In a 2001 Channel 4 poll, Basil Fawlty ranked second behind which TV character?

In Channel 4’s 2001 poll, Basil Fawlty ranked second behind Homer Simpson. The poll was part of the 100 Greatest TV Characters series, which placed Homer first and Basil second.

Basil, played by John Cleese, is the perpetually frustrated proprietor of Fawlty Towers. His snobbery, insecurity and disastrous attempts to control guests and staff make him one of British television comedy’s most recognisable characters.

The ranking is sometimes muddled with later polls. Edmund Blackadder placed third and Del Boy fourth in the same Channel 4 list, while Alan Partridge also appeared among the leading British characters. Basil later topped Five’s 2006 Britain’s Funniest Comedy Character poll, which is a different survey.

Homer Simpson’s victory also had a notable cross-genre quality: an animated American character defeated live-action British sitcom figures in a poll of television characters. The result reflects popularity in that specific 2001 vote, not an objective permanent ranking.