Fawlty Towers - S2E3 'Waldorf Salad'
Added 2025-06-20 14:21:24 +0000 UTCComments
You missed the point of the joke, in regards to palm trees in California. Mr. Hamilton was being sarcastic towards Basil when he responded "Burt Lancaster had one (a palm tree) they say, but I don't believe them. Of course California has lots of palm trees.
Right Said Brett
2025-06-28 18:39:59 +0000 UTCWhy's the 4th episode not up?
Gerard McCartan
2025-06-28 15:13:03 +0000 UTCThe actor was Bruce Boa, he’s actually Canadian.
Simon Robbins
2025-06-25 01:54:51 +0000 UTCYeah thats another example of the stereotype British view on an american am afraid😂big loud brash in your face type🤣
Theloyalmuppet
2025-06-25 00:04:42 +0000 UTCBruh, literally from the 1st episode we've known about Basil's "lack of customer skills", how's this angering you in the 9th episode?
Nextmans
2025-06-22 23:00:34 +0000 UTCLooking forward to the next one. The Kipper and the Corpse is one of my favourite episodes. Also the series finale - Basil The Rat.
Steve B
2025-06-21 20:46:49 +0000 UTCI’m here to say that I’m out of waldorfs too
Silk
2025-06-21 13:55:23 +0000 UTCDid you notice that Mr Johnston (the man that complains his wife's prawns are off) is played by the same actor (Terence Conoley) that played Mr Wareing ("A Gin and Orange, A Lemon Squash, and a Scotch and Water, please!") in the first ever episode? He's wearing a wig in this one so it may not have twigged. Same sort of character in both episode, they both stood up to Basil. 😁
Simon Crockford
2025-06-21 10:46:51 +0000 UTCHow rude. We're always polite 😆
Darren Geoghegan
2025-06-21 07:11:12 +0000 UTCLiving in London, and using the Tube daily as my primary mode of transport, I have got used to hearing loud American voices. Their volume controls are just set higher than ours. 😉
Thomas
2025-06-21 06:25:02 +0000 UTCItalians are a lot more vocal than us Brits. I still find it fascinating how loud my wife’s family are around the kitchen table. Even my wife, who has lived in England for 30 years, talks about it. I actually love it; the animated conversations have nothing to do with anger, just passion, and maybe, a love of their language.
Thomas
2025-06-21 06:09:29 +0000 UTCDo you want to.see Jess in tears? Keep that movie away from her lol.
Mike M
2025-06-21 04:24:29 +0000 UTCHe is in Full Metal Jacket too.
Mike M
2025-06-21 04:23:31 +0000 UTCAs much as i'm a fan of Fawlty Towers i've never been keen on this episode for some reason.
The Puzzler 99
2025-06-21 03:14:09 +0000 UTCMr Hamilton was born in Canada - Bruce Boa.
Imogen
2025-06-21 02:43:44 +0000 UTCYeah but the comedy is that it parallels real life so that we can still relate to it on a fundamental human level and Basil was based on a real life Hotel owner who John Cleese and the Monty Python crew came across. All the best cringe comedy uses real life parallels. Also, FYI, this is a reaction channel and they are reacting.
David Broome
2025-06-21 01:34:40 +0000 UTCAnd World famous Hotel.
David Broome
2025-06-21 01:32:05 +0000 UTCI’ve not had one in six hours. Just landed 😎.
Thomas
2025-06-20 21:35:10 +0000 UTCBasil's right, he's trying to run a hotel and doesn't need pesky guests sticking their noses in complaining. LOL
Fordy7169
2025-06-20 20:01:59 +0000 UTCAs Americans I'm surprised Mike and Jess hadn't heard of a 'Waldorf salad' it's a classic American dish.
Simon Cross
2025-06-20 19:45:35 +0000 UTCIt's a show it's not real life
Martin
2025-06-20 18:24:19 +0000 UTCHehe, wrote this before watching your reactions and just realized you obviously know about these shows =)
Christopher Bergren
2025-06-20 18:13:41 +0000 UTC8 years without a holiday? How shocking!😋 I've not had one in 34 years.
OrdinaryDave
2025-06-20 17:55:34 +0000 UTCAnyone who's worked in a service industry will know that rudeness and arrogance knows no national or cultural boundaries.
Charlie
2025-06-20 17:38:01 +0000 UTCA bit side-topic, sorry for that, but if you watch Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares or Hotel Hell you will see even worse restaurants and hotels in real life. Puts you off for a long time daring going out dining or sleeping in a hotel bed after watching that series. Creepy is the word!
Christopher Bergren
2025-06-20 17:35:36 +0000 UTCThis is exactly how we see Americans, over bearing, rude and always think they're right
Dave Roberts
2025-06-20 17:14:19 +0000 UTCI second a comment below, Only fools and Horses would be amazing as a follow up. So much heart.
