Stage show is a rollercoaster ride of TV nostalgia

REVIEW: FAWLTY TOWERS Theatre Royal Plymouth, until Saturday

- BY ANDY PHILLIPS

A GOOD hotel is comfortable and familiar, and while Fawlty Towers is most definitely not known for being a good hotel, the play based on the TV sitcom is most definitely something of comfort and familiarity.

Originally broadcast in 1975, the series reached its 50th anniversary this year, and few involved in its inception could have guessed what a cultural phenomenon it has turned out to be... in Britain at least.

While the TV series spanned just 12 episodes and ran until 1979, it has endured in popularity through 10 Prime Ministers, 11 World Cups and nine BBC Director Generals.