The Best Episodes Written By John Cleese

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   8.9/10(23 votes)

   #1 - Communication Problems

   S2:E12/19/1979

   A selectively deaf woman named Mrs Richards insists that she has had a large amount of money stolen at the hotel, and against Sybil's wishes Basil puts a fiver on Dragonfly.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
2. 

   8.8/10(25 votes)

   #2 - The Psychiatrist

   S2:E22/26/1979

   A psychiatrist and his wife come to stay and Basil thinks Sybil is telling them all about his life.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
3. 

   8.7/10(25 votes)

   #3 - The Germans

   S1:E610/24/1975

   Sybil goes into the hospital for toe surgery, leaving Basil to cope with a fire drill single-handed. After a couple of blows on the head, Basil tells some German guests where Germany went wrong in WWII.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
4. 

   8.7/10(26 votes)

   #4 - Basil the Rat

   S2:E610/25/1979

   The health inspector is coming and Basil tells Manuel to get rid of his pet rat, which he later finds out is named Basil.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
5. 

   8.6/10(28 votes)

   #5 - The Hotel Inspectors

   S1:E410/10/1975

   Some inspectors are in town and Basil gets paranoid, so he alternately fawns over and offends his guests.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
6. 

   8.6/10(23 votes)

   #6 - The Kipper and the Corpse

   S2:E43/12/1979

   Unknown to Basil, a guest dies in the night and he tries to serve him breakfast anyway and an obnoxious woman insists on service for her dog.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
7. 

   8.3/10(25 votes)

   #7 - Gourmet Night

   S1:E510/17/1975

   To bring the right type of crowd into the hotel Basil establishes a Gourmet Night.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
8. 

   8.1/10(33 votes)

   #8 - A Touch of Class

   S1:E19/19/1975

   A confidence trickster comes to stay at the hotel, just after Basil has taken an ad in a posh magazine to upgrade the clientele.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Writer:John Cleese
9. 

   8.1/10(29 votes)

   #9 - The Builders

   S1:E29/26/1975

   The Fawltys take a holiday and leave Polly and Manuel to run the place just as O'Reilly's builders come to redo the lobby.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:John Cleese
10. 

    8.1/10(25 votes)

    #10 - The Wedding Party

    S1:E310/3/1975

    Basil wants 'none of that' going on in his rooms and suspects some guests and Polly of carrying on.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese
11. 

    8.0/10(24 votes)

    #11 - Waldorf Salad

    S2:E33/5/1979

    An American and his wife get unsatisfactory service at Fawlty Towers when he orders a Waldorf salad, after the kitchen has closed.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
12. 

    7.9/10(19 votes)

    #12 - How to Recognise Different Types of Trees from Quite a Long Way Away

    S1:E310/19/1969

    Featuring a court scene, the larch, Bicycle Repair Man, children's stories, a restaurant sketch, some seduced milkmen, an interview with some children and a stolen newsreader.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
13. 

    7.9/10(9 votes)

    #13 - E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease

    S3:E1012/21/1972

    Sketches include The Tudor Jobs Agency, Elizabethan Pornography Smugglers, Thripshaw's Disease and The Man Who Says Words in the Wrong Order.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
14. 

    7.8/10(24 votes)

    #14 - The Anniversary

    S2:E53/26/1979

    Sybil leaves before Basil's surprise anniversary party and Basil spends the evening trying to convince their friends she's ill.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
15. 

    7.8/10(23 votes)

    #15 - Whither Canada?

    S1:E110/5/1969

    Featuring 'It's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart', an Italian lesson, Whizzo Butter, 'It's the Arts', Arthur 'Two-Sheds' Jackson, a cycling race, and The Funniest Joke in the World.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
16. 

    7.8/10(19 votes)

    #16 - Man's Crisis of Identity in the Latter Half of the 20th Century

    S1:E511/16/1969

    Featuring Confuse-a-Cat, discussion programme A Duck, a Cat and a Lizard, the arrest of a newsreader, an erotic film, a silly job interview and a burglar/encyclopaedia salesman.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
17. 

    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #17 - Déjà Vu

    S2:E39/29/1970

    Featuring the work of the poet Euan McTeagle, a psychiatrist milkman and some exploding animals. A television presenter suffers from a severe case of deja vu.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
18. 

    7.8/10(12 votes)

    #18 - The Buzz Aldrin Show

    S2:E410/20/1970

    More surreal humour from the Monty Python team. Sketches include The Architects, How to Recognise a Mason, Poets and the Chemist sketch.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
19. 

    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #19 - Spam

    S2:E1212/15/1970

    The sketches in this episode include Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook, World Forum-Communist Quiz, Hospital for Over-Actors and Spam.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
20. 

    7.7/10(15 votes)

    #20 - Face the Press

    S2:E19/15/1970

    Featuring Doug and Dinsdale Piranha, Face the Press and the Ministry of Silly Walks. Mrs G Pinnet buys a new gas cooker.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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21. 

    7.7/10(15 votes)

    #21 - The Spanish Inquisition

    S2:E29/22/1970

    Featuring the Spanish Inquisition, courtroom charades and a semaphore interpretation of Wuthering Heights.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
22. 

    7.7/10(9 votes)

    #22 - Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror

    S3:E411/9/1972

    Features gags and sketches such as Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror, The Man who Speaks in Anagrams and Pantomime Horses.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
23. 

    7.7/10(9 votes)

    #23 - A Book at Bedtime

    S3:E121/11/1973

    Features gags and sketches such as A Book at Bedtime, Kamikaze Scotsmen, No Time to Lose, Spot the Looney and Frontiers of Medicine-Penguins.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
24. 

    7.6/10(20 votes)

    #24 - Sex and Violence

    S1:E210/12/1969

    Featuring some flying sheep, a man with three buttocks, a man with two noses, musical mice, a marriage guidance counsellor, a working-class playwright and The Wrestling Epilogue.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Writer:John Cleese
25. 

    7.6/10(12 votes)

    #25 - Royal Episode 13

    S2:E1312/22/1970

    Sketches in this episode include How to Feed a Goldfish, The Man Who Says Things in a Very Roundabout Way and Lifeboat.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese

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    Director:N/A

    Writer:John Cleese