Prunella Scales, the British actress who brought to life the formidable Sybil Fawlty in the legendary BBC sitcom “Fawlty Towers,” died peacefully at her London home on Monday, October 27, 2025. She was 93.
Her sons, Samuel and Joseph West, confirmed their mother’s death on Tuesday, October 28, revealing that she had been watching episodes of “Fawlty Towers” just one day before she passed. The actress had been living with vascular dementia since her diagnosis in 2013, yet remained at home throughout her illness.
Scales achieved enduring fame as the sharp-tongued, commanding wife of John Cleese’s hapless hotel manager Basil Fawlty in the sitcom that aired for just 12 episodes across two seasons in 1975 and 1979. Despite its brief run, the British Film Institute voted “Fawlty Towers” the No. 1 British television program of all time in 2000, cementing Scales’ place in television history.
Cleese paid tribute to his co-star, stating he had recently been reviewing clips of their work together while researching a book. “Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect,” he noted, adding that she was a very sweet person who spent much of her life apologizing, something he would tease her about.
Connie Booth, who co-wrote “Fawlty Towers” with Cleese and played waitress Polly on the show, praised Scales’ creation of Sybil as a kind of national figure. She highlighted how the actress devised the character’s entire look, from the overblown bouffant hairdo to the nails and swooping voice. Despite her diminutive stature, Booth emphasized, Scales projected real power on screen.
Born on June 22, 1932, in Surrey, England, Scales came from a theatrical family. Her mother was an actress, and she began her career as an assistant stage manager at the Bristol Old Vic theater in the 1950s. Her early work included a role in a 1952 BBC miniseries adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” and the 1954 comedy “Hobson’s Choice.”
Her breakthrough came in the 1960s sitcom “Marriage Lines,” where she starred opposite Richard Briers, before landing the role that would define her career. Scales drew inspiration for Sybil from a real encounter during her childhood, recalling a hotel proprietress who would fawn over her father, a military officer, with exaggerated courtesy.
The role of Sybil had originally been offered to actress Bridget Turner, whom Cleese had seen perform onstage in “The Norman Conquests.” When Turner declined, Scales was cast and immediately began developing the character’s complexity. At her script reading, she questioned why Sybil and Basil would have married at all, prompting an amused Cleese to cover his face with a pillow in mock exasperation.
Scales created an elaborate backstory for her character, imagining that Sybil’s family worked as caterers at a small hotel on the South Coast. She theorized that Sybil, having married above her class and been fooled by Basil’s pretensions, realized too late she had landed what Scales called an upper-class twit for a husband. Yet beneath the apparent disenchantment, Scales maintained there remained just enough real affection to keep the relationship believable.
Beyond “Fawlty Towers,” Scales enjoyed a distinguished career spanning nearly 70 years. She earned a BAFTA nomination for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s 1991 televised play “A Question of Attribution.” She also starred with Geraldine McEwan as dueling snobs on the London Weekend Television period comedy “Mapp & Lucia” and played a widow on the ITV series “After Henry.”
Her film credits included “Room at the Top,” “The Boys From Brazil,” “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” “Howards End” and “Johnny English.” She also became familiar to British television audiences through a series of Tesco commercials featuring the tagline “Every little helps.”
In later years, Scales found unexpected success hosting “Great Canal Journeys” on Channel 4 from 2014 to 2019 alongside her husband, fellow actor Timothy West, whom she married in 1963. The travel series explored waterways in Britain and abroad, and was praised for honestly depicting Scales’ struggles with dementia. West died in November 2024 at age 90.
Scales was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1992. She is survived by her sons Samuel and Joseph, stepdaughter Juliet West, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her sons expressed gratitude to those who provided care at the end of her life, noting her final days were comfortable and surrounded by love.
Corinne Mills, interim chief executive officer for the Alzheimer’s Society, praised Scales for speaking openly about living with dementia and helping to raise awareness about what Mills described as the United Kingdom’s biggest killer.
