAnd it's a really well scripted joke! The whole build up to make the Major as the butt of the joke rather than just him using the N word. Sadly, a lot of comedy from that time was not as clever as this and would just use racial slurs for a cheap gag.
AdamMcAdamface
2023-07-27 23:10:07 +0000 UTCThe thing with this episode for me, is the "Germans" sequence towards the end isn't even the highlight of it. To be honest that part is more disturbing due to Basil's clearly concussion-led madness. No, the centrepiece of this is the whole "Fire Drill" sequence in the second act of the episode, a spectacular masterclass in escalating farce - the energy and rhythm of it is glorious. I'm speaking here as a comedy nerd, but I don't think anything in traditional British sitcoms surpassed that 5 or 6 minutes of utter madness since, A reminder this was made in 1975. Let that sink in. Even just watching that scene here, enhanced with added KB, had me utterly breathless. It's amazing. However, my favourite episode of Fawlty Towers is in series 2 - and if I revealed now which one it was I'd be flogged out the room with sticks and brooms. But when we get there I will explain why.
Phil Robinson
2023-07-27 22:35:00 +0000 UTCI think Billy was making a joke based on 'Communication Problems'. It is a great episode.
David Mannion
2023-07-27 22:26:43 +0000 UTCAnd apparently, Andrew Sachs (the guy who plays Manuel) really did suffer from quite bad burns in that fire scene!
Adam
2023-07-27 22:22:09 +0000 UTCYeah John Cleese was married to Connie Booth who played Polly. There's actually only a one year age gap between them! I guess Connie won out in the youthful looks!
AdamMcAdamface
2023-07-27 22:18:02 +0000 UTCLanguage nerd here! Yeah, Cómo does mean ‘how’ in Spanish, but it’s also used to question something in the way we would use ‘what?’. Qué is ‘what’, but despite Manuel's use it’s usually only used in full sentences (¿Qué es eso? ¡Eso es queso! / What is that? That is Cheese!). The words for 'how' and 'why' work slightly differently in Spanish and English. Any Spanish Patrons, feel free to correct me if I’ve botched this explanation!
AdamMcAdamface
2023-07-27 22:10:50 +0000 UTCComo is not why; it's how, and sometimes como is said to mean what
Aaron
2023-07-27 21:30:27 +0000 UTCWe better check! Does he like sausages, ignorance, arrogance and hardcore fisting porn!? If so then maybe he is!
Matt Wells
2023-07-27 21:25:34 +0000 UTCClassic
Matt Wells
2023-07-27 21:21:53 +0000 UTCEurope is just a Continent, a geographical area so I'll always consider myself European.
Mark Jones
2023-07-27 21:15:02 +0000 UTCComo is also what. Por que is why
Lee Organ
2023-07-27 20:53:46 +0000 UTCThe exchange between Basil and the Major - "Evening Major!" "Evening Fawlty! Hampshire won!" - has actually entered county cricket parlance: "Evening Major" is now shorthand for saying that Hampshire have won a match, and Hampshire CCC briefly sold t-shirts with that printed on them. I also remember a friend telling me about going to see Brighton & Hove Albion and when a spectator commented on Inigo Calderon performing a "crafty Spanish backheel", the man in front of him leaned over and said "Yes, he learn it from a book!" Also, I'm going to throw this out there: as infamous as this episode is, it's not one of my favourites. Perhaps because it's been so overdone, but there's other, later episodes that I think are stronger. I also think the fire drill scene is funnier than the silly walk scene, there's just something hysterically funny about Basil becoming more and more frustrated until he eventually explodes.
Charlie
2023-07-27 20:42:52 +0000 UTCAt the risk of beginning a big debate about the EU, this is very wrong. It's primarily concerned with creating an economic/trading bloc and evolved out of an attempt to create economic stability in post-war Europe. The rights and wrongs of this are a debate for somewhere else, but calling it a Nazi organisation isn't really on.
Charlie
2023-07-27 20:38:28 +0000 UTCWhat didn't you understand? He made perfect sense lol. PS I also agree Jaxon
mrRYoung .
2023-07-27 20:19:12 +0000 UTCOne of my customers used to be a manwell impersonater at private parties etc, was quite good at it
Peter Andrews
2023-07-27 20:18:13 +0000 UTCThe actor who playedd Manuel actually got burnt during that scene but carried on filming.
electricduckpond
2023-07-27 19:58:09 +0000 UTCAs much as this episode always gets the plaudits, the next episode, "communication problems" is in my opinion, the best one of the series
Jaxon's Jerseys
2023-07-27 19:16:33 +0000 UTCChipping in on the UK/Europe question. The UK left the European Union in 2020, really depends on who you ask. I'm from Northern Ireland and ours is a special case because a lot of us have dual nationality (Ireland and the UK) and the whole Northern Ireland question has been causing a lot of problems for Brexit, because we are intrinsically linked with both the UK and Ireland (which is still in the EU).
Caoimhe h
2023-07-27 19:15:50 +0000 UTCThe second season has some brilliant episodes.
Super Mega Giga Chad
2023-07-27 19:11:20 +0000 UTCI really hope this comment doesn't descend into a miserable argument about Brexit. :(
Jay
2023-07-27 19:04:54 +0000 UTCA proud Londoner, Englishman, Brit and European in the same breath here. Identity can be multi-layered. Glad you enjoyed Fawlty Towers - an absolute classic, and this series is from the year I was born (makes me feel old!)
Mark Wootton
2023-07-27 19:01:33 +0000 UTCSame here. I enjoy KB reacting to shows, more than I enjoy some shows themselves.
ThetaSigmaTheOriginal
2023-07-27 18:59:18 +0000 UTCYeah, I still consider myself European. I'm Scottish and European.
ThetaSigmaTheOriginal
2023-07-27 18:57:44 +0000 UTCCrazy to think that this episode was made closer to WWII than it is to today. And by twenty years, so quite considerably closer.
ThetaSigmaTheOriginal
2023-07-27 18:52:47 +0000 UTCUs Brits are still European 😂 we can’t leave the continent. We left the (European union) which is a nazi organisation set up by Germany so they can make laws and fine other European union countries that’s why they didn’t want us to leave. But sadly Brexit was sabotaged by Boris and the Conservative party
FatSam25
2023-07-27 18:41:18 +0000 UTCNever really "got" Fawlty Towers. A lot of screaming, slapstick and tired clichés. It's the only show you react to that I'm not a fan of though. I thought I'd watch this one as it's such a famous episode but it didn't change my mind. For a long time it had the reputation of being the greatest British sitcom which I never understood. (It's not British but) Father Ted seems to be more universally loved now. OFAH is a whole other beast though due to it's longevity and serious themes. Blackadder of course is incredible (S2 onwards) (did you ever do that?). Peep Show seems to have crept into the conversation too over the last decade.
Domlaaa
2023-07-27 18:37:54 +0000 UTCI heard King Boomer is half German
James
2023-07-27 18:36:56 +0000 UTCGreat episode and great reaction. A quick point about the Major and his racist language, for context. The character of the Major represents old school xenophobic British colonial thinking, so his language wasn't done as a cheap racist joke. It's tied in to the whole xenophobic nature of the episode, and not something that John Cleese would have added had it not been relevant to the point. Shocking to hear these days, but it was genuinely the kind of attitude that many British Empire officers and soldiers held during that time.
Jay
2023-07-27 18:30:52 +0000 UTCGreeting from the UK my liege! I'd love to see you react to Black Books, it stars Dylan Moran (Dav from Shaun of the Dead, you reacted to his stand up recently) Bill Bailey (the desk sergeant from Hot Fuzz) and Tamsin Grieg (the mum from Friday Night Dinner) really funny show, I think you'd enjoy it!
Jonathan Henshaw
2023-07-27 18:19:28 +0000 UTCEpic episode
Tim Salt (Tim Salt Writes)
2023-07-27 18:09:59 +0000 UTCok that is spooky i was actually thinking faulty towers after you mentioned wanting something to cheer you up and you actually made a reaction already 🤯🔮
Bubbles
2023-07-27 18:09:36 +0000 UTCPersonally there are far funnier episodes. Only fools and horses also has infamous episodes that are no where near as funny as others. Remember the chandelier episode? Voted one of the funniest moments but there's far funnier moments in episodes you are about to see. "tea for three" has probably the funniest continuous 10 minutes of any episode at the end.
Phoenix
2023-07-27 18:04:01 +0000 UTCYES YOU DID YOU INVADED POLAND 😭
AWR93
2023-07-27 18:02:55 +0000 UTCOh no you didn't 🤣🤣🤣 🫣
Bubbles
2023-07-27 18:02:12 +0000 UTC