Jamie
2025-06-20 17:09:32 +0000 UTCFlay; skin.
Jason
2025-06-20 17:05:50 +0000 UTCI love otters, they’re my favourite animal ❤️ Proper characters they are!
Emma Edwards
2025-06-20 17:02:09 +0000 UTCBasil will never learn his lesson mike 😊
Superclarky666
2025-06-20 16:51:57 +0000 UTCNothings changed, you’re always more direct than us because the US is a low context communication culture (because it’s built of immigrants and so clear communication was historically valued), the UK is a high context one so everything is more about how things are said or what’s left unsaid - that’s why we use more everyday sarcasm and irony in everyday conversation, much more world play and more reliance on tone and delivery than content. And in terms of manners we’re more like Japan, we’re geared towards face saving interactions. Now the difference is Americans are more extroverted, more open to starting conversations etc. but that’s not instead of directness - Americans are famously thought of with the mindset that “the customer is always right” and they’ll say something about things being wrong - like you were surprised by their behaviour in the restaurant, not saying anything. But to us that’s not surprising at all, that’s the norm (obviously there’s always exceptions and the reason it exists narratively here is to show the sharp contrast with the American guest and set up the ending). I think the only instance where we’re more direct is talking about sex
Kieran B
2025-06-20 16:29:28 +0000 UTCThe ‘American’ was being sarcastic about Burt Lancaster being rumoured to have a palm tree but not believing him because it’s so obvious that California has palm trees - he’s essentially dismissing Basil as an idiot with that line and having a bit of fun with it for his own amusement
Kieran B
2025-06-20 16:21:21 +0000 UTCGood old Bruce Boa, he’s in Empire Strikes Back too
Kieran B
2025-06-20 16:14:52 +0000 UTCWhy don’t they say anything, they’re British - it’s very typical of how we are, especially in restaurants
Kieran B
2025-06-20 16:07:28 +0000 UTCSeconded!
Kieran B
2025-06-20 16:04:03 +0000 UTCPerfect way to end to a long week!
Kieran B
2025-06-20 16:03:24 +0000 UTCah yes, California has palm trees! i literally was in Palm springs the other week 🤭
Industrialist2015ofUk
2025-06-20 15:51:17 +0000 UTCYou get a different dynamic in this episode. Its pretty much all just Basil and the American, and the American is very overbearing and unlikable. Theres some really good bits though still
Danny
2025-06-20 15:36:51 +0000 UTC"The American" is not American. He is Canadian doing an accent. He was in a British TV show called Yanks Go Home, in which he was a US soldier staying in the UK
Danny
2025-06-20 15:11:26 +0000 UTCBruce Boa was actually Canadian, hence the accent. John Cleese felt that Americans had a way of being direct and complaining and that the British were too meek and embarrassed to stand up for themselves so the character of Mr Hamilton isn’t actually supposed to come across as overly rude, just forthright. Mr Johnstone in this episode played a different character in A touch of class. The irate Mr Wareing who couldn’t get his drinks order as Basil was fawning around Lord Melbury.
Chris Carleton
2025-06-20 15:10:46 +0000 UTCI live on the south coast in England, we do have palm trees. I don't have a clue what his joke was.
Jamie
2025-06-20 15:08:28 +0000 UTCHot Dog!
Steve Small
2025-06-20 15:04:58 +0000 UTCTheres an old British film I had on my channel called Tarka the Otter. Its like the movie Fox and the Hound but with an otter. Pretty hard hitting movie.
Danny
2025-06-20 14:57:58 +0000 UTCMr. Hamilton's long drive from London was his own fault, he took the silly buggers route. He should've taken the M3 to Popham, then taken the A303 to Devon. Bruce Boa, the actor, was actually Canadian. I have to admit to sort of empathising with Basil here, he was still a dick and handled things as dreadfully as he always does, but Mr. Hamilton was awful and Basil was sort of justified in being tired of his and everyone else's shit.
Charlie
2025-06-20 14:49:39 +0000 UTCIts probably been mentioned alot of times. But i would love you both to react to Only Fools And Horses. By far the greatest british tv show ever. In my Opinion ofcourse.
Simon Westerman
2025-06-20 14:39:46 +0000 UTCI stopped being a chef over 30 years ago after 12 years on and off, including as a head chef, but I still get kitchen nightmares frequently, mostly where I turn up to work at a Michellin-starred restaurant and haven't a clue how to cook anything. It's exhausting!
OrdinaryDave
2025-06-20 14:35:15 +0000 UTCI've been waiting for this one. Let's get it on!
Steve Small
2025-06-20 14:23:33 +0000 UTC
