Prunella Scales, doyenne of Fawlty Towers, dies at 93

'Scene after scene, she was absolutely perfect, her co-star and onscreen husband John Cleese says in moving tribute

- ELLIE MUIR

Fawlty Towers creator John Cleese led the tributes to his co-star Prunella Scales yesterday, describing her as "absolutely perfect".

The beloved actress was widely known for her iconic role as Sybil Fawlty, the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese.

Her sons, Samuel and Joseph, confirmed the 93-year-old died on Monday, having watched episodes of the sitcom the day before.

“Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home,” they said. “We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

Cleese said in a statement: “How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I’ve recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect. She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her.”

Fawlty Towers won the Bafta for best scripted comedy in 1976 and this year marked 50 years since the comedy show first appeared on screens. Downing Street passed on its condolences to Scales’s family, with Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson saying: “Clearly Prunella Scales was part of a golden era for British comedy, someone whose talent was beamed into people’s homes over many years and gave many people a huge amount of enjoyment. The prime minister, of course, passes all his condolences to her family.”