Which hospital exterior opens The Germans instead of the hotel?

The hospital exterior that opens “The Germans” instead of the hotel is Northwick Park Hospital.

“The Germans” is the sixth and final episode of Fawlty Towers’ first series, first broadcast on BBC2 on 24 October 1975. It is the only episode that does not begin with an exterior view of the fictional Fawlty Towers hotel. Production used Northwick Park Hospital in Brent for that establishing shot.

The unusual opening reflects a broader production detail: the sitcom’s interior scenes were recorded at BBC Television Centre before a live audience, while exterior material was filmed separately. The hospital is only a brief visual setting; most of the story takes place inside the hotel as Basil tries to cope with a fire, a hospital visit and German guests.

A common mix-up is to choose a real London hospital associated with another television production or to assume the opening shows the hotel itself. The Northwick Park shot is deliberately standing in for the hotel exterior in this episode.