Strictly star joins cast for Scottish premiere of Fawlty Towers the play in Glasgow

Lisa in the theatre
Aug 23, 2025
3 min read

Casting has been announced for Fawlty Towers - The Play as the new UK & Ireland theatre tour production of the beloved tv comedy gets set to visit Scotland in 2026. The West End smash hit comedy play, written and adapted for the stage by John Cleese, will have its Scottish premier at Glasgow's King's Theatre in January 2026, followed by dates in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Find out more below.

Fawlty Towers - The Play, 2025 / 2026 UK tour

Casting is announced today for John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers – The Play. Following the hugely successful and critically acclaimed West End run earlier this year and a return three-month summer season this June, “the funniest show in town” (Daily Express) will have its Scottish premiere at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow as part of a major 10-month tour across 2025 and 2026.

This “as good as comedy gets” production (Sunday Times) – which first opened in May 2024 to a host of rave reviews - is directed by originating West End director Caroline Jay Ranger, and stars Danny Bayne as Basil Fawlty, Mia Austen as Sybil, Strictly star Joanne Clifton as Polly, Hemi Yeroham reprising his role as Manuel, Paul Nicholas reprising his role as The Major and Jemma Churchill as Mrs Richards.

Full cast list below

About Fawlty Towers - The Play

Nearly 50 years since Fawlty Towers was first broadcast on BBC Two on 19 September 1975, comedy legend John Cleese, who originally co-wrote the “greatest British sitcom of all time” (Radio Times) with Connie Booth, has chosen three of his favourite original TV episodes - ‘The Hotel Inspector’ and ‘The Germans’ from series one and ‘Communication Problems’ from series two - and adapted them into a two-hour play, complete with a new finale.

Following a tip off that hotel inspectors may be visiting and eager to impress, Basil attempts to ingratiate himself with guests that he suspects are there to critique the establishment. The situation is further plagued by a party of Germans, the deaf and dotty guest-from-hell, Mrs Richards, whose infuriating complaints prevent him from hiding a gambling win from his ever vigilant and bossy wife, Sybil. Together they run their hotel with a little help from the unflappable Polly, and very little help at all from Manuel, the trainee waiter from Barcelona who is the butt of Fawlty’s frustration.

John Cleese said:

“I’m thrilled with the top-class group of comedy actors that we've assembled for the UK tour of Fawlty Towers - The Play which begins in September. September also marks exactly 50 years since the first ever TV episode was broadcast on the BBC. I never thought that all these years later the stage show would get the reception that it has. But here we are, still making theatres rock with laughter.”

Fawlty Towers the play cast — Fawlty Towers the play on stage

Fawlty Towers - the play, UK & Ireland Tour cast 2025 / 2026

Danny Bayne as Basil Fawlty

Mia Austen as Sybil

Joanne Clifton as Polly

Hemi Yeroham as Manuel

Paul Nicholas as The Major

Jemma Churchill as Mrs Richards

The play also features other beloved characters from the original TV sitcom:

Mr Hutchinson / Wilhelm played by Greg Haiste

Miss Tibbs played by Emily Winter

Miss Gatsby played by Dawn Buckland

Mr Thurston / Günter played by John Hasler

Mr Walt played by Adam Elliott

Taxi Driver/ Mr Firkins / Mr Kerr / Mr Sharp played by Neil Stewart

Johanna and Liz (Hotel Guest) played by Josie Brightwell

Completing the company of players are Ashleigh Harvey playing Debbie (Hotel Guest), Ben Jacobson playing Ken (Hotel Guest), Matthew Gordon playing Mr Dale (Hotel Guest) and Raymond Rose playing Philip (Hotel Guest).

About Fawlty Towers

Set in a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, only 12 half hour episodes of the original BBC comedy were ever made. Based on a real-life hotel owner, Donald Sinclair. John Cleese came up with the idea for the character Basil Fawlty when he stayed at Sinclair’s Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay and became fascinated with his incredibly rude behaviour.

The iconic TV show won many awards and plaudits including two BAFTAS for Best Situation Comedy and in 2000 it was voted the best British programme of all time in a British Film Institute poll.