Actor John Cleese has paid tribute to his Fawlty Towers co-star Prunella Scales following her death aged 93, saying she was “a really wonderful comic actress”.
Scales starred in the popular BBC comedy series playing Sybil, the long-suffering wife of bumbling hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese.
The actress, who was married to fellow actor Timothy West for over 60 years, had been living with Alzheimer’s disease since her diagnosis in 2013.
Her sons Samuel and Joseph confirmed she “died peacefully at home in London on Monday, surrounded by family.”
A statement to the PA news agency said: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. 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,” it continued.
“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.”
Cleese said in a statement shared with the Standard: “How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress.
“I’ve recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect.”
He added: “She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her.”
Jon Petrie, director of comedy at the BBC, paid tribute, saying: “All of us at BBC Comedy are so sorry to hear of Prunella Scales’ passing.
“She was a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today. We send our love and condolences to her family and friends.”
Meanwhile, Corinne Mills, interim chief executive at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are deeply saddened by the news that Prunella Scales – a true British icon – has died.
“Prunella was an inspiration not just for her achievements on screen, but because she spoke so openly about living with dementia, shining an important light on the UK’s biggest killer.
“We are profoundly grateful for the awareness she helped to raise and send our heartfelt condolences to her loved ones.”
Born in Surrey in 1932, Scales began her career behind the scenes as an assistant stage manager at the Bristol Old Vic theatre after training at its drama school.
Acting was in her blood — her mother, Catherine, was an actor, while her father, John, a cotton salesman, shared a deep love of the stage.
After early film work, including a now-lost 1952 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Scales found national fame in the BBC sitcom The Marriage Lines in the early 1960s, starring opposite Richard Briers.
She went on to appear in Rumpole of the Bailey on BBC Radio 4 and the television series Mapp and Lucia, but it was her performance as Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers that made her a household name.
Between 1975 and 1979, Scales’ sharp-tongued, commanding portrayal of Sybil opposite John Cleese’s hapless Basil became one of British comedy’s most enduring characters.
This year marked 50 years since the comedy show first appeared on screens.
She also played Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution and, in 1973, Scales teamed up with Ronnie Barker in the series Seven Of One, also for the BBC.
She later became familiar to a new generation through her long-running role as Dotty, a no-nonsense shopper in Tesco’s adverts, which ran for a decade from 1995.
Her husband Timothy West, who died in November 2024, starred in TV shows such as comedy drama Brass, sitcom Not Going Out and soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.
Scales had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013.
Together the couple filmed 10 series of the Channel 4 programme Great Canal Journeys, which saw them travel across the UK and other parts of the world exploring different waterways, and the couple also talked openly about Scales’s diagnosis.
Their last journey for the programme was broadcast in June 2019.
In 2023, the couple did a joint interview with BBC Breakfast where West spoke about first noticing signs of his wife’s illness while she was performing on stage at the Greenwich Theatre in 2001.
