Basil the Rat
- Episode aired Oct 25, 1979
- TV-PG
- 34m
Basil and the rest of the staff are in deep trouble when the health inspector turns up and delivers an enormous list of problems with the hotel. Things become even worse when Manuel's rat ge... Read allBasil and the rest of the staff are in deep trouble when the health inspector turns up and delivers an enormous list of problems with the hotel. Things become even worse when Manuel's rat gets loose in the hotel.Basil and the rest of the staff are in deep trouble when the health inspector turns up and delivers an enormous list of problems with the hotel. Things become even worse when Manuel's rat gets loose in the hotel.
- Hotel Guest
- (uncredited)
- Hotel Guest
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis, the final episode, was recorded six months after the previous episode because of a BBC strike.
- GoofsThe back door from the kitchen, leading to a backyard with various crates and the shed where Basil the rat is kept, is placed in such a way that the backyard would have been at the front of the hotel.
- Quotes
Mr. Carnegie: I think these premises do not come up to the standard required by this authority. Unless appropriate steps are taken instantly, I shall have no alternative but to prosecute or recommend closure to the appropriate committee of the council, uh, specifically: The lack of proper cleaning routines, dirty and greasy filters, greasy and encrusted deep fat fryer, dirty, cracked and stained food preparation surfaces, dirty, cracked and missing wall and floor tiles, dirty, marked and stained utensils, dirty and greasy interior surfaces of the ventilator hood...
Basil Fawlty: Yes, about the deep fat fryer...
Mr. Carnegie: ...inadequate temperature control and storage of dangerous foodstuffs, storage of cooked and raw meat in same trays, storage of raw meat above confectionery with consequent dripping of meat juices onto cream products, refrigerator seals loose and cracked, ice box undefrosted, and refrigerator overstocked...
Basil Fawlty: Yes, say no more.
Mr. Carnegie: ...um, food handling routines suspect, evidence of smoking in food preparation area, dirty and grubby food handling overall, lack of wash hand basin - which you gave us a verbal assurance you'dhave installed at our last visit six months ago - and two dead pigeons in the water tank.
Basil Fawlty: Otherwise O.K.?
- Crazy creditsThe Fawlty Towers sign has been re-arranged to spell Farty Towels (a "W" is missing).
- ConnectionsFeatured in De wereld draait door: Episode #4.169 (2009)
This episode is one of the funniest - and is filled with the usual comedic failed attempts to discreetly rectify the problems. We all knew it was coming - the day Fawlty Towers gets threatened with shut-down. John Quarmby is superb as the anal Mr. Carnegie, the public health inspector. The look on his face when Basil opens up the tin of biscuits at the very end is absolutely priceless. A nod of approval should go to Brian Hall, who plays Terry the chef - he does quite well in the part.
The bit where Basil tries to capture the hamster by rummaging through the lady's purse - and gets clawed badly before it jumps out and scurries across the floor, is classic. The scene in the bar where the Major spots the hamster on a table in the bar is also a hoot (quick cut to Polly running in with a moth net!) Supposedly the cast got extra rehearsal time for this particular episode, and it definitely paid off. "Basil the Rat" is a beaut, and it ends the series pretty much as it began, as a fainted Basil gets dragged off by Manuel. Sybil, unfazed by this, gets the last words: "Oh, I'm afraid it's started to rain again...."
- oceanave
- May 15, 2006