“Don’t Mention the War!” Fawlty Towers – The Play, The Churchill Theatre, Bromley. 30.09.25

There is a part of me that felt like I had absolutely no business being at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley this evening to watch Fawlty Towers: The Play. And looking around at the average age of the audience mostly confirmed that thought. The first series came out in 1975, 25 years before I was even born.

However, I didn’t care. I am blessed to have grown up with a father who introduced me to lots of the classic sitcoms, and Fawlty Towers has always been a favourite. Fortuitously, the play arrived in Bromley from it’s sold-out run in London just in time for my dad’s birthday, so we went down together to check it out.

What a joy it was to see a packed-out Churchill Theatre. Hardly a seat unfilled, and people looking forward nostalgically to a good night of comedy.

How could it not be? It’s been adapted for the stage by original co-writer John Cleese and brings together all our favourite moments from three of the best episodes (and apparently John’s favourites): “The Hotel Inspector”, “The Germans” and “Communication Problems”.

The synopsis reads:

Act One

With the infuriating Mr. Hutchinson in residence and the arrival of a certain Mrs. Richards, miscommunication at Fawlty Towers is exacerbated by the threat of hotel inspectors in town. Nevertheless, Basil smells the sweet success of a winning streak…

Act Two

With Sybil off to the hospital to extract that ingrowing toenail, Basil takes a knock to the head, which is worth two in the bush. Concussed Basil “can cope you know” with the Germans arriving and a fire drill, but please Don’t Mention the War!

The show opens with the familiar credit music rolling. Kudos to Liz Ascroft who has the set looking remarkably similar to the original series set.

Would it be possible to find two more perfect leads than Mia Austen as Sybil Fawlty and Danny Bayne as Basil Fawlty? Possibly, but I highly doubt it. With both actors, you’d do a double take to make sure you weren’t looking at Prunella Scales and John Cleese.

Mia executes everything about Sybil flawlessly; her mannerisms, her tone, but especially her laugh. Danny personifies Basil’s sarcasm and over-the-top antics impeccably. With something this popular, it always pays to be true to the original, which in a lot of eyes cannot be bettered, and these two certainly got the memo.

Polly, played by Joanne Clifton, and Manuel, played by Hemi Yeroham, make up the full Fawlty Towers team. Manuel’s classic line of ‘Que?’ was well-received every time it was delivered. The host of hotel guests is lead by Paul Nicholas as the Major, who received one of the biggest rounds of applause at the end.

What’s nice is that you can see the entire cast having great fun with each other and their roles. They work well together to put on a beautifully chaotic, slapstick show that lends itself very well to the stage.

Don’t go expecting something new or never-before-seen scenes – this play isn’t here for that. It is slightly gratuitous in that aspect. It’s a homage to its roots: a nice trip down memory lane for a series that still evoke a lot of laughs (owing in equal parts to nostalgia and comedy). I wouldn’t necessarily agree with Director Caroline Jay Ranger’s assessment that it is ‘unique and fresh’, but I don’t think anyone goes or that. What it does do, and what she wanted, was to deliver to expectation, and it certainly does do that.

It was great to see how the different episodes had been knitted together into one, 90-minute story. And you wouldn’t need to be familiar with the original sitcom to follow it, although you would probably enjoy it more if you are.

If you believe yourself to be a die-hard fan, I highly recommend purchasing a programme and testing out your knowledge with the fun quiz they’ve included.

If this evening and the signs outside the theatre are anything to go by, there are very limited tickets remaining for this one, so grab them now before they’re gone: https://trafalgartickets.com/churchill-theatre-bromley/en-GB/event/play/fawlty-towers-the-play-tickets