What 2025 John Cleese book marked the show's 50th anniversary?

John Cleese’s 2025 book marking Fawlty Towers’ 50th anniversary is Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All.

The book is a commemorative retrospective by Cleese, who co-created the sitcom with Connie Booth and played the hotel’s famously irritable manager, Basil Fawlty. It revisits the show’s characters, scenes, production history and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, using archival imagery and commissioned illustrations.

The anniversary connection reflects the programme’s original broadcast history. The first series began in 1975, while the second and final series followed in 1979. Although the show ran for only 12 episodes, its reputation grew into one of British television comedy’s most enduring successes.

The title is sometimes written informally with an ampersand, but the published title uses “and”: Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All. It should not be confused with earlier script collections, DVD extras or the stage adaptations based on the sitcom.