Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died | UK News
Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales, best known for her role as Sybil in Fawlty Towers, has died aged 93, her family has said.
Prunella Scales was watching the sitcom the day before she died, her sons Samuel and Joseph West said.
They said in a statement to the PA news agency: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday.”
Prunella Scales, pictured in 2017, has died at the age of 93. File pic: PA
Her seven-decade acting career saw her in multiple roles from the 1950s, including in 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines,
before featuring as the wife of John Cleese’s character Basil Fawlty, in two series of Fawlty Towers in 1975 and 1979.
He statement added: “She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.
“Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024.
“She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
“We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”
Prunella Scales was married to fellow actor Timothy West for 61 years before his death in November 2024. Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock
Prunella Scales was one of the most successful and popular comedy actresses of her generation – achieving worldwide fame and recognition as Sybil, the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers.
Her performances, alongside John Cleese, are often regarded as arguably some of TV’s funniest comedy moments ever.
The sitcom, set in a hotel in the seaside resort of Torquay, continues to be broadcast. It was developed into a theatre production that moved to London’s West End in 2024.
Prunella Scales (left), pictured here in 1979 as Sybil, alongside John Cleese (back centre) who played Basil Fawlty. Pic: Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock
But although she was regularly cast in comic roles, her abilities ranged far more widely than that – she even appeared in opera.
Scales also played Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question Of Attribution as well as appearing in a one-woman show called, An Evening With Queen Victoria.
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