Who composed the theme music for Fawlty Towers?

Dennis Wilson composed the theme music for Fawlty Towers. The British pianist, composer, arranger and conductor wrote the short instrumental theme used for both series of the sitcom.

Wilson was a prolific television composer whose other work included themes for Till Death Us Do Part and Rising Damp. His career also included arranging, conducting and performing with several British orchestras and ensembles.

The theme was recorded by the Aeolian Quartet. Director John Howard Davies reportedly asked the quartet to perform it badly to fit the show's comic tone, although the musicians ultimately played it more conventionally. A common mix-up is with Brian Howard, who wrote music for other television productions, or with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys; this composer was a British musician born in Leicester in 1920.

Fawlty Towers was written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, but neither of them composed the theme. The music's formal composer credit belongs to Wilson, making his name the canonical answer.