What city is Manuel from in Fawlty Towers?

In Fawlty Towers, Manuel is from Barcelona.

Manuel is the hotel’s Spanish waiter, played by actor Andrew Sachs. The character is introduced as coming from Barcelona, and Basil Fawlty repeatedly uses “he’s from Barcelona” as an excuse for Manuel’s mistakes, confusion and limited English. The line becomes one of the sitcom’s recurring comic explanations.

Manuel is well-meaning but disorganised, and his language difficulties often place him at the centre of the hotel’s escalating chaos. He is also frequently made a scapegoat by Basil, despite sometimes being no more responsible than the other staff or guests.

Barcelona can be confused with Madrid because both cities are repeatedly associated with Spain in the series. In fact, the show’s references to Spanish politics and geography help establish Manuel’s background. In some foreign dubbed versions, however, his nationality and origin were changed, including versions that made him Italian or Mexican.